Some Buried Caesar is the 6th book in the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. The book opens with Archie and Nero on a road trip to upstate New York where Nero is going to show some of his prize albino orchids at the North Atlantic Exposition. A blown tire causes the car to leave the road and Archie and Nero take shelter at the nearest house. This house is owned by a restaurateur and Archie and Nero become involved in his plans to barbeque a prize bull as a publicity stunt. Things go awry when this prize bull, Hickory Caesar Grindon, is discovered to be mauling a dead body and Nero appears to be the only one who suspects the bull had nothing to do with the death.

I really enjoyed Some Buried Caesar. Nero is out of his comfort zone and Archie’s facing some difficulties of his own. Although the mystery has it’s own twists and merits, for me, it was learning a little about Nero Wolfe’s background that was the highlight of the story. While I did miss some of the regular characters, the author wisely introduced some new ones that are intriguing.

I am slowly working my way through the Nero Wolfe series and find them clever and amusing. The verbal sparring between Nero and Archie, the eccentricity of Wolfe and my love of sarcastic and irreverent Archie have totally hooked me to this series. ( )

Once again, Wolfe & Archie are away from home in this 6th entry in the series! This time, Wolfe is visiting upstate NY in order to participate in a flower show (so his orchids can beat those of a rival who cowardly avoided the NYC flower shows). Of course, they get involved in a death or two (or 3) while there! This is the book which introduces a recurring character, Lily Rowan, and it was a lot of fun reading the persiflage between her & Archie. ( )

Not sure I can understand why this is such a popular book ( )

Not sure I can understand why this is such a popular book ( )

Some Buried Caesar (1938) (Nero Wolfe #16) by Rex Stout. This is not to be missed for all Wolfe fans. The big man leaves not only his brownstone home/office, but New York city itself. And, as to be expected when the quite unconventional happens, he is faced with murder, deceit, and a lot of bull. Wolfe and Archie are heading to upstate New York to a flower show where his prized orchids are to be on display, when there is a small accident which leaves them with a broken car some thirty miles from their destination. This is 1938, many years before interstates and vastly improved motorways abound, so there is not much traffic on the small roadway they were tooling along.
Fortunately they can spy a nice home out across a field, and despite his reluctance Wolfe agrees with Archie that the walk might be the best thing to do. The shortest path lies through a fenced field which upon entering and crossing a good distance they discover is being guarded by a man with a gun. He is yelling that they should get out of the field and they soon discover the reason. The field is home to Hickory Caesar Grindon, a massive, top of his breed, and very protective of his territory, bull.
They escape that peril and are introduced to the owner of the prizewinner, Mr. Tom Pratt, owner and operator of the “Pratteria” franchise of low cost eateries that abound back in the big city. He invites them to stay overnight while their car is towed and repaired. And they hear the story of his this bull, which cost Pratt $45,000. That is in 1938 dollars. The bull is to be roasted in just a few days as a publicity stunt.
Or is it to get his neighbor’s goat, the old money family run by Mr. Osgood.
That evening the younger Mr. Osgood, Clyde, comes over from the neighboring spread and makes a bet with Pratt that Pratt will not make Caesar into BBQ that week, a bet that Pratt accepts.
All is fine although Pratt is worried about the safety of the bull. Archie ends up enlisted as part of a group to stand guard individually just outside the bull’s large paddock.
Things go smooth until a hullabaloo gets raised by Archie when he discovers Clyde lying in the field, apparently gored to death by the bull.
This being a Nero Wolfe mystery, things are not as simple as they appear. Wolfe, being the brilliant mind that he is, figures out the riddle early on but Mr. Stout leaves the readers to follow along and try to uncover the real villain of the piece.
A nice puzzle, a good depiction of Wolfe far from his comfort zone, and Archie being his usual suave, ladies man throughout, all provides a great read for fan or Wolfe novice alike. Like about all of Mr. Stout’s work, this book is highly recommended.. ( )