sentences:  The novel was adapted for the 1936 movie "Meet Nero Wolfe".In his seminal 1941 work, "Murder for Pleasure", crime fiction historian Howard Haycraft included "Fer-de-Lance" in his definitive list of the most influential works of mystery fiction.In the opening chapter, Wolfe decides to give up drinking bootleg beer and sends Fritz to purchase samples of every legally available brand (49 in all) so he can select a replacement.