Too Many Women by Rex Stout

Celebrated sleuth Nero Wolfe is renowned for cracking tough cases -- and never leaving his New York apartment where he quaffs beer and cultivates orchids. For legwork, Wolfe employs a fast-talking, wisecracking assistant named Archie Goodwin, who also serves as our narrator.

In "Too Many Women," Wolfe and Goodwin are charged with investigating the mysterious goings-on at a big engineering supply company. The death of one of their employees a few months ago, seemingly accidental but the hit-and-run driver was never found, developed into an issue for their Board of Directors requiring the talents of the best private detective in New York.