To Lily and Sally and all Rex Stout’s Gals who try to do the right thing.
This is the 75th anniversary of the publication of Rex Stout’s Some Buried Caesar, the first time we meet Lily Rowan, one of the great hottie-totties in crime fiction literature. Lily is Archie’s main squeeze. You know Archie, right? Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe’s amanuensis, whom I’ve described in another entry for this blog, as crime fiction’s quintessential hunk. Lily is tough and gorgeous and as honest as the day is long.
About a year ago, when rereading one or another of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories for the umteenth time, I became aware of a theme in the opus that I had never before noticed: gals who try to do the right thing.
Some series spoilers throughout, but if you haven’t read these yet, don’t wait another seventy-five years!
Archie admires them. Mr. Wolfe respects them. Fritz (Mr. Wolfe’s chef and housekeeper) frets over their presence—he’s afraid they’ll weasel their way into Mr. Wolfe’s esteem and take over his kitchen. Those of us who know Mr. Wolfe’s misogynist soul could reassure Fritz, but you know how it is with fearfulness; if you’re afraid, you’re afraid, and that’s the end of it. And I think these gals who take the high ground, their grasp tight on their moral compasses, are undervalued and underappreciated.
There’s Amy Jackson, for instance, better known as Julie Jacquette, who can say the alphabet backwards and who puts her life on the line in Death of a Doxy to help catch her friend’s killer.
There’s Madeline Sperling who, in The Second Confession, helps Archie learn facts about her family and her father’s guests. She invites him to visit when he was pretty much persona non grata, telling him that he was welcome … that if she can’t let him in openly, she’d just as soon he stay out. She was helpful and supportive and she didn’t push. As an aside, Archie said he was going to follow up with her, and I’ve always been sorry that he didn’t. I like Madeline Sperling.
There are others, of course: Annabel Frey, who, in In the Best Families, tried to hire Archie to find a killer; Mr. Wolfe’s daughter, Carla Britton, who in Black Mountain, goes to Montenegro to protect the cause she and Mr. Wolfe’s best friend, Marko, cared so much about, and who died for her efforts; and let’s not forget Phoebe Gunther from The Silent Speaker who, Mr. Wolfe said, “…displayed remarkable tenacity, audacity, and even imagination in using the murder of Mr. Boone for a purpose he would have desired, approved, and applauded.” Phoebe also died trying to do the right thing. And how about Sally Blount from Gambit? Sally sells her jewelry to raise $22,000—a fitting amount, she thinks, because she’s 22 years old. She hires Mr. Wolfe to save her father from being convicted of a crime he didn’t commit in the face of extraordinary opposition. Her mother, as well as Dan Kalmus, her father’s lawyer, even her father himself tell her, beg her, even order her to stop. But she sticks with it, because as she explains to Archie and Mr. Wolfe, this is the first good thing she’s ever done.
But to me, the ultimate gal who does the right thing in Mr. Stout’s world is Lily Rowan. If the best the timid can expect is to go unnoticed, it’s fitting that we celebrate Lily 75 years after she was first introduced to the world. Timid, she’s not. Lily is bold and fearless. Some might even call her brazen. There was the time, for example, during World War II, that she used her pull and pierced the military wall of silence to find out which flight Archie was on.—can you imagine the chutzpah that took? (By the way, Lily is also the only woman in the United States who ever necked with Mr. Wolfe, but that’s a tale for another time.) Lily personifies commitment and passion. She’s generous and kind, the sort of person you want in your corner when push comes to shove. That’s the kind of character I love rooting for, and that’s why I’m such a fan of Lily.
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Blood Rubies Comment Sweepstakes: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of 50 United States, D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are 18 years or older as of the date of entry. To enter, complete the “Post a Comment” entry at https://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2014/12/some-buried-caesar-75-years-of-rex-stouts-high-ground-gal-lily-rowan-jane-k-cleland beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) December 4, 2014. Sweepstakes ends 110:59 a.m. ET December 11, 2014. Void outside the United States and Canada and where prohibited by law.
Jane K. Cleland once owned an antiques and rare books business in New Hampshire, and now lives in New York City. Her first novel, Consigned to Death, was an Independent Mystery Booksellers Association bestseller and was nominated for the Macavity, Agatha, and David book awards. The second in the series, Deadly Appraisal, won the David Award for Best Novel, as did the seventh, Dolled Up for Murder.
This is an interesting theme! Sounds good.
Agree with her essay on women in the Wolfe novels. would love to try her own opus.
Great to see some Nero, Archie, and Lily appreciation. But I really do need to dig the books out and read them again because the memory of the time Lily and Nero necked escapes me completely.
I hadn’t thought of my Nero Wolfe library in some time! Thanks for the reminder, especially about Lily.
I hadn’t thought of my Nero Wolfe library in some time. Thanks for the reminder, especially about Lily!
As I’m approaching retirement age & more time to really read more, I’ll look forward to Lily’s adventures with Nero Wolfe!
The thought of Lily approaching the age of 100 is daunting. Thankfully, she, Archie, and Wolfe never really age, which is most satisfactory!
Great article. Love to read things concerning Nero Wolfe
Added to my Amazon wish list.
added to my wish list. thanks
I am all about a mystery so this is right up my alley.
Looks like a good book.
This looks great. Hope I win it. ty
thanks for the chance
Intriguing
Sounds like a very good read to me.
Sounds like a very good read to me.
would love this
Enticing, will have to add to wish list,
I feel lucky
looks great.
all in on this 1!
I’m intrigued 🙂 I’d love to check this out 🙂
Looks like a winner!![b][/b]
cool
like to read
I am a huge Nero Wolfe fan and would love to win this.
big fan of Nero Wolfe would love to win this!
Mystery and antiques sounds like a great combination
sounds like a fun one!
Seems like a story that I would enjoy.
Sounds great! I truly enjoyed Nero Wolfe. I think I’ll read those books again. I also love antiques and would love to win this book. I’d enjoy reading about the world of antiques seen from the other side.
I’m a huge fan! Looks great!
What a perfect book, looks like a great story
sounds like good reading
Wolfe, Archie, and of course, Lilly are all old friends. A new look is welcome.
Would love to win!
Sounds great. Would love to win. Thx.
always on the look out for a good read, thanks
i’d love it!
I am a fan of Rex Stout and the great gourmand Nero Wolfe.
Thanks for the chance
I am a avid reader and would to read Lily’s Adventures with Nero Wolfe.
Looks great.
Very nice
Sounds like a book I will enjoy!!!!!
I am a huge Nero Wolfe fan. Have read almost all the books and watched the A&E series.
I haven’t read anything by Cleland, but the book sounds interesting.
I love Nero Wolfe. I’m listening to them on audible this time through and just listened to a couple Lily books, Some Buried Caesar and In the Best Families. I’m a bigger fan of Lily everytime I read a story she’s in.
Has anyone seen the Christmas chapbook that Mysterious Bookstore and Otto Penzler give away to customers. It’s called Wolfe Trap–a great story about Lyon, this other mountain of a man who tries to Ape his hero Nero Wolfe in every way. It’s written by Loren D. Estleman. It’s excellent except Lily or Bizarro Lily is not in it.
Looking forward to reading Blood Rubies some dark stormy evening by the fireplace.
Lily is also very rich. She does not have to worry that her speech and/or actions will lose her that gorgeous roof over her head! I think she’s fun, but the people with everything to lose have more guts!
Excited to read Blood Rubies!
I’m sorry to say I never read any NERO WOLFE books. Maybe I can do that in the New Year. Thanks for the information!!!
Female sleuths deserve more recognition! Thanks for the giveaway.
I am glad to be reminded about Nero Wolfe. This will cause me to reread some of them.
Count me in, please!
A book about a woman, a mystery, and antiques. Can’t wait to read this book.
Lily Rowan is a great character.
Lily sounds like a woderful character, thanks for the chance to win the book.
if you like book about mysterys, a woman and antiques, try the novels of Barbara Allan. You’ll be in heaven.
I would really like to read this. Thanks for the chance.
I would like to read the work of Jane K. Cleland.
This sounds like an interesting read!
to all a happy and safe holiday season
needed a gift idea … thanks
I’d love to read this!!
Looks great!
It has been many years since I read the Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe series. This evoked fond memories.
Good deal, count me in!
I would love to win this!! Sounds Great!
Sounds good!
looks like an interesting read
Always ready for a good read, so make me a winner!!
I would love to read it!
love the plot
Thanks for the great giveaway!
It sounds great. This is my favorite genre.
Sounds interesting!
looks good
Wolf could not have done it with out Archie. Would love to check this one out.
It’s been a while since I read any Nero Wolf. I need to re-read some of my favorites.