At their best, Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels elegantly blend the two major genres of detective fiction. The rotund, intellectual Wolfe is a reasoner, a puzzler in the mold of Hercule Poirot or Peter Wimsey. His assistant, Archie Goodwin, is a wisecracking tough guy who can handle himself in any situation but has a weakness for pretty dames, a la the hardboiled detectives of writers like Hammett and Chandler, though with a much gentler disposition and a fondness for cold milk.
The Silent Speaker, however, is not Stout at his best. A slightly-plotted story padded out to novel length, The Silent Speaker follows Wolfe’s investigation into the murder of the head of a government regulatory industry right before a scheduled speaking appearance at a trade union conference. Wolfe and Archie, desperate for a new case, coax the trade union into hiring them for an exorbitant fee in a maneuver they both refer to as Operation Payroll.
The entire story consists, essentially, of a few meetings in Wolfe’s office and a second murder which provides the final clues Wolfe needs to name the culprit. There is precious little in the way of characterization, motive, or action. It is impossible for the reader to play along or guess “whodunit.”
The Silent Speaker contains all the normal aspects of a Nero Wolfe novel, the detective’s obstinate behavior, his insistence on following a schedule, his inordinate love of orchids. But without memorable characters and events the story slips through your mind like sand through a sieve.