-- When the cops want to take Archie's gun: "I own the gun, by the way." Man, no wonder Archie is so insistent about owning his furniture, he doesn't own *anything* else! (This goes back to what I was saying in the last post about how weird it is to have a fictional duo with this kind of relationship-- employer/employee. I can't think of any other iconic fictional team with this kind of set-up.)
The whole sequence where Wolfe telepathically signals Archie that he's going to do something and Archie knows exactly what to do is so great. And it also shows Archie's incredible confidence in Wolfe-- not just that he's going to distract the one guy by spraying him, but that he's going to be able to *pick the other guy's pocket* afterwards to find the wallet Archie stashed there, a guy who is already suspicious of Wolfe and knows that he and Archie are desperately trying to hide something! When did Archie learn that Wolfe is an accomplished pick-pocket? I mean, it makes sense if you ascribe some kind of background in espionage to Wolfe, that's the stuff spies learn. But I'm still just stuck on when Wolfe would ever have had occasion to even mention being a genius pick-pocket-- I mean, it's not the kind of thing that would come in handy during Wolfe's usual cases where hopefully all the new people stay as far away from him as possible.
-- Some of my favorite Archie Goodwin Insults from this book: "First, if you think you can scare me by threats about basements you're too dumb for a mother's tears." ... "This will get you a row of ciphers and the finger of scorn and a bellyache." Also the sly little injection about Osgood in the middle of describing him: "It stuck out all over him, one of those born-to-command guys. I never invite them to parties." Beee hee hee hee. Oh, this book also features my favorite Archie Goodwin self-description, when he's telling the cops why he handed off Jimmy's bribe: "There are times when I feel kittenish, and that was one." AHAHAHAA. I can see it now, Archie's autobiography: The Archie Goodwin Story: Sometimes I Feel Kittenish. :D
-- I like the character of Basil, Archie's cellmate. You kind of get the sense that while they're in prison together and Archie makes him vice president of the prisoners' union, Archie is kind of enjoying having his own Archie to run errands and do things and be snarky at him. ("No damn good as an agitator?" he inquired sarcastically.)
-- Another thing I could have mentioned in my last comment about how if Wolfe has issues with women, you couldn't tell it from "Some Buried Caesar" -- when he comes to get Archie in prison, he is wearing "the brown tie with tan stripes which Constanza Berin had sent him from Paris". N'aaaw. I wonder if she bothered to send Archie anything!
Also I'm still curious about this bit of your review: the whole question as to whether or not the plot has a serious glitch
Does it? Where? Is the whole cow-switching plot impossible and I missed it?
no subject
More random comments:
-- When the cops want to take Archie's gun: "I own the gun, by the way." Man, no wonder Archie is so insistent about owning his furniture, he doesn't own *anything* else! (This goes back to what I was saying in the last post about how weird it is to have a fictional duo with this kind of relationship-- employer/employee. I can't think of any other iconic fictional team with this kind of set-up.)
The whole sequence where Wolfe telepathically signals Archie that he's going to do something and Archie knows exactly what to do is so great. And it also shows Archie's incredible confidence in Wolfe-- not just that he's going to distract the one guy by spraying him, but that he's going to be able to *pick the other guy's pocket* afterwards to find the wallet Archie stashed there, a guy who is already suspicious of Wolfe and knows that he and Archie are desperately trying to hide something! When did Archie learn that Wolfe is an accomplished pick-pocket? I mean, it makes sense if you ascribe some kind of background in espionage to Wolfe, that's the stuff spies learn. But I'm still just stuck on when Wolfe would ever have had occasion to even mention being a genius pick-pocket-- I mean, it's not the kind of thing that would come in handy during Wolfe's usual cases where hopefully all the new people stay as far away from him as possible.
-- Some of my favorite Archie Goodwin Insults from this book: "First, if you think you can scare me by threats about basements you're too dumb for a mother's tears." ... "This will get you a row of ciphers and the finger of scorn and a bellyache." Also the sly little injection about Osgood in the middle of describing him: "It stuck out all over him, one of those born-to-command guys. I never invite them to parties." Beee hee hee hee. Oh, this book also features my favorite Archie Goodwin self-description, when he's telling the cops why he handed off Jimmy's bribe: "There are times when I feel kittenish, and that was one." AHAHAHAA. I can see it now, Archie's autobiography: The Archie Goodwin Story: Sometimes I Feel Kittenish. :D
-- I like the character of Basil, Archie's cellmate. You kind of get the sense that while they're in prison together and Archie makes him vice president of the prisoners' union, Archie is kind of enjoying having his own Archie to run errands and do things and be snarky at him. ("No damn good as an agitator?" he inquired sarcastically.)
-- Another thing I could have mentioned in my last comment about how if Wolfe has issues with women, you couldn't tell it from "Some Buried Caesar" -- when he comes to get Archie in prison, he is wearing "the brown tie with tan stripes which Constanza Berin had sent him from Paris". N'aaaw. I wonder if she bothered to send Archie anything!
Also I'm still curious about this bit of your review: the whole question as to whether or not the plot has a serious glitch
Does it? Where? Is the whole cow-switching plot impossible and I missed it?