Oh!!! How I wish! There isn't anything like that pompous gourmet lazy genuis and his suave handsome secretary, is there? I so heart Archie. Hee, hee.

I was fortunate to have only discovered Rex Stout in the last two years, so I am slowly working my way through the books. Fellow Stout fans tell me they envy me exploring them for *the first time*.

I have wondered this same thing myself. What characters in modern books would be similar to Stout's works (there are a few modern authors who have written "Nero Wolfe" books, but supposedly they don't capture Wolfe and Archie as well). I suppose the closest thing is really Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, since they share an excentric genuis with a very normal down to earth biographer recording his mysteries. Along that vain, you might try Gyles Brandeth's "Oscar Wilde" series, which resemble that set up. The excentric detective being Wilde. These are modern.

I do like Rex Stout very much.  I even enjoyed the short-lived television series a number of years ago (I would probably cringe if researched how many years ago that had been.)

There's one Stout book on my rental queue right now and I bought and read a couple not too long ago.  Unfortunately some were musty from that batch so I think I had to toss them and I quit buying from that seller.  Up until then, I'd had good luck buying there.

Stout's writing process was amazing.  He didn't always turn out fantastic books but I think they were much better than many of the ones that are being cranked out today.