The novella was originally written in 1961 under the title “Counterfeit for Murder.” Then, in 1985—ten years after Stout’s death—this novella “Assault On A Brownstone” was published with the same main characters as in the 1961 novella “Counterfeit for Murder,” though radically different from it in plot.
An untidy-dressed older woman, Hetty Ennis, tries to meet Nero Wolfe. During the conversation with Archie Goodwin it turns out that Hetty only looks like a pauper, but in truth she is a homeowner, and she has money. The case of Miss Ennis is unusual: she discovered a large bundle of money in her house and suspects the money is counterfeit. Wolfe’s task is to help her obtain the reward and to get the New York police’s nose in the right direction. In the end, Miss Ennis believes, what’s the devil with the reward? The real task is to get around the police.