This is the man who wrote the 'Nero Wolfe' novels (from which the A&E series of the same name is taken). Basically, they feature Wolfe, a 275lb. woman-hating gourmet orchid-fancier genius who pays for his various indulgences by applying said genius to murder cases among New York's upper-crust.
Because he refuses to leave the house except under extreme provocation, he employs as 'secretary, gumshoe and all-around goat' Archie Goodwin, a classically streetwise PI who actually collects the clues. He also narrates the stories, in a deftly funny 'hard-boiled' fashion.
The two of them were my first foray into grownup literature at age 9 (courtesy an aunt who had all the old Bantam paperbacks) and I have adored them uncritically ever since. Like the A&E adaptations too...the actors perfectly match my mental images of them. Any other Wolfean afictionados (of page or screen) out there?

Isn't there a group that believes Nero to be Sherlock Holmes' son or grandson? I agree that the series is very good, but I can't look at Nero without seeing the witness he played in My Cousin Vinny

Yup, some serious Stout fans theorize that Wolfe is the, erm, unauthorized son of Holmes and Irene Adler. There's some pretty good circumstantial evidence for the theory - the deductive brilliance, the weight/laziness thing (remember Mycroft Holmes?), the misogyny, etc.

As for the series...hmmm...must be something about Maury (Nero) Chaykin, 'cause my sister says she can't look at him as Wolfe without thinking of his sleazy character in Entrapment.

Check out the Nero Wolfe page on A & E's website--lots of commentary on the shows and books.