It's curtains for a famous Broadway director, and private investigator Nero Wolfe is on the casebut his assistant, Archie Goodwin, is a suspect.
When a renowned theater director senses something amiss during his latest production, he calls in Nero Wolfe. Though the corpulent genius wouldn't normally accept a job this vague, a mutual friend dangles the prospect of a very rare orchid in exchange for his services, and Wolfe can't resist.
With a mind to suss out useful backstage gossip, Wolfe turns to his faithful assistant, Archie Goodwin, to impersonate a journalist in order to speak to the cast. Though Goodwin's conversations prove unfruitful, on his last day at the theater, the director is murdered in his soundproof booth, poisoned by an unseen culprit during an evening performance. In short order, an actor whose health is failing attempts suicide with the same poison.
Continuing his beloved serieswhich also includes Archie Meets Nero Wolfe, Murder in the Ball Park, and Archie in the CrosshairsNero Awardwinning author Robert Goldsborough "brings Nero Wolfe, late of Rex Stout, gloriously back to life" (Chicago).
Murder, Stage Left is the 59th book in the Nero Wolfe Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.