The Black Mountain Totally Explained

Everything about The Black Mountain totally explained

The Black Mountain is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by the Viking Press in 1954. The story was also collected in the omnibus volume Three Trumps (Viking 1955).
This book and the pre-war novel Over My Dead Body both involve international intrigue over Montenegro, but under very different circumstances, first concerning Nazi designs on the Balkans, and later in the context of Tito's Yugoslavia.

Plot introduction

In The Black Mountain Nero Wolfe's oldest friend and fellow Montenegrin Marko Vukcic is murdered by a Yugoslavian agent who has already made his escape from New York. Without hesitation, Wolfe is compelled to go back to his homeland to avenge Marko's death and bring the killer back to American justice. As they covertly negotiate through one of the most dangerous places on earth, Archie sees Wolfe as he's never seen him before. "Wolfe adopts a disguise to deal with sinister international intriguers and to cope with an enemy to whom murder is trivial."

Explanation of the novel's title

"Black Mountain" is simply a translation into English of the Italian "Montenegro", whereas the actual local name of the place is "Crna Gora", and name of the actual mountain referenced in these names is "Lovchen."

Plot summary

In the earlier novel, Wolfe plays a part in impeding the control of Bosnia and Croatia by Nazi Germany. In the later novel Marko's nephew is part of a subversive group to gain independence of Montenegro from Yugoslavia. In the context of 1953 politics, such a concept was unrealistic, and supported by the guerrilla formations of komite and Zelenaši, although Montenegro actually became an independent country once again in 2006.

Characters in The Black Mountain

Nero Wolfe – protagonist
Marko Vukcic – Nero Wolfe's oldest friend

Release details

2006, USA, The Audio Partners Publishing Corp., Mystery Masters ISBN 1572705450 August 28, 2006, audio CD (unabridged, read by Michael Prichard)

1988, USA, Bantam Crimeline ISBN 0553272918 July 1, 1988, paperbackFurther Information

Get more info on 'The Black Mountain'.

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