Seed on the Wind

Seed on the Wind is a long out-of-print "lost" novel by mystery master Rex Stout. Originally published in 1931, this reformat and reprint from Titan Books on their Hard Case Crime imprint is 368 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

One of the undisputed masters of character driven mystery, Rex Stout's well known investigator Nero Wolfe solved some 74 cases in his impressive career. This novel dates from 3 years before Wolfe's first appearance, but there are glimmers in this work of Stout's amazing mastery of language and narrative. 

It's a standalone novel and less of what modern readers think of as a "thriller" and more of an extended character study/drama. Well written and surprisingly relevant for a 90 year old book; it's engaging and indeed compelling in places.

Four stars. Kudos for Titan/Hard Case Crime for finding, acquiring, and reprinting "lost" classics. Recommended for fans of classic fiction as well as fans of the author. Collecting the books in the series will provide a solid reference library of early American crime fiction from well known masters of the 20th century. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.