Archie Goodwin (fictional Detective) - Character

Character

I know pretty well what my field is. Aside from my primary function as the thorn in the seat of Wolfe's chair to keep him from going to sleep and waking up only for meals, I'm chiefly cut out for two things: to jump and grab something before the other guy can get his paws on it, and to collect pieces of the puzzle for Wolfe to work on.

— Archie Goodwin in The Red Box (1937), chapter 12

Archie is Wolfe's live-in assistant in the private investigation business Wolfe runs out of his brownstone townhouse in New York City. Wolfe rarely leaves the house, so Archie does most of the actual investigating, followed by reporting his findings to Wolfe, who solves the mystery. Archie is a skilled observer and has trained his memory so that he can make verbatim reports, oral or typewritten, of extended conversations.

He also does Wolfe's bookkeeping and banking, types his correspondence, and keeps the germination and other records for the orchids Wolfe raises as a hobby. Archie's hobbies include dancing (usually at the Flamingo), poker, and baseball. He was a fan of the New York Giants until they relocated to San Francisco in 1957, then later became a fan of the New York Mets when that team was founded in 1962. Unlike his employer, Archie has only one conspicuous eccentricity: his favorite drink is milk.

Archie was born on October 23 in Chillicothe, Ohio, but moved to Zanesville by age 12. In Fer-de-Lance we learn that Archie's parents died when he was still a child, but in The Final Deduction both Archie and Wolfe refer to Archie's mother as still alive. In The Rubber Band we find that Archie has a sister who once gave him silk pajamas for Christmas.

Although he is from the American Midwest, Archie has the "street smarts" to handle just about any situation he finds himself in, and he knows New York City like the back of his hand. Though he freely admits that there is no one better than Saul Panzer in many aspects of investigative work, such as remembering faces and tailing people, Goodwin is one of the most competent private detectives in the city. He has a long-time social relationship with Lily Rowan, a wealthy society woman, but they do not try to limit each other's social lives, and Archie has many love interests throughout the series. Among the most prominent is Lucy Valdon, with whom Archie shares a series of extended assignations during The Mother Hunt, prompting Wolfe and Fritz to fear that Archie may finally settle down. This does not happen, and Lucy Valdon did not appear in any other story although she receives a mention in A Right to Die.

When Wolfe leaves the brownstone after escalating threats from villain Arnold Zeck, Archie rents an office of his own and works as an independent detective. During this time, he manages to earn more than Wolfe had paid him—not because he needs more money, but as a matter of principle to confirm to himself that his long-term loyalty to Wolfe was not due to any inability to function on his own. Naturally, after Archie and Wolfe have arranged for one of Zeck's victims to kill Zeck, they return to their prior relationship with a deepened appreciation for their mutual loyalties.