Stripe of the Tiger: The Life and Work of James Gilmore Rowan by Wade Worthy

Fly fishing in Montana: thanks to blog.glaciermt.com

Title: Stripe of the Tiger: The Life and Work of James Gilmore Rowan

Author: Wade Worthy

Publisher: not known 

Source book: Death of a Dude by Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe #44)

Whoever James Gilmore Rowan was, he must have been successful or important enough for a known biographer to write about him. Hmmn… Stripe of the Tiger? I’m not sure that would be an altogether positive biography. 

Whatever it was he did though, Rowan’s daughter Lily, a Manhattan socialite, owns a beef ranch in Montana, and has a holiday home there, and don’t we all?

Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe’s sidekick, is staying at the ranch, along with Wade Worthy and other guests, when there is a murder at a neighbouring ranch. The local sheriff lazily pins the murder on the wrong guy so Archie takes time off work to investigate properly. Nero Wolfe, most unusually, travels to Montana to take a hand himself. 

In addition to Stripe of the Tiger, Wade Worthy has also written The Head and the Heart, about Heywood Broun, a real journalist, and a biography of Abbott Lawrence Lowell, President of Harvard University.

There is also mention of a play called Not Me You Don’t. Presumably a vehicle for ranch guest actress Diana Kadany.

I’m not going to tell you who the real murderer is. I did know this story but I had quite forgotten the ending. It came as a great surprise. 

Also, the TV adaptation was rather nicely done. I would recommend it if you can find it.

Thanks to hallhall.com