Rex Stout (1886-1975) was an American author and inventor, but is chiefly memorable for his 72 detective novels and short stories about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.

Wolfe (no one calls him Nero) is "a genius who speaks like a genius", weighs "a seventh of a ton" and never leaves his brownstone house in New York City, except on rare personal errands. (Exceptions to this are made in the stories, as you might expect.) He enjoys reading, drinking beer, disposing of gourmet cooking, and growing orchids in the plant rooms on the roof of his house. He does not like television, radio, music, riding in cars, or any disturbance in his quiet, scheduled life. He was born in Eastern Europe, in Montenegro.

Wolfe's "leg man" is Archie Goodwin, a sardonic young man from Chillicothe, Ohio who performs Wolfe's physical activities outside the house. The tension between him and Wolfe is one of the most entertaining features of the series. Indeed, what makes the stories so interesting is the way all the personalities interact: literately, individually, and amusingly.

(Description mostly from Muir's page, inside.)