"Kill Now—Pay Later" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first serialized in three issues of The Saturday Evening Post (December 9, 16 and 23–30, 1961). It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection Trio for Blunt Instruments, published by the Viking Press in 1964.
Wolfe's aging Greek bootblack is accused of murder and Wolfe feels he owes him something since he (apparently) listens eagerly to Wolfe's dissertations on ancient Greek culture during every shoe-shining session and moreover has told the police that "Wolfe is a great man".
1961, The Saturday Evening Post, December 9 + December 16 + December 23/30, 1961
1975, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, April 1975
1978, Ellery Queen's Anthology, Fall–Winter 1978
1964, New York: The Viking Press, April 24, 1964, hardcover
Contents include "Kill Now—Pay Later", "Murder Is Corny" and "Blood Will Tell"
In his limited-edition pamphlet,
Collecting Mystery Fiction #10, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Part II, Otto Penzler describes the first edition of
Trio for Blunt Instruments: "Orange cloth, front cover and spine printed with blue rules; the front cover printed with blue lettering; the spine is printed with black lettering; rear cover blank. Issued in a mainly red pictorial dust wrapper."
In April 2006,
Firsts: The Book Collector's Magazine estimated that the first edition of
Trio for Blunt Instruments had a value of between $150 and $300. The estimate is for a copy in very good to fine condition in a like dustjacket.
1964, New York: Viking (Mystery Guild), June 1964, hardcover
The far less valuable Viking book club edition may be distinguished from the first edition in three ways:
1965, London: Collins Crime Club, January 1965, hardcover
1967, New York: Bantam #F-3298, January 1967
1997, New York: Bantam Crimeline ISBN 0-553-24191-5 January 1, 1997, paperback
1997, Newport Beach, California: Books on Tape, Inc. ISBN 0-7366-4061-4 October 31, 1997, audio cassette (unabridged, read by Michael Prichard)
2010, New York: Bantam Crimeline ISBN 978-0-307-75629-9 July 21, 2010, e-book
