Too Many Cooks
Too Many Cooks is a truly excellent Wolfe book! However, this book is out of print, so you'll have to dig around at the used bookstores for it. Or you could always try bookfinder.com. Too Many Cooks was written in 1938, which makes it the 5th Wolfe book in the series. The book opens with Wolfe and Archie on a train, which is remarkable in itself, considering Wolfe does not go anywhere outside his house. The train is headed to Kanawha Spa, where there will be a meeting of an elite group of chefs from around the world. Wolfe is the guest speaker and will deliver a speech about American contributions to the world of food, something Wolfe should know a thing or two about. While on the train Wolfe finds out that many of the chefs in the group have grudges against another chef named Phillip Laszio. Wolfe and Archie arrive at the spa, and during one of the dinners Laszio is killed, stabbed in the back with a knife. There is much doubt as to who could have done it and how, but there is no lack of motives, as at least three of the chefs present have stated at one time or another that they would like to kill Laszio themselves. When one of the chefs, Jerome Berin, is arrested for the murder, Wolfe becomes upset because he does not believe that Berin could have done it. So Wolfe goes about trying to clear Berin of the murder. Wolfe is successful in clearing Berin but decides not persue the case any farther because he wants to return home (plus he's not being paid for his service). But after Wolfe is shot in the cheek, he becomes determined to "out" the killer, or killers, and still have time to catch his train back to New York in time! Too Many Cooks is a great Wolfe book, and it is notable because it involves Wolfe operating outside of his house, something that does not happen often. Here is a picture of my copy:
I found my copy of the book at a small used bookstore in Rockford Illinois. I paid about two dollars for it. It's in decent condition, but the spine is not straight and it's fairly worn.