There are very few things in life guaranteed except the old death and taxes but you can add , quality crime writing when you pick up anything written by Ross MacDonald.
The New York Times describe the Lew Archer books - The finest series of detective novels ever written by an American- and this is no exaggeration. Personally I am struggling to remember anybody better full stop.
There were 25 of them written before MacDonald died in 1983, all featuring Lew Archer as the detective and all consistently outstanding.
This one is about the ninth or tenth I've read and its as good as any previous.
As usual the story is set in Southern California, Archer is a Private Investigator hired to get information about a Frenchman who has swept the clients girlfriend off her feet.
Theres death and violence but nothing graphic, the writings that good you don't need descriptions of heads exploding.
Over the next 237 pages we have many, many twists until right at the end when all is revealed and its a beauty.
As in all his books there is no real depth to Archer himself, just an ex-cop out for hire, but these are superbly written, - a moral complexity- you don't find in a lot of crime writing.
Anything written by MacDonald is 100% guaranteed to please.
Once again these are a bit difficult to locate in New Zealand, there are a few around the second hand scene in both paper and hard back. If you are serious about getting the series, they are available from Black Lizard through Amazon or Powell's over the net or Unity Books will get them in for you.
Worth every cent and you can re-read them as well which is unusual for me with crime novels.
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