Three Men Out

Infobox Book |
name = Three Men Out


author = Rex Stout
cover_artist = Bill English
country = United States
language = English
series = Nero Wolfe
genre = Detective fiction
publisher = Viking Press
release_date = March 26, 1954
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 181 pp. (first edition)
isbn = NA
preceded_by = The Golden Spiders
followed_by = The Black Mountain

"Three Men Out" is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1954. The book comprises three stories that first appeared in "The American Magazine":

* "Invitation to Murder" (August 1953, as "Will to Murder")
* "The Zero Clue" (December 1953, as "Scared to Death")
* "This Won't Kill You" (September 1952, as "This Will Kill You")

Invitation to Murder

A client hires Archie to assess the matrimonial intentions of his wealthy invalid brother-in-law. When Archie finds the client dead, he tricks Wolfe into leaving the brownstone and identifying the killer before the police are called in.

The Zero Clue

Leo Heller, a probability expert who has parlayed his math skills into celebrity, tries to consult Wolfe after he calculates that one of his clients has committed a serious crime. Wolfe refuses the case, but Archie — "who is subordinate only when it suits his temperament and convenience," Wolfe later complains — agrees to explore on his own.

This Won't Kill You

Nero Wolfe honors a guest's request by taking him to a World Series game at the Polo Grounds. After the Giants are trounced by the Red Sox, members of the team are found to have been drugged — and a body is discovered in the locker room. Wolfe solves the crime without leaving the ball park.

Release details

*1997, USA, Books on Tape, Inc. ISBN 0736637494 July 21, 1997, audio cassette (unabridged, read by Michael Prichard)
*1991, USA, Bantam Crimeline ISBN 0553245473 June 1, 1991, paperback