Stout, Rex - Some Buried Caesar (1939) aka The Red Bull

As someone who has read much more British mystery than American (counting Carr as British), I am always interested in comparing the two groups when I read an American detective novel. Stout, as has often been commented, combines traditions associated with the British (eccentric -- to put it mildly -- great detective) and American (hardboiled -- or semi-hardboiled -- assistant) traditions). Some Buried Caesar conforms to the pattern of other Stout novels I have read in many ways, with much of the reader's interest being diverted into Wolfe's overmastering of both his client and the police (the latter particularly are both obnoxious and stupid). Archie even lands in a country jail, in a section that is lively and highly amusing (in a bit reminiscent of Twain's humor, the cheeky fellow drafts a prisoners' rights petition). But of course Wolfe triumphs in the end.

I have never found Wolfe as "human" a character as Sherlock Holmes, or even Hercule Poirot (he actually reminds me more of Dr. Priestley), but his negative aspects (selfishness and laziness, etc.) make possible much of the wonderful, ironic observations of Archie Goodwin. Whoever first compared Archie with characters out of Mark Twain made a great point (I suppose he's usually compared to Huck Finn, but he has quite a bit of the Tom Sawyer "operator" in him as well). Much of the enjoyment in Caesar comes from Archie's snappy patter. He is joined in "pattering" by Lily Rowan, who debuts here, and makes a very appealing love interest indeed (would that the love angle in British mystery were more often handled like this). Other characters are cardboard, except perhaps Mr. Pratt with his "Pratterias" (more could have been done with these seeming horrors), but Archie's narration (i.e., Stout's writing) makes even cardboard interesting.

How is this plot? Stout often is dismissed as a plotter, but the plot here is perfectly acceptable, from a ratiocinative standpoint (and indebted, one suspects, to Conan Doyle). Wolfe, with Archie in tow, has "left the building" for once and encounters murder in upstate New York, murder that seems to have been precipitated by the determination of a nouveau riche carfeteria chain owner to barbecue a recently purchased prized bull (the titular Ceasar) for "publicity." He gets more than he bargained for! I was able to figure it all out a good way before then end of the novel (though evidently after Wolfe), but it was a solidly constructed puzzle, which is always pleasing. All in all, probably the best Wolfe novel I have read, though I thought the later Prisoner's Base/Out Goes She and Gambit were strong as well.

Curt Evans

See also http://at-scene-of-crime.blogspot.com/2011/08/come-and-be-grilled.html