Gambit. A Banal Murder

Nero Wolfe, an avid orchid collector, a great gourmet, a beer enthusiast, and a master detective, practically never leaves his home. He solves all crimes based on the facts gathered by Archie Goodwin, his charming, ironic assistant with an excellent memory. At an elite chess club during a simultaneous game session, talented chess player Paul Jerin is poisoned, and suspicion falls on one of the participants. However, his daughter is convinced of her father's innocence and asks Wolfe to find the real murderer... Lucy Weldon, the widow of a successful writer, is presented with a baby and a note stating that the father of this baby is her late husband. Lucy hires a famous detective to find the child's mother. But as soon as Wolfe starts the search, the main witness is killed... In addition to the novels "Gambit" and "The Pursuit of the Mother," the book includes three stories in which Wolfe takes on investigations to prove the innocence of a shoeshine, clear Archie of charges set up by his acquaintance, and once again tell the police that they are on the wrong track.