3.5* for this audiobook edition ( )

333/10-Παραξενεύτηκα με τη βαθμολογία των αναγνωστών καθώς δε μου άρεσε ιδιαίτερα.
Μια απλή αστυνομική ιστορία χωρίς suspense. ( )

It looks like a slam-dunk of a case. Jerin was known to drink hot chocolate during games. Blount was the one who provided it...and the one who removed the cup and pot, rinsed the out and brought up new when he heard the Jerin was not feeling well. Suspicious? Very. But Miss Sally Blount felt different. She was positive her father was innocent and wanted Nero and Archie to prove it. It would be the first good thing she had done in her life.

The murder had taken place in at the posh Gambit Club, a chess club for snobs. Jerin will play a dozen games at the same time without seeing the boards. Instead he will sit in another room and four messengers will bring him the moves and relay his moves to the other players. Blount brings Jerin his cocoa and leaves the room. When Jerin complains of sickness, Blount is the one to remove the cup, saucer and pot, rinse them and bring a fresh serving. Why did Blount rinse the utensils? This action puts Blount in the guilty seat as far as Inspector Cramer is concerned.

Wolf is convinced that Blount is innocent, not just because of what Miss Blount tells him, but also because of the $22,000 she gives him to solve the case. Wolf hates to lose a fee.

There are possible suspects: the messengers Yerkes - a retired banker, Farrow - the nephew of Mrs. Blount, Hausman - a retired broker, Kalmus - Blount's lawyer; but do they have a reason or the time to poison Jerin's cocoa? And what about Mrs. Blount who men find irresistible?

Wolf finally decides that he needs to come up with a gambit to flush out the murder and keep his fee. ( )

A rather unpleasant young chess genius is poisoned while playing simultaneous games at an upscale New York chess club. Nero Wolfe investigates and ultimately learns that the murder was in act a gambit --a sacrifice intended to win a quite different prize. ( )

Nero solves the case of the poisoned chess player. Good plot and dialogue but not much action! ( )