I'll nominate the first Nero Wolfe novel,
Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout.
Quote:
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As any herpetologist will tell you, the fer-de-lance is among the most dreaded snakes known to man. When someone makes a present of one to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's getting dreadully close to solving the devilishly clever murders of an immigrant and a college president. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case with more twists than an anaconda -- whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer who's still got poison in his heart.
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http://inkmesh.com/ebooks/ferdelance...s=Fer-de-Lance