MathFiction: The Zero Clue (Rex Stout)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Zero Clue (1952)

Rex Stout
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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Contributed by "William E. Emba"

Nero Wolfe can't stand Leo Heller, a mathematician who uses operations research to solve mysteries and seems to be superseding Wolfe's own reputation. But then Heller is murdered by one of his clients. He managed to leave a cryptic message that Wolfe eventually decodes, partly with the help of Lancelot Hogben MATHEMATICS FOR THE MILLION. (Of nonmathematical interest is the background story of a terror bombing of a hospital with over 300 lives lost. Such horrors were pretty much unthinkable in the US in the 50s.)

This story appears in the (out-of-print) book Three Men Out (published in 1954) and was originally serialized in American Magazine as "Scared to Death" begining in 1952.

More information about this work can be found at www.amazon.com.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to The Zero Clue

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

Child's Play by Isaac Asimov
Ten by Isaac Asimov
Progress by Alex Kasman
Zéro, ou les Cinq vies d'Aemer by Denis Guedj
Death of a Doxy by Rex Stout
Ibn Hakkan al-Bokhari, Dead in his Labyrinth by Jorge Luis Borges
Percentage Player by Leslie Charteris
The Symbolic Logic of Murder by John Reese
And Be a Villain by Rex Stout
The N-Plus-1th-Degree by Stephen Barr

Ratings for The Zero Clue:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
2/5 (2 votes)

Literary Quality:
3/5 (2 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Mystery,
Motif
Topic
Medium	Short Stories,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)