"Method Three for Murder" is a

Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in Ne ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

Rex Stout Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886 – October 27, 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 ...

, first serialized in three issues of ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'' (January 30–February 13, 1960). It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection ''

Three at Wolfe's Door ''Three at Wolfe's Door'' is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1960. The book comprises three stories, one of them published previously: * "Poison à la Carte" * " Method Three for Murde ...

'', published by the

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

in 1960.

Plot summary

After discovering a body in the back seat, Mira Holt drives the taxi she has borrowed for the evening to 918 West 35th Street. She walks up the front steps of the brownstone just as Archie Goodwin is walking down — having just told

that he's quit.

Publication history

"Method Three for Murder"

*1960, ''

'', January 30 + February 6 + February 13, 1960Townsend, Guy M., ''Rex Stout: An Annotated Primary and Secondary Bibliography''. New York: Garland Publishing, 1980. John McAleer, Judson Sapp and Arriean Schemer are associate editors of this definitive publication history. *1970, ''

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...

'', July 1970 *1976, ''Ellery Queen's Anthology'', Spring–Summer 1970 *1976, ''Giants of Mystery: Ellery Queen's Anthology'', New York: Davis Publications, 1976, hardcover

''Three at Wolfe's Door''

*1960, New York: The

, April 29, 1960, hardcover :Contents include "

Poison à la Carte "Poison à la Carte" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first published in April 1960 in the short-story collection ''Three at Wolfe's Door'' (Viking Press). Plot summary A group of gourmets, who call themselves the Ten for Aristology, ...

", "Method Three for Murder" and "

The Rodeo Murder "The Rodeo Murder" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first published in April 1960 in the short-story collection ''Three at Wolfe's Door'' (Viking Press). Plot summary A party at Lily Rowan's Park Avenue penthouse includes a roping ...

" :In his limited-edition pamphlet, ''Collecting Mystery Fiction #10, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Part II'',

Otto Penzler Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Biography Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The B ...

describes the

first edition The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants. First edition According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a b ...

of ''Three at Wolfe's Door'': "Orange cloth, front cover and spine printed with dark brown. Issued in a mainly green-brown dust wrapper."Penzler, Otto, ''Collecting Mystery Fiction #10, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Part II''. New York: The Mysterious Bookshop, 2001. Limited edition of 250 copies. :In April 2006, ''Firsts: The Book Collector's Magazine'' estimated that the first edition of ''Three at Wolfe's Door'' had a value of between $200 and $350. The estimate is for a copy in very good to fine condition in a like dustjacket.Smiley, Robin H., "Rex Stout: A Checklist of Primary First Editions." ''Firsts: The Book Collector's Magazine'' (Volume 16, Number 4), April 2006, p. 34 *1960, New York: Viking (

Mystery Guild Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online bookseller, founded in 2000. Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to Najafi Companies, an Arizon ...

), July 1960, hardcover :The far less valuable Viking book club edition may be distinguished from the first edition in three ways: ::* The dust jacket has "Book Club Edition" printed on the inside front flap, and the price is absent (first editions may be price clipped if they were given as gifts). ::* Book club editions are sometimes thinner and always taller (usually a quarter of an inch) than first editions. ::* Book club editions are bound in cardboard, and first editions are bound in cloth (or have at least a cloth spine).Penzler, Otto, ''Collecting Mystery Fiction #9, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Part I''. New York: The Mysterious Bookshop, 2001. Limited edition of 250 copies. *1961, London:

Collins Crime Club Collins Crime Club was an imprint of British book publishers William Collins, Sons and ran from 6 May 1930 to April 1994. Throughout its 64 years the club issued a total of 2,012in "The Hooded Gunman -- An Illustrated History of Collins Crime ...

, January 20, 1961, hardcover *1961, New York: Bantam #A-2276, August 1961 *1995, New York: Bantam Crime Line September 1995, paperback, Rex Stout Library edition with introduction by

Margaret Maron Margaret Maron (''née'' Brown; August 25, 1938 – February 23, 2021) was an American writer, the author of award-winning mystery novels. Biography Maron was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and grew up in central Johnston County; she had al ...

*1997, Newport Beach, California: Books on Tape, Inc. October 31, 1997, audio cassette (unabridged, read by Michael Prichard) *2010, New York: Bantam Crimeline June 9, 2010,

e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

References

{{Nero Wolfe 1960 short stories Nero Wolfe short stories Works originally published in The Saturday Evening Post