"Cordially invited to Meet Murder" was published originally in "The American Magazine" in 1942. It is also known as "Invitation to Murder." It is the second of two novellas in Rex Stout's book, "Black Orchids." It all starts when well-known New York socialite Bess Huddleston visits the offices of private detective extraordinaire Nero Wolfe. A friend has received an anonymous poison pen letter mentioning her and she would like Wolfe to find out who sent it. The note said, "Was it ignorance or something else that caused Dr. Brady to prescribe the wrong medicine for your daughter? Ask Bess Huddleston. She can tell you if she will. She told me." Wolfe is not even sure he will take the case.
Author
Rex Todhunter Stout (1886 – 1975) was an American crime writer, best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the detective genius from 1934 (Fer-de-Lance) to 1975 (A Family Affair). The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.
