Nearly Nero: The Adventures of Claudius Lyon, the Man Who Would Be Wolfe

Arnie Woodbine (the name if said fast enough sounds like Rex Stout's series character Archie Goodwin) narrates this short story collection inspired by Stout's "Nero Wolfe" mysteries. Featuring semireformed con artist Arnie and his employer Claudius Lyon, perhaps the world's biggest Nero Wolfe fan, the humorous tales feature the pair solving crimes while strenuously avoiding payment (if they took money, the local police captain could run them in for fraud since neither has a detective's license). Lyon owns a brownstone in Brooklyn and has inherited the funds to indulge his sleuthing hobby. Unfortunately, he lacks Wolfe's green thumb in regards to orchid breeding, so he grows tomatoes in his rooftop greenhouse. Lyon share his idol's gift for deduction and puts this skill to the test in decidedly less consequential matters, including $200 stolen from a bookstore, a misdelivered sausage, and the disappearance of a blue tomato from a locked case at a growers' convention. Estleman's (The Lioness Is the Hunter) love of Nero Wolfe as well as his own ability to craft a satisfying mystery are both on display in these tales.