Fourth of July Picnic [SEP] characters
Fourth of July Picnic
"Fourth of July Picnic" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first published as "The Labor Union Murder" in the July 9, 1957, issue of "Look" magazine. It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection "And Four to Go", published by the Viking Press in 1958.
Plot summary.
A restaurant workers' union is having a Fourth of July picnic in a remote meadow on Long Island. Time has been set
of five people (three men, two women) are digesting a big picnic meal and belching. They are lying on a lawn near a beach, while waiting for a fireworks display to begin. Although the characters don't specifically mention the Fourth of July, a number of patriotic references are used. A jet plane is flying overhead. Various kinds of funny but tense conflicts, word games, and mind games take place among the group. Two of the men, Howard and Bill, seem to be conspiring against the