Case
Frame-up for Murder
Year Published
1985
Case Introduction
1957. An expanded rewrite of 'Murder Is No Joke' for the Saturday Evening Post where Wolfe and Archie are drawn into a murder investigation when a woman they are talking to on the telephone is found dead.
Notes
Resolution
Bianca was still legally married to Gallant, so he couldn't marry Emmy Thorne. Emmy killed Bianca, then killed Sarah, who could connect her to the first murder.

Characters in the case: 

Gallant switchboard operator.
Character descriptionGallant House switchboard operator.
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Questioned Flora Gallant
Character descriptionDistrict Attorney of New York City.
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Prepared melon, eggs a la suisse, oatmeal cakes, croissants with blackberry jam and coffee for Wolfe's breakfast.
Character descriptionMaster chef in Wolfe's kitchen, has a small apartment in the basement. (In "Fer-De-Lance," his apartment is across from the plant room, not in the basement.) Swiss; native French speaker, served in WWI. Uninterested in murder, except whether a client is in the offing; gets anxious about household finance when Wolfe isn't working. Doesn't like to talk while cooking. Changes to his old slippers at 9 pm because of "things left on his feet by the war to remember it by". Implied he was a member of the Swiss Alpine Patrol during WWI.
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Tried to trip up Archie.
Character descriptionAssistant District Attorney
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Mentioned.
Character descriptionEnglish poet.
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Mentioned.
Character descriptionReporter at the Gazette. Dark skin, dark brown eyes. Neat little face, slick black hair. Neatest (card) shuffler Archie knows.
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Investigated Bianca Voss murder.
Character descriptionInspector with NYPD, Homicide. Has tolerate / hate relationship with Wolfe. He respects Wolfe, but is greatly irritated by his eccentricities. Habitually chews (but rarely lights) cigars. Notably, Cramer lights a cigar in Wolfe's office during "Instead of Evidence" in which the murder weapon is an exploding cigar! First name is given as Fergus one time, but generally accepted as Lionel. Had a son in the Army Air Corps during WWII. Archie has called Mrs. Cramer on the phone more than once to reach the Inspector at home. Archie's favorite alias for him is "the man about the chair" or "any name with a double "d", e.g., Mr. Judd". At no time is Inspector Cramer ever referred to in the books as "Lionel T." Cramer; his first name is given as "Fergus" in "Where There's a Will." There is a lone later reference to him as L.T.C. (The Silent Speaker), but never Lionel. Stout's biographer, John McAleer, asked Stout to explain the "Fergus"/"L.T.C" discrepancy; Stout replied: "No significance. Laziness. I didn't bother to check on whether he already had a first name. Of course, all discrepancies in the Nero Wolfe stories are Archie Goodwin's fault." (from "Royal Decree; Conversations with Rex Stout) He is featured in a book by Stout called Red Threads, first published 1939, tracking down a killer with a young fashion designer. There is no reference to Nero Wolfe.
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Works for Alec Gallant.
Character descriptionBusiness manager for Alec Gallant Incorporated.
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Assisted Archie in tailing Jonas Putz.
Character descriptionHired hand used by Wolfe and Archie when extra manpower is needed. Not the best, but can tail better than anybody but Saul. The favorite "irregular" after Saul - Fritz: "I'm glad it's Orrie instead of Saul or Fred"; Archie: "Such a chore for Saul or Fred of course, but I didn't like doing it for Orrie."; Mr Wolfe: "He doesn't have the dignity of a man who has found his place and occupies it, as you have, Fred." Bald, burly, 5'10, 190 lbs; moves like a bear. Married with four children. Archie: "You can trust him to hell and back."
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Owns and operates Gallant design house on 54th St. Defies the fashions of Paris and Rome, and gets away with it.
Character descriptionFashion House owner, showroom on East 54th Street. One of the top three fashion designers in the world.
Reserved notes for this caseBeing blackmailed by Bianca Voss because he is still married to her and he killed her brothers after the war because they were traitors.
Hires Wolfe to find out what hold Bianca Voss has on her brother, Alec Gallant. Knowing her background, Archie found her getup during her first appearance at the brownstone something of a letdown, especially since she was dumpy and middle-aged.
Character descriptionStaff member at Gallant House. Sister to Alec Gallant.
Reserved notes for this caseShe is a good friend of Sarah Yare and has her impersonate Bianca Voss on the telephone to Wolfe to insult him so that he will take the case.
Archie used this alias when phoning the Gallant Company.
Character descriptionNero Wolfe's tough and witty assistant.
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'little guy with a pug nose.'
Character descriptionOlder man. Wolfe's orchid nurse. Lives in small cubbyhole on the roof with the plants. First mentioned in ch. 3 of "Fer-de-lance" - Archie sometimes hears him shouting at Wolfe in the mornings.
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Works for Alec Gallant.
Character descriptionGallant House fitter and designer.
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tailee
Character descriptionTailee
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Assisted Inspector Cramer during investigation of Bianca Voss murder.
Character descriptionInitially an employee in N.Y. D.A.'s office. Later Cramer's man. Detective (sergeant). Unfriendly.
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Works for Alec Gallant.
Character descriptionGallant House contacts & promotion.
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Showed up at Alec Gallant's place of business a year earlier and obviously had a hold on him. Murder victim.
Character descriptionHas an office at Gallant House and influence over Alec Gallant, but no official position in the business.
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aka Archie Goodwin.
Character descriptionPartner to Sherlock Holmes.
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Character descriptionMaster detective. Genius. Estimated weight: 1/7 ton. Carries a large platinum watch in his vest pocket. Sends a check every month to his mother in Budapest ("Fer-de-lance, ch. 13)..
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Alcoholic has-been actress and murder victim who was down on her luck. Archie had previously seen her in the play Thumb a Ride and had been attracted.
Character descriptionActress. After quitting the play Thumb a Ride, the rumor was that she had become an alcoholic.
Reserved notes for this caseGallant customer for 2 years before her death and was a good friend of Flora Gallant. Flora had her impersonate Bianca Voss on the phone with Wolfe to insult him so that he would take the case. Emmy Thorne had her add the part about being attacked without Flora's knowledge.

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