I was wondering if maybe this is something to do with Wolfe's relapses: is this just rather too close to the times when Wolfe really has been mentally unwell? Or is it just lying to the police on a large scale that's freaking him out?
I don't think it's that. *G* Archie is a born liar! I think it's that Wolfe left Archie *too far* out of the loop on this one. He didn't tell him anything, not even that he *had* a plan. I think I've observed before how irritating it is for Archie when Wolfe goes, "I know who the killer is, and I have a Plan, but I just won't tell you about it yet," but I guess this is the other option-- not telling Archie anything at all and just letting him believe that the whole case is going to crash and burn.
And I think Archie's panic is also somewhat justified by their financial situation-- the book starts with them being so desperate for cash that they basically hustled the NIA into hiring them, and now they've returned that money (so they're on the hook for all the expenses of the case) not to mention they're probably never going to be hired by anyone again after this debacle, and might get sued by the NIA, etc.! So if Wolfe doesn't snap out of it, it's not just "oops, we might not solve the case" but possibly like, "we might have to fire Fritz and Theodore and move into a cold-water flat!" or something unthinkable like that. ^_^
Archie laying out the evidence that Wolfe totally knew where the missing cylinder was ages ago is a lot of fun, and a great finish.
Oh, yes, I love this! Especially how Archie draws it out. :D
It's also interestingly ambiguous: Archie thinks Wolfe hid the truth for longer than he needed to because he – like Archie, apparently – hates the NIA. Wolfe says it's because he didn't want Phoebe Gunther's hard work to go to waste. Archie basically goes “Nuts!” to this. What do you reckon?
I actually read it as-- Archie *first* thinks that all of Wolfe's shenanigans were to manipulate the situation so that he could *believably* return the thirty thousand dollar retainer, and then after waiting a bit, earn the hundred thousand dollar reward-- which comes a bit close to crossing the ethical line of "Private detectives don't betray their clients." And I don't think Wolfe really hated the NIA personally, but like you said, he respected Phoebe and her sacrifice, and he dragged it out for so long because he wanted to hurt the NIA for her, or on her behalf anyway. (And probably it doesn't help that they're all jerks.) Which, again, is still kind of murky ethically, but if it's for *Phoebe* and not just for the money, then Archie is okay with it.
Hee. She is one of the few people who really manages to run rings around the official investigators due to her own smarts and initiative. I also like that she is clearly respected at her job, and is allowed to have at least some strong opinions of her own while doing so.
I love Phoebe too (see icon!) Despite the fact that we actually have lady private eyes like Dol Bonner and Sally Colt, I personally see Phoebe as the closest we get to a girl version of Archie Goodwin. That scene where she's talking about her relationship with her boss could absolutely be a scene of Archie talking about his relationship with Wolfe--
"What did Mr. Boone depend on you for?"
"To do what he told me to."
"Of course." Wolfe was merely murmuring. "But what did he get from you? Intelligent obedience? Loyalty? Comfortable companionship? Happiness? Ecstasy?"
"Oh, for the lord's sake." She looked mildly disgusted. "You sound like a congressman's wife. What he got was first-class work. I'm not saying that during the two years I worked for Mr. Boone I was always fresh out of ecstasy, but I never took it to the office with me, and anyway I was saving it up until I met Mr. Goodwin. .... If you want to know whether I was on terms of sinful intimacy with Mr. Boone, the answer is no. For one thing, he was too busy, and so was I, and anyhow he didn't strike me that way. I merely worshiped him."
"You did?"
"Yes, I did." She gave the impression that she meant it. "He was irritable and he expected too much, he was overweight and he had dandruff, and he nearly drove me crazy trying to keep his schedule under control, but he was honest clear through and the best man in Washington, and he was up against the dirtiest gang of pigs and chiselers on earth. So since I was born weak-minded to begin with, I merely worshiped him, but where he was getting ecstasy I really don't know."
Seriously, she could be Archie talking about Wolfe, there! Just cross out "dandruff" (and possibly "honest clear through.")
And really this is totally what Archie would do if Wolfe got killed: he would figure out *not just* how to bring the culprit to justice officially, but how to punish them in the way that Wolfe would have wanted, to destroy whatever it is they killed Wolfe over, and only *after* everything they tried to save has been destroyed, *then* turn the killer over to the cops. And, imo, he'd also probably get killed trying, like Phoebe did.
I don't think Phoebe gets killed because she was too nice, really. I think she just underestimated how psychotically audacious Kates could have dared to be, killing her right on the doorstep like that. I mean, she probably assumed he wouldn't try anything right outside a house that was full of cops, and other cars/taxis could have pulled up at any moment...
And her death is very personal: she is killed right on the doorstep, and Archie especially takes her death very personally. Which is, well, a trope that's been used in the books before, but I really believe it here that this is something both Wolfe and Archie would react emotionally to.
I was thinking about this earlier-- maybe I've lost track, but is this the first time san innocent person has been *murdered* in/near the brownstone? Mostly the people who have died in the brownstone before this have been The Killer, haven't they? (Calida Frost who kills herself in "Red Box", and then whats-his-name who gets shot by Archie and the other guy in "Rubber Band...") Later on, innocent people get murdered in the brownstone who are strangers to Wolfe and Archie, but yeah, it's much more affecting this time to have it be a double whammy-- that it happens on their home ground *and* that it's Phoebe, who Archie really connected with.
Cramer is a good guy in this one – from the beginning bit where he gets annoyed because “he had long ago caught on that Wolfe was starting from scratch, and had arranged the gathering for the purpose of taking in, not giving out” he's pretty sympathetic.
And he gives Wolfe an ORCHID! <3 <3 <3 SO MANY HEARTS. He is so darling. Warning Wolfe not to try any more tricks, because he's got his EYE on him, so THERE, and then totally being too embarrassed to be like "here's your orchid," but running awayyyyy and being like "oh yeah, that's for you, GOODBYE." And Wolfe treasures it even though it's just a grubby ordinary orchid and not a special collectors' orchid like all of his! Did I mention, SO MANY HEARTS. <3
Wolfe even says “Hit him, Archie. Knock him down.”
Haha, yes. Earlier when Archie hits Don O'Neill, Wolfe is all peevish and "I dislike commotion," but now all of a sudden it's SIC HIM, ARCHIE. GET HIM! And Archie literally throwing his body in between Wolfe and a punch! N'aaw.
This is also kind of acknowledging the way that Archie says Wolfe's a misogynist while actually being worse about women himself. Archie complains that if Wolfe really didn't like women then the more “womany” aspects of women would be worst, but that's not true. Also, Wolfe apparently appreciates the aesthetic appeal of the female form.
Yeah, not to mention, that doesn't even make any sense as something Archie would expect if Wolfe didn't like women on *misogynist* grounds. If ONLY it were true that "misogynist" and "man who appreciates the sight of attractive women" were non-overlapping groups!
I also think it's interesting for a brief flash of Archie as being the social superior: usually Archie puts himself as the street-smart lower class guy to Wolfe's elite, but the guys in the kitchen clearly don't see Archie as being on their level. Archie likes to think of himself as being a regular Joe, but there's clearly an extent to which the rest of the world sees him as “eating fancy food, charging enormous fees and living in a fabulous house”.
Yeah, maybe he can pretend to be "just one of the guys" most of the time, when he's out there in the world, but now they're all actually *in the house* and eating Fritz' food and really seeing how they live. He can't deny it now! So of course he goes in the other direction and totally plays it up: "that's, you know, French, which is the language of Frenchmen, who live in FRANCE, which you uncultured flatfoots wouldn't know about--" etc.
Also, I think that "Bronx cheer" is probably a genteel gloss on "middle finger". *G*
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I was wondering if maybe this is something to do with Wolfe's relapses: is this just rather too close to the times when Wolfe really has been mentally unwell? Or is it just lying to the police on a large scale that's freaking him out?
I don't think it's that. *G* Archie is a born liar! I think it's that Wolfe left Archie *too far* out of the loop on this one. He didn't tell him anything, not even that he *had* a plan. I think I've observed before how irritating it is for Archie when Wolfe goes, "I know who the killer is, and I have a Plan, but I just won't tell you about it yet," but I guess this is the other option-- not telling Archie anything at all and just letting him believe that the whole case is going to crash and burn.
And I think Archie's panic is also somewhat justified by their financial situation-- the book starts with them being so desperate for cash that they basically hustled the NIA into hiring them, and now they've returned that money (so they're on the hook for all the expenses of the case) not to mention they're probably never going to be hired by anyone again after this debacle, and might get sued by the NIA, etc.! So if Wolfe doesn't snap out of it, it's not just "oops, we might not solve the case" but possibly like, "we might have to fire Fritz and Theodore and move into a cold-water flat!" or something unthinkable like that. ^_^
Archie laying out the evidence that Wolfe totally knew where the missing cylinder was ages ago is a lot of fun, and a great finish.
Oh, yes, I love this! Especially how Archie draws it out. :D
It's also interestingly ambiguous: Archie thinks Wolfe hid the truth for longer than he needed to because he – like Archie, apparently – hates the NIA. Wolfe says it's because he didn't want Phoebe Gunther's hard work to go to waste. Archie basically goes “Nuts!” to this. What do you reckon?
I actually read it as-- Archie *first* thinks that all of Wolfe's shenanigans were to manipulate the situation so that he could *believably* return the thirty thousand dollar retainer, and then after waiting a bit, earn the hundred thousand dollar reward-- which comes a bit close to crossing the ethical line of "Private detectives don't betray their clients." And I don't think Wolfe really hated the NIA personally, but like you said, he respected Phoebe and her sacrifice, and he dragged it out for so long because he wanted to hurt the NIA for her, or on her behalf anyway. (And probably it doesn't help that they're all jerks.) Which, again, is still kind of murky ethically, but if it's for *Phoebe* and not just for the money, then Archie is okay with it.
Hee. She is one of the few people who really manages to run rings around the official investigators due to her own smarts and initiative. I also like that she is clearly respected at her job, and is allowed to have at least some strong opinions of her own while doing so.
I love Phoebe too (see icon!) Despite the fact that we actually have lady private eyes like Dol Bonner and Sally Colt, I personally see Phoebe as the closest we get to a girl version of Archie Goodwin. That scene where she's talking about her relationship with her boss could absolutely be a scene of Archie talking about his relationship with Wolfe--
"What did Mr. Boone depend on you for?"
"To do what he told me to."
"Of course." Wolfe was merely murmuring. "But what did he get from you? Intelligent obedience? Loyalty? Comfortable companionship? Happiness? Ecstasy?"
"Oh, for the lord's sake." She looked mildly disgusted. "You sound like a congressman's wife. What he got was first-class work. I'm not saying that during the two years I worked for Mr. Boone I was always fresh out of ecstasy, but I never took it to the office with me, and anyway I was saving it up until I met Mr. Goodwin. .... If you want to know whether I was on terms of sinful intimacy with Mr. Boone, the answer is no. For one thing, he was too busy, and so was I, and anyhow he didn't strike me that way. I merely worshiped him."
"You did?"
"Yes, I did." She gave the impression that she meant it. "He was irritable and he expected too much, he was overweight and he had dandruff, and he nearly drove me crazy trying to keep his schedule under control, but he was honest clear through and the best man in Washington, and he was up against the dirtiest gang of pigs and chiselers on earth. So since I was born weak-minded to begin with, I merely worshiped him, but where he was getting ecstasy I really don't know."
Seriously, she could be Archie talking about Wolfe, there! Just cross out "dandruff" (and possibly "honest clear through.")
And really this is totally what Archie would do if Wolfe got killed: he would figure out *not just* how to bring the culprit to justice officially, but how to punish them in the way that Wolfe would have wanted, to destroy whatever it is they killed Wolfe over, and only *after* everything they tried to save has been destroyed, *then* turn the killer over to the cops. And, imo, he'd also probably get killed trying, like Phoebe did.
I don't think Phoebe gets killed because she was too nice, really. I think she just underestimated how psychotically audacious Kates could have dared to be, killing her right on the doorstep like that. I mean, she probably assumed he wouldn't try anything right outside a house that was full of cops, and other cars/taxis could have pulled up at any moment...
And her death is very personal: she is killed right on the doorstep, and Archie especially takes her death very personally. Which is, well, a trope that's been used in the books before, but I really believe it here that this is something both Wolfe and Archie would react emotionally to.
I was thinking about this earlier-- maybe I've lost track, but is this the first time san innocent person has been *murdered* in/near the brownstone? Mostly the people who have died in the brownstone before this have been The Killer, haven't they? (Calida Frost who kills herself in "Red Box", and then whats-his-name who gets shot by Archie and the other guy in "Rubber Band...") Later on, innocent people get murdered in the brownstone who are strangers to Wolfe and Archie, but yeah, it's much more affecting this time to have it be a double whammy-- that it happens on their home ground *and* that it's Phoebe, who Archie really connected with.
Cramer is a good guy in this one – from the beginning bit where he gets annoyed because “he had long ago caught on that Wolfe was starting from scratch, and had arranged the gathering for the purpose of taking in, not giving out” he's pretty sympathetic.
And he gives Wolfe an ORCHID! <3 <3 <3 SO MANY HEARTS. He is so darling. Warning Wolfe not to try any more tricks, because he's got his EYE on him, so THERE, and then totally being too embarrassed to be like "here's your orchid," but running awayyyyy and being like "oh yeah, that's for you, GOODBYE." And Wolfe treasures it even though it's just a grubby ordinary orchid and not a special collectors' orchid like all of his! Did I mention, SO MANY HEARTS. <3
Wolfe even says “Hit him, Archie. Knock him down.”
Haha, yes. Earlier when Archie hits Don O'Neill, Wolfe is all peevish and "I dislike commotion," but now all of a sudden it's SIC HIM, ARCHIE. GET HIM! And Archie literally throwing his body in between Wolfe and a punch! N'aaw.
This is also kind of acknowledging the way that Archie says Wolfe's a misogynist while actually being worse about women himself. Archie complains that if Wolfe really didn't like women then the more “womany” aspects of women would be worst, but that's not true. Also, Wolfe apparently appreciates the aesthetic appeal of the female form.
Yeah, not to mention, that doesn't even make any sense as something Archie would expect if Wolfe didn't like women on *misogynist* grounds. If ONLY it were true that "misogynist" and "man who appreciates the sight of attractive women" were non-overlapping groups!
I also think it's interesting for a brief flash of Archie as being the social superior: usually Archie puts himself as the street-smart lower class guy to Wolfe's elite, but the guys in the kitchen clearly don't see Archie as being on their level. Archie likes to think of himself as being a regular Joe, but there's clearly an extent to which the rest of the world sees him as “eating fancy food, charging enormous fees and living in a fabulous house”.
Yeah, maybe he can pretend to be "just one of the guys" most of the time, when he's out there in the world, but now they're all actually *in the house* and eating Fritz' food and really seeing how they live. He can't deny it now! So of course he goes in the other direction and totally plays it up: "that's, you know, French, which is the language of Frenchmen, who live in FRANCE, which you uncultured flatfoots wouldn't know about--" etc.
Also, I think that "Bronx cheer" is probably a genteel gloss on "middle finger". *G*