From Library Journal
Here is another early Stout novel written before he hit it big with the Nero Wolfe mysteries. This romantic thriller follows love-struck Richard Stetton, who rescues beautiful Aline Solini from certain death. But her angelic face masks an evil soul. Stout is always good fun. Severn House books can be ordered at a discount at 800-830-3044. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
What we have here is that specialty genre: the literary curiosity. Certainly, any previously unpublished novel by the creator of the legendary Nero Wolfe will be of interest to fans, but Stout's name on the title page is all that recommends this potboiler. First serialized in All Story magazine--one can almost imagine the steamy cover with Vargas-like women and leering, bloodthirsty Turks--the tale stars a rich, brave American, Richard Stetton, who rescues the voluptuous Aline Solini from a convent during a Turkish uprising in an unnamed Balkan outpost. He falls madly in love; she exploits his puppylike devotion for her own evil purposes. Encountering intrigue at every turn, they scamper frantically about Asia, always one step ahead of Aline's vengeful ex-husband, Vasili Petrovich. No brief summary can begin to convey the strange twists that litter this plot; keep in mind, though, that the book was published as a serial, requiring Stout to create and resolve crises from the end of one installment to the start of the next. Buy the book for its curiosity value if you must, but don't be fooled about its quality. Wes Lukowsky


Book Description
Aline Solini--a beautiful Russian adventuress who has abandoned her Russian husband and is now in search of greater conquests in Europe--arrives in Marisi, in the decadent days on the eve of World War I. She has been rescued by Richard Stetton, the wealthy playboy son of an American millionaire, who is on a trip to Europe to discover himself. Instead, the somewhat dim-witted Stetton falls into Aline's clutches, and she uses him and his money to win her way into fashionable society. Once she is accepted by the elite, her schemes move her closer and closer to the throne. "A Prize for Princes" is a charming period piece, with a languid evocation of a long-lost Europe that will captivate fans of Stout's later works, as well as readers of historical novels.


Download Description
Aline Solini--a beautiful Russian adventuress who has abandoned her Russian husband and is now in search of greater conquests in Europe--arrives in Marisi, in the decadent days on the eve of World War I. She has been rescued by Richard Stetton, the wealthy playboy son of an American millionaire, who is on a trip to Europe to discover himself. Instead, the somewhat dim-witted Stetton falls into Aline's clutches, and she uses him and his money to win her way into fashionable society. Once she is accepted by the elite, her schemes move her closer and closer to the throne. "A Prize for Princes" is a charming period piece, with a languid evocation of a long-lost Europe that will captivate fans of Stout's later works, as well as readers of historical novels.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this novel of intrigue and suspense, the masterful Rex Stout follows the fortunes of Aline Solini, whose angelic face hides a demon's soul. It is the face that captivates Richard Stetton, a wealthy young American, when he rescues Aline from a Balkan convent about to be sacked by marauding Turks. Stetton also enables Aline to escape Vasili Petrovich, the husband she tried to poison, and introduces her into society's highest circles. There Aline proves her talents for deceit and chicanery among men of power to be no less formidable — or deadly — than her sensuality.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal