The Second Confession by Rex Stout, 1949

 

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This is the second title in the Arnold Zeck trilogy (the first is And Be a Villain, the last is In The Best Families).

About the author: Rex Stout (1886 – 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and 39 novellas between 1934 and 1975. (wikipedia). (bibliography)

Major characters:

• James U. Sperling, chairman of Continental Mines
• Madeline Sperling, his 26-year old daughter
• Gwenn Sperling, his 22-year old daughter
• James "Jimmy" Sperling Jr., his son
• Paul Emerson, right-wing radio broadcaster
• Connie Emerson, his wife
• Louis Reny, attorney
• Webster Kane, economist of Continental Mines
• William Reynolds, the name on the membership card
• Arnold Zeck, arch villain
• Nero Wolfe, P.I.
• Archie Goodwin, P.I.

Locale: New York City and Chappaqua, NY

Synopsis: It appears 22-year old Gwenn Sperling is getting set to become engaged to attorney Louis Rony. This does not set well with her father, ultra-conservative James U. Sperling, chairman of Continental Mines. Sperling suspects Rony may be a communist, and engages Nero Wolfe to prove it; so he can have a reason to cancel any budding relationship. Wolfe replies that of course, he cannot prove Rony is or is not a communist, he can only determine if he is one or not. 

Archie Goodwin is sent to stay at Sperling's Chappaqua estate, Stony Acres. He knows Rony is hiding a small item, and stages a holdup to try to get it. It turns out to be a Communist Party membership card, but in the name of William Reynolds - and it is not clear if Rony is Reynolds. Wolfe gets a phone call from arch-nemesis Arnold Zeck, warning him off the case.

Gwenn decides she has had enough anyway, and summons Rony to Stony Acres to tell him so. It doesn't end well - he is found dead the next morning, run over by a car. Circumstantial evidence points to Archie as the driver. Zeck takes action, and machine-guns Wolfe's plant rooms in revenge. Archie gets off the hook when Webster Kane confesses (the first confession) to being the driver. Wolfe doesn't believe it, and finds the real killer who supplies The Second Confession.

Review:

The good: A nice, tight, small cast of characters, all introduced quickly. Wolfe makes a rare trip outside his home, that is always a fun episode when he tries to "fit in" (literally) elsewhere.

The bad: The communism-scare angle is so dated and does not carry to present time well, although the right-wing radio hosts are certainly still around. The staged holdup did not seem believable at all. The whole Rony/Williams membership card thing was hard to follow and I am still not sure I understand it.

The puzzling: Arnold Zeck doesn't come across as the arch nemesis (other than the machine-gun episode). He is just too quiet, articulate, and polite.

I missed Lt. Cramer - he does not appear.