Her Forbidden Knight - Softcover

What a pleasant surprise for Stout fans. A hitherto-unpublished work has been uncovered, and the book is a prime example of why Stout's popularity has endured. A motley gang of gentlemanly ne'er-do-wells hangs about in the lobby of Manhattan's Lamartine Hotel, casting ardor-filled glances at beauteous Miss Lila Williams and regaling each other with tales of their impressive--and mostly fictional--exploits. The gentlemen know Miss Lila would never return their admiration, but at least they can protect her from less well intentioned swains. Imagine their chagrin when handsome John Knowlton arrives on the scene and immediately gains Lila's doe-eyed admiration. When the gang finds a shady secret in his past, they try to force him to vamoose. What happens next is touching, sweet, funny, and thoroughly delightful. Stout transports readers back to a time when the world seemed more innocent, a man's good name was a valuable asset, and happily-ever-after was a reasonable goal. An unexpected treasure from one of the grand masters of mystery, this vintage Stout is a fine acquisition for all collections.

Follow the fortunes of the beautiful and naive Lila Williams, a telegraph operator at New York's swankiest hotel-the Lamartine-as she becomes unwittingly enmeshed in the operations of a shady counterfeiting ring. By chance, the innocent Lila, coveted by a member of an unlikely group of "knights," finds herself swept off her pretty feet and into safety-or is it peril? The very first novel from the classic crime writer Rex Stout, Her Forbidden Knight gives the reader a glimpse of the cunning devices and charades of the celebrated Nero Wolfe mysteries that followed in the author's later years. Includes the bonus short story "An Officer and a Lady."