Seed on the Wind is a long out-of-print "lost" novel by mystery master Rex Stout. Originally published in 1931, this reformat and reprint from Titan Books on their Hard Case Crime imprint is 368 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

One of the undisputed masters of character driven mystery, Rex Stout's well known investigator Nero Wolfe solved some 74 cases in his impressive career. This novel dates from 3 years before Wolfe's first appearance, but there are glimmers in this work of Stout's amazing mastery of language and narrative.

It's a standalone novel and less of what modern readers think of as a "thriller" and more of an extended character study/drama. Well written and surprisingly relevant for a 90 year old book; it's engaging and indeed compelling in places.

Four stars. Kudos for Titan/Hard Case Crime for finding, acquiring, and reprinting "lost" classics. Recommended for fans of classic fiction as well as fans of the author. Collecting the books in the series will provide a solid reference library of early American crime fiction from well known masters of the 20th century.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Despite what the cover, publisher and author might suggest, this isn't a crime novel. What it is is a surprisingly open and frank discussion of female sexuality and its perceptions from almost a hundred years ago. As a cultural artefact, it's fascinating; we all know we didn't invent it, but it's still something to read about it from such a time. I'm happy to say society is a bit more accepting of unwed mothers now than it was then – although, unfortunately, I'm not sure we're where we should be when it comes to those with children by multiple fathers. As an actual engaging novel, though, it's not aged so well; I suspect our maturing sensibilities have robbed the story of some of the salaciousness that was doubtless it's main selling point. I'm sure it's one I'll think back to a lot in terms of what it taught me, but as an actual read it was a bit of a slog.

I've read a lot of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books, and this was a fascinating insight into what else he was capable of. It is very of its time, but it is also very well written, and very realistic and explicit for 1930. As the story of a woman who is trying to survive and bring up four small children on her own in Depression era New York it is a psychological study, which eventually explains how she has been traumatised by her experiences and the men in her life, and how she recovers agency for herself. Quite an unusual take on female experience for a man in 1930 and an absorbing read.

A lot of people would be dismissive of pulp crime fiction, considering it sensationalised, but I'd contend that they are actually very important social documents of their time, breaking taboos about what was acceptable for publication in decent literature. As well as being very creative, adventurous and exciting story telling. I've seen that in previous Hard Case Crime books that republish classic noir from the past, from Max Allan Collins's Quarry whose lack of morals about killing come from his time spent in Vietnam to the counter culture of Lawrence Block's A Diet of Treacle. But not everyone needs to be an assassin for hire or a small time drug dealer turned to murder and Seed on the Wind has another unusual and daring angle that takes another look at changing attitudes in society.
First published in 1930 before he became famous for his creation of Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout takes on an uncommon and very controversial subject in Seed on the Wind. A woman with a womb for hire is definitely not a common subject for a crime thriller. That, and the manner in which is is approached is something however that just makes this novel so compelling and unpredictable, other than for the fact that such an arrangement in this time period of the 1920s is likely to lead to trouble down with line. The other strength of the book is Stout’s writing which takes in a lot of related attitudes and behaviours that, inevitably considering that originality of the situation, are rarely explored, particularly so well from the female perspective.

It's not correct for example to reduce Lora Winter's situation to being to a 'womb for hire', but there is something instead liberated about her way of living. Although she has three children by different fathers since escaping small town life and family problems to live independently in New York, Lora loves having children and loves her children, but is not so keen on tying herself down to marriage. She still maintains friendly relationship with the fathers - those that are still around - allowing them to visit and even pay towards the upkeep of their children. Then a wealthy businessman, Lewis Kane comes along with a business proposition. He wants her to have a child denied to him from his own marriage. It's to be kept on a legal and businesslike footing, but inevitably complications are bound to arise from this unconventional family arrangement.

Stout picks up Lora Winter's story at the crux of the problems arising and then more or less moves backwards, showing where one man came in and where things cooled off, and then back to what happened to the one before. The attention paid to characterisation and motivations is superb, each of the men having very different voices and personalities, each a fascinating study in how men behave when absolved from having responsibilities. How these relationships form and play out is never predictable, which is mainly down to how Lora chooses to deal with them, sometimes we find based on her experience of the one before. It's her of course that we are really interested in, how she chooses to live, her reasons for doing in the face of social norms, and she really is an intriguing puzzle that is gradually pieced together in the most brilliant manner by the author.

The crime element? As I said, it's there, building to it slowly but not in any overly dramatised or conventional way, which only makes it more realistic and agonising. Even though the opening chapter gives some clue where this problem will arise, it's not the standard prelude trailer for the main action that is designed to keep you holding on. The book itself, its unconventional characters and situations are more than enough to keep you thoroughly engaged in this extraordinary book. This really is masterful writing.

This is what is so good about Hard Case Crime books. Not only are they publishing great long out of print crime fiction, not only are they publishing new crime fiction in the classic noir style, but they are unearthing great works by major writers that were rejected, lost or left unpublished 60/70 years ago. It's over 90 years since in the case of Seed on the Wind first published in 1930 and subsequently 'lost', long before as the creator of Nero Wolfe was acclaimed a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. It's a perfect example of the quality of this writing that transcends the genre and the reputation of the genre; genuinely great writing, genuinely envelope pushing, all the more impressive for the time it was written, but still relevant and challenging than much that is being written in the genre today.

I have recently started reading more crime thrillers and as someone who has a love for the 20s to 50s I was excited to read the lost novel of Rex Stout that was originally released in the 1930’s. I will say that while some of this novel is of it’s time in terms of tone and style I was hooked from the start. Lora Winter was an interesting and rather likable protagonist. I enjoyed the depiction of her who cared for each of her children, each with a different father, and how she dealt with the children’s father’s as well.

It has strong elements of a psychological thriller and I personally enjoyed how the timeline and pacing of the novel jumped from present to past to present. As a reader I enjoyed slowly piecing everything together. I do think in terms of writing style this may not be for everyone. I think in some aspects a reader has to remember when it was written and how times and views have changed. That said I personally loved it and as I already said I did enjoy Lora who is seemingly flawed by not always thinking things through before acting and then trying fix the problems she seemingly created for herself.

The novel itself is cleverly written and executed and I was kept engaged throughout. Despite when it was written it has a certain modernity about it which I think only adds to its readability and enjoyability. While Lora does have some failings she is seemingly a modern woman for the time she was created which was the main thing I think drew me to her. I confess I hadn’t read any other works by Max Stout but after reading Seed on the Wind I certainly will be.

I was brought up onRex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series and to this day I still enjoy reading the stories of Archie Goodwin and his boss, the orchid loving Nero Wolfe. So when I saw that Hard Case Crime was releasing one of his novels that had not seen the light of day since its first pressing in 1931, I knew I had to read it.

I’m so glad I did. It’s a fascinating read in so many ways. Very definitely it is ahead of its time and it also has some distinct feminist perspectives. What it isn’t is a hard boiled thriller; rather it is more of a psychological and literary affair which is both thought-provoking and provocative.

This would be an excellent book for a book club discussion. There’s so much I’d like to talk about in this book, but which I can’t here for fear of spoilers. So what can I say? Well, it is a fascinating read and I am so glad that I’ve had the chance to read it. It is a book that in so many ways is ahead of its time. In 1930, to have as a central protagonist the unmarried Lora Winter – a woman who has 4 children, with 4 different fathers and who is not living in despair as a result of her choices is pretty out there. The whole idea of a woman taking charge of her own reproductive rights in 1931 must have been shocking – and it’s worth noting that in today’s America this book might just be as controversial as it surely would have been then?

This is a novel which is more about crimes against societal norms than a typical crime fiction novel, though you will find tension, violence and perhaps, murder.

The story is told in a non- linear narrative, which allowed Stout to slowly reveal Lora’s life and why she made the choices that she did as well as building an element of surprise and discovery into this whooly surprising and unconventional story. It’s like piecing together a puzzle where the end piece reveals the whole story. By going back into Lora’s past Stout is able to revel

I love this cover, though to be honest it doesn’t really deliver the book that its cover promises. Nevertheless, it’s typical of covers at the time and I love that it’s been created for this novel.

Verdict: Seed in the Wind is unconventional, surprisingly forward looking, emotionally intense and undeniably gripping. I am so glad I have read it and serious plaudits should go to Hard Case Crime and Titan Books for bringing it to the attention of today’s audiences.

In spite of my looking for a Nero Wolf mystery when I chose to read this book, I found myself totally involved in the "lost" book by Rex Stout. Lora Winter was an unusual woman for the times including WWI and into the depression. She ends up having a baby by five different men. I was a little confused at first, because the book is not chronological. It begins when Lora already has three children, which the reader soon learns are from three different fathers. In the first chapter, she briefly sees a former lover, but we don't really find out who he and seeing him scared her until much later in the book.

Lora is a likeably character who loves all her children, even though they have different fathers. It certainly kept me reading, and was very cleverly done.

I thank Netgalley and Hard Case Crime for allowing me to read the ARC.

Who hasn't read at least one Nero Wolff book. I think I have read nearly every book written by Rex Stout many time over the years. Most were the detective stories with Nero, Archie and co. solving mysteries. Other were stand alone books which have more of a serious bent to the pulp fiction of Wolff

Seed on the Wind is one of these, Excellent written story which I found very hard to put down. There have a very different format to the story line, Set in the 1930's, the story goes forward, back to the past, picks up again in the middle and back to the present time of 1930's; as it drops its tale of a young women who has fallen out with her parents, find herself hiding in New York, trying to make a life for herself, and her four children collected along the way by different men.. It really is a very modern tangled story, with a thread of a love story and a suicide included along the way.. Highly commended .. Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DR .

"Seed on the Wind" is fiction set in the 1920s to 1930. There was no mystery and no romance (the sex was about pleasure or making babies). Whatever the point of this story was, I totally missed it. Lora was the point-of-view character, but she had little personality and felt fairly passive to me, not thinking through the consequences of her actions and then desperately trying to deal with them. There was no "psychological jigsaw puzzle" as there was no puzzle and certainly no focus on a crime. There was no suspense, only mild curiosity at best. The characters weren't even interesting to me. I felt I was sold a crime and was given one of the most boring books I've recently read.

The story started at the end, when Lora's first lover showed up and threatened things with her current, comfortable life. Then we go back in time to explain how the man who's currently supporting her met her and got her pregnant. Then we go back to how the previous man (and father of one of her children) met her, and so on back to the beginning. She was mistress to only one man at a time, but she didn't love these men and basically was a prostitute, using her body to support herself and her children.

While there was plenty of sex, the focus was more on the participant's attitudes than physical descriptions of the act. There was a fair amount of bad language.

Seed On The Wind is a 1930 psychological thriller by Red Stout. It was published before his best known creation Nero Wolfe appeared in 1934. Having read and enjoyed a number of the Wolfe novels I thought this might be equally enjoyable. Sadly, this is a much different book. The novel centers on a wayward young with four children by four different men. Her life becomes threatened by an unknown fifth man and must find a way to extricate herself from her self-made troubles. It's a slow burn of a book that has trouble getting going. If you know of Red Stout through his Nero Wolfe novels then you're likely to be disappointed. If a gritty pulp novel is more your thing then this might fit the bill.

Hard Case Crime, founded in 2004, have been doing a great job of publishing new and ‘rediscovered’ works from some of the masters of the crime and mystery genre including Gregory McDonald, Donald E Westlake and Ed McBain, plus a few new and emerging authors, complete with ‘40s and ‘50s style original illustrated covers. While much of the work is the hard-boiled crime style the name suggests, there have also been some more ‘experimental’ works less typical of the respective authors’ style – including re-releases of some of Lawrence Block’s non-crime works and three pieces from Stephen King.
This new release (or re-release) from Rex Stout – author of more than 33 Nero Wolfe novels and short stories - and published in the UK by Titan Books, is one of the more ‘out there’ publications from HCC.
While the cover (All-but-naked woman carrying a baby basket and a gun) and the novel’s opening (the protagonist Lora, a young mother, at home, hides from two men visiting her house) might suggest a crime story in the offing, this is actually a relatively non-genre piece.
This is one of Stout’s early novels, written in his 20s before creating Nero Wolfe. It is one of four literary novels which one critical praise but little sales before creating his commercially successful long running character.
This story of Lora, a woman with four children to four different men - a lawyer, a jeweller, an art critic, and an oil company man, would be provocative if written in the Hays Code era ‘50s: the fact it was written in 1931 is extraordinary.
It’s not just the plot itself – an independent-minded young woman who lives her life against ‘proper society’s’ rules (although that would be enough),: t’s in the construction and delivery of the plot. While starting ta novel back-to-front plot wise might seem a familiar tope today, the way the novel takes it’s time, jumping back and forth to reveal, bit by bit, the what’s and wherefores of the story must have been truly challenging for the time.

While the book is described as a ‘psychological thriller’ in the Wikipedia listing of Stout’s work, its ‘thriller’ elements are subtler than a modern reader might expect – that’s not to say they’re not there: there is a gun (albeit not as obviously prominent as the cover suggests), there’s death and at least two of them have more than a question around them, but this was much more of a character driven piece. The fact we spend much of the novel trying to understand the protagonist’s true psyche is, in some ways, the ‘mystery’ of the piece.

This was a powerful book – but deceptively so. The manner in which it talks about the everyday from the viewpoint of a young woman living as a single mother in New York and doing what she must to manage her life might seem more of whatever the American version of a kitchen sink drama is – but the fact it was written in the early ‘30s is all the more astonishing (and in many ways it reads as a timeless novel – there is certainly little in there that anchors it to that time).
If readers are expecting a Nero Wolfe style mystery then they may be disappointed, but for me – familiar with, rather than an aficionado of the author’s best known works, this was a fascinating read and one I couldn’t have predicted where it was going at any stage during the proceedings.

Hard Case Crimes has produced some amazing titles over its twenty year history – and I’m so glad that the occasional Stephen King outing provides them with enough clout to publish long-lost works from masters of the genre, as well as taking chances with newer writers. I’m equally glad they’ve found overseas partners like Titan Books to be able to make these books available to a wider audience than the original relatively small print runs they worked with.

ed on the Wind can be seen as an experiment in literature rather than a typical crime novel, certainly not falling into the Nero Wolfe category. The narrative unfolds in a reverse chronological order, a technique not common ninety years ago, but more accepted today. The perspective is that of Lorna Winters, presenting readers with a strongly feminist narrative. Lorna, a non-traditional woman, resides in a country estate with four children from different fathers. Two of them still visit and maintain a friendship, one left upon learning of the pregnancy, and another has ventured into different realms.

Lora is resolute in having each of her children but rejects the traditional constraints of marriage. The novel, set in the early Thirties, delves into surprising themes for its time, notably addressing abortion. The plot thickens when a fifth man unexpectedly appears at the house, requiring much unraveling of Lora's past to comprehend her unease and terror at his arrival.

As readers, we explore Lora's relationships with the oilman, the lawyer, the artist, and the jeweler—none of which were entirely casual or free, and not all ended well for Lora. Her past unfolds like the layers of an onion, revealing a complexity beyond the image of a carefree spirit. The narrative is compellingly told in an unconventional manner for its time, with crime serving as an underlying element rather than the primary focus.

This was a one of a kind read, highly recommended!

"One woman, four men, countless temptations on the streets of New York. This lost novel from legendary "Nero Wolfe" creator Rex Stout - unpublished for more than 90 years - presents a gripping psychological puzzle and a heroine you'll never forget.

Who was the fifth man?

The lawyer, the jeweler, the art critic, and the oil-company man...self-possessed, independent Lora Winter has had a child with each of them. But when one of these men drives up to her house with a fifth man in the car, Lora runs to hide. That's how this extraordinary novel opens - and by the time it ends, you'll have pieced together a masterful psychological jigsaw puzzle that is miles from a traditional crime novel, but whose desperate characters nevertheless resort to kidnapping, blackmail and possibly even murder.

Long before he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, before he created the immortal Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout wrote this gripping novel, published in 1930 and then lost for more than 90 years. Hard Case Crime is thrilled to give the book its first publication in nearly a century and to give today's readers the chance to discover one of Stout's richest and most unforgettable story."

Brava to Hard Case Crimes to bringing this book back into the world!