Nero Wolfe, a passionate collector of orchids, a great gourmet, a beer lover and a great detective, almost never leaves home. He unravels all crimes based on the facts that Archie Goodwin, his charming, ironic assistant with an excellent memory, collects. There had never been a murder within the walls of Nero Wolfe's mansion. The waiter Pierre Dacos from the Rusterman restaurant, who came to the detective's house at night, declares that an attempt is being made on him, and demands a meeting with Wolfe. Archie Goodwin, in order not to wake the boss, offers Pierre to spend the night at their house and reschedule the meeting for the morning. And when everyone calmed down, an explosion rumbles in the house. A bomb disguised as a cigar explodes in Pierre's hand… What else remains for a detective, how not to undertake to investigate a crime ("Family business"). Wolfe's personal chef falls ill with the flu, and the detective is forced to temporarily switch to food from a delicatessen. But what was the extent of the detective's indignation when quinine was found in the pate bought by Archie Goodwin in the store. Was Nero Wolfe going to be poisoned by someone? The detective begins his own investigation, and it leads to unpredictable results ... ("The Bitter End") It is no secret to readers that the traditional meal prepared by Fritz Brenner, Nero Wolfe's personal chef and a top-class cook, is certainly present in every Stout novel. The "Cookbook", which completes this collection, contains recipes of the famous detective's favorite dishes ("Nero Wolfe's Cookbook"). Most of the works included in the collection are given in new translations or are published for the first time.