Silver Spire

For the sixth time Robert Goldsborough invites us into Nero Wolfe's West Thirty-fifth Street brownstone, and once again he re-creates Wolfe's world to perfection, as the gourmandizing master detective is roused from his sacred orchid-tending routine - by murder. Picturesque Richmond County - Staten Island to most people - is the most overlooked borough in New York City, but one of its residents is known throughout the world: the good reverend Barnabas Bay, shepherd of the Tabernacle of the Silver Spire. For the past six Sundays the splashy televangelist has found a nasty surprise in the collection...Bible quotations twisted into death threats. When one of Reverend Bay's assistants beseeches Wolfe to find the wicked perpetrator, he refuses - even though the almighty bank account is in need of salvation. After all, the great man does have his convictions, and organized religion offends his sense of morality. And besides, the only plate he's interested in passing is the one on which a three-star epicurean masterpiece resides. Never one to shirk his Christian duty, Wolfe's faithful legman Archie Goodwin refers the case to longtime friend and fellow private detective Fred Durkin. It proves a fateful decision: Eleven days later someone at the Silver Spire receives a premature call to meet his maker - and Durkin is charged with murder. As Archie searches for clues and prays for a miracle, the incomparable Nero Wolfe finds himself up against a sinfully clever killer in one of the most baffling - and damning - cases of his career. Threats against a televangelist lead Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin into a murder case in this “brisk and beguiling page-turner” (Publishers Weekly). Staten Island would be forgettable were it not for the gleaming Tabernacle of the Silver Spire, where thousands of congregants come every Sunday to hear the sermons of Barnabas Bay. Millions more tune in on television, giving the good Reverend international fame, and a chance to spread the gospel from New York City’s harbor all the way to South Korea. But threatening notes have been appearing in the collection bag, suggesting that one of the faithful has decided it’s time this good shepherd get the hook. Believing organized religion is nothing more than a scam, rotund sleuth Nero Wolfe refuses to investigate the threats, instead recommending veteran investigator Fred Durkin for the case. But when Durkin is accused of murdering the Reverend’s assistant, Wolfe fights to clear his name. He may not be a Christian, but he will always help a brother in need. When a fellow shamus gets charged with murder, Wolfe comes to his rescue Staten Island would be forgettable were it not for the gleaming Tabernacle of the Silver Spire, where thousands of congregants come every Sunday to hear the sermons of Barnabas Bay. Millions more tune in on television, giving the good Reverend international fame, and a chance to spread the gospel from New York City{u2019}s harbor all the way to South Korea. But threatening notes have been appearing in the collection bag, suggesting that one of the faithful has decided it{u2019}s time this good shepherd get the hook. Believing organized religion is nothing more than a scam, rotund sleuth Nero Wolfe refuses to investigate the threats, instead recommending veteran investigator Fred Durkin for the case. But when Durkin is accused of murdering the Reverend{u2019}s assistant, Wolfe fights to clear his name. He may not be a Christian, but he will always help a brother in need