History Literature / TheRubberBand

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: The genial, loyal, RetiredBadass [[spoiler:Harlan Scovil]].

* DiplomaticImmunity: Implied, at least; it is heavily hinted that the Marquis of Clivers is performing important diplomatic work on behalf of the British government which gives him this, as the authorities really, ''really'' don't want to bother him, and they ''especially'' don't want to have a reason that requires them to arrest him for murder. [[spoiler:While he is apparently caught red-headed over the body of Mike Walsh, however, fortunately for everyone the Marquis turns out to be innocent. He does technically fire the bullet that kills Rubber Coleman, but as it's clearly self-defence and Archie was also firing, it's decided to make everyone's lives easier by just saying that Archie fired the killing shot]].

* DiplomaticImmunity: Implied, at least; it is heavily hinted that the Marquis of Clivers is performing important diplomatic work on behalf of the British government which gives him this, as the authorities really, ''really'' don't want to bother him, and they ''especially'' don't want to have a reason that requires them to arrest him for murder. [[spoiler:While he is apparently caught red-headed over the body of Mike Walsh, however, fortunately for everyone the Marquis turns out to be innocent]].

In the present Clara Fox, the canny daughter of one of the members of the gang, has decided that it's high time the Marquis paid back his debt. As such, she has reunited the surviving members of the Band to approach Nero Wolfe in the hope that the detective might use his brilliant intellect and cunning to help persuade the Marquis, reluctant to give away his fortune, to agree to his terms. It appears to be a simple consultation, quite unlike Wolfe's usual cases -- but when Clara is mysteriously framed for theft and one of the Band turns up dead mere hours after visiting Wolfe, it quickly becomes apparent that someone doesn't want the past to be dug up...

* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: The murderer is rather cocky during TheSummation, but Wolfe points out that even if the evidence can't be found of murder, there is sufficient evidence to convict him of another crime, which would still be more than enough to expose and ruin him. [[spoiler:Specifically, Rubber Coleman faked the signatures of the other members of the Rubber Band to defraud a million pounds from the Marquis, so he can be convicted of fraud in England.]]

* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: The murderer is rather cocky during TheSummation, but Wolfe points out that even if the evidence can't be found of murder, there is sufficient evidence to convict him another crime, which would still be more than enough to expose and ruin him. [[spoiler:Specifically, Rubber Coleman faked the signatures of the other members of the Rubber Band to defraud a million pounds from the Marquis, so he can be convicted of fraud in England.]]

--> '''Homicide Detective''': (referring to a murder victim) His name was on a hunting license, also in his pocket. [[spoiler:State of Wyoming. Harlan Scovil.l]]

* UngratefulBastard: The drama of the novel is kicked off because the Marquis of Clivers refuses to pay the debt that he owes the Rubber Band for saving his life those years ago. [[spoiler:Though it's subverted when the Marquis reveals to Wolfe that he's ''already'' paid his debt to them several years before. Or, more accurately speaking, believes that he has.]]

--> '''Homicide Detective''': (referring to a murder victim) His name was on a hunting license, also in his pocket. [[spoiler:State of Wyoming. Harlan Scovi.l]]

* ContrivedCoincidence: Archie -partially out of curiosity, partially to annoy Wolfe- reads him an article about the Marquis of Clivers at the beginning of the novel, before they get hired to investigate him and reclaim the debt. This later turns into a ChekhovsLecture due to the article mentioning that [[spoiler: The Marquis being unable to drive a car, which means he can't be the killer of Harlan Scovil]].
* DiplomaticImmunity: Implied, at least; it is heavily hinted that the Marquis of Clivers is performing important diplomatic work on behalf of the British government which gives him this, as the authorities really, ''really'' don't want to bother him, and they ''especially'' don't want to have a reason that requires them to arrest him for murder. [[spoiler: While he is apparently caught red-headed over the body of Mike Walsh, however, fortunately for everyone the Marquis turns out to be innocent]].
* DoubleMeaning: The novel's title. The "Rubber Band" is the gang of outlaws who rescued the Marquis of Clivers in the Wild West, and that's how they're often referred to. However, it also becomes key to solving the murder: [[spoiler: Wolfe realizes that Anthony Perry faked the gunshot that supposedly killed Michael Walsh, and which Wolfe and Archie overheard on the telephone, by snapping a rubber band over the phone's receiver to simulate a gunshot and fake an alibi for himself]].

* FrameUp: The BigBad tried to [[spoiler: frame Clara of theft in order to get her arrested, hoping this would make the rest of the Rubber Band loose heart]].
* TheGhost: Victor Lindquist, a member of the Rubber Band too old and ill to travel to New York and personally attend Clara's meeting, although his daughter Hilda appears to represent him. Later, he turns into a ChekhovsGunman due to being being [[spoiler: The only other known survivor of the Rubber Band besides the BigBad, which means he can testify that he never got any of the money that the Marquis gave Perry, which will ensure his conviction for forgery and fraud]].
* IOweYouMyLife: The Marquis of Clivers owes his life to the Rubber Band, but [[UngratefulBastard refuses to pay what he promised them]]. [[spoiler: Except that it turns out that this is because he believes he already ''has'' paid them...]]
* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: The murderer is rather cocky during TheSummation, but Wolfe points out that even if the evidence can't be found of murder, there is sufficient evidence to convict him another crime, which would still be more than enough to expose and ruin him. [[spoiler: Specifically, Rubber Coleman faked the signatures of the other members of the Rubber Band to defraud a million pounds from the Marquis, so can be convicted of fraud in England.]]

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: The genial, loyal, RetiredBadass [[spoiler: Harlan Scovil]].
* UngratefulBastard: The drama of the novel is kicked off because the Marquis of Clivers refuses to pay the debt that he owes the Rubber Band for saving his life those years ago. [[spoiler: Though it's subverted when the Marquis reveals to Wolfe that he's ''already'' paid his debt to them several years before. Or, more accurately speaking, believes that he has...]]
* UpperClassTwit: The Marquis of Clivers at first seems to be a rather stereotypical British toff, but it's played with in that his HiddenDepths suggest that he's a lot sharper than he first appears and that he relies on ObfuscatingStupidity. He also turns out to be not too bad in a fight [[spoiler: since it's his shot that kills Anthony Perry/Rubber Coleman]]. His nephew, Francis Horrocks, plays this a lot straighter, however.

--> '''Homicide Detective''': (referring to a murder victim) His name was on a hunting license, also in his pocket. [[spoiler: State of Wyoming. Harlan Scovil]].
--> '''The Marquis of Clivers''': Bah, I owe them nothing! [[spoiler: You know damn well I've paid them]].
--> '''The Marquis of Clivers''': By Gad, you were right. He's [[spoiler: Coleman. Rubber Coleman]].

** Clara and the others were unable to track down William "Turtleback" Mollen and Rubber Coleman, of the original Rubber Band. [[spoiler: Although Rubber Coleman shows up [[TwoAliasesOneCharacter as Clara's boss Mr. Perry]], the final fate of Turtleback isn't revealed. Given his advanced age even at the time of the original rescue, Wolfe simply assumes that he's dead.]]

* WomanScorned: A [[GenderInvertedTrope gender-inverted version]]; Ramsey Muir, who accuses Clara of theft, is clearly driven in large part by spite because Clara refused his advances.

* UngratefulBastard: The drama of the novel is kicked off because the Marquis of Clivers refuses to pay the debt that he owes the Rubber Band for saving his life those years ago. [[spoiler: Though it's subverted with a WhamLine when the Marquis reveals to Wolfe that he's ''already'' paid his debt to them. Or, more accurately speaking, believes that he has...]]

** Clara and the others were unable to track down William "Turtleback" Mollen and Rubber Coleman, of the original Rubber Band, although [[spoiler: although Rubber Coleman shows up [[TwoAliasesOneCharacter as Clara's boss Mr. Perry]], the final fate of Turtleback isn't revealed. Given his advanced age, he is probably dead by then]].

* TheWildWest: Not featured itself, but the backstory takes place in the gold fields of California in 1895.

* RetiredBadass: The Marquis, Scovil, and [[spoiler: Perry/Coleman]]. Mike Walsh zigzags this due to still working as a security guard, carrying around a gun, and being prepared to investigate on his own due to doubting Wolfe's abilities.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: The genial, loyal, RetiredBadass Harlan Scovil.

* TheGhost: Victor Lindquist, a member of the Rubber Band too old and ill to travel to New York and personally attend Clara's meeting, although his daughter Hilda appears to represent him. Later, he turns into a ChekhovsGunman due to being being [[spoiler: The only other known survivor of the Rubber Band besides the BigBad, who's picture he will be able to identify]].

** Clara and the others were unable to track down William "Turtleback" Mollen and Rubber Coleman, of the original Rubber Band, although [[spoiler: although Rubber Coleman shows up [[TwoAliasesOneCharacter as Clara's boss Mr. Perry]] and given his advanced age, Turtleback is probably dead by then]].

* DoubleMeaning: The novel's title. The "Rubber Band" is the gang of outlaws who rescued the Marquis of Clivers in the Wild West, and that's how they're often referred to. However, it also becomes key to solving the murder: [[spoiler: Wolfe realises that Anthony Perry faked the gunshot that supposedly killed Michael Walsh, and which Wolfe and Archie overheard on the telephone, by snapping a rubber band over the phone's receiver to simulate a gunshot and fake an alibi for himself]].

* WorldWarOne: Briefly appears in the backstory as part of the inciting incident for the events of the novel; Clara's father was an American soldier serving on the Western Front and happened to briefly cross paths with George Rowley again, then a British general. This inspired him to write to his wife to tell her the story of what happened and to call in the debt, which Clara in turn was inspired to follow up on after her father's death in the trenches.