Archer in Jeopardy

Three Lew Archer novels are included here: THE DOOMSTERS; THE ZEBRA-STRIPED HEARSE; THE INSTANT ENEMY. I've also written separate reviews of each of the three. There's a unique story-telling technique in each case, a telling of a story tinged with tragedy and presented in who-dun-it style. Alert readers will figure out parts of these tales, but highly unlikely that they will untangle all the threads.This is fascinating reading. The stories each have relatively innocent beginnings. A mental patient convinced that his brother, sister-in-law, and doctor are involved in his father's death and are plotting against him; a father wanting to have his future son-in-law investigated; another father looking for his runaway daughter; these are Archer's clients. However, each of these cases become much more complicated than at first appearance and each one leads to violent death. The characters involved are true-to-life. Archer himself may not appear at first to have the charisma of previous and subsequent hard-boiled detectives, but he grows on you. If you've read Hammett and Chandler and are looking for more in the same vein but still unique, you'll enjoy Ross MacDonald.

If you're looking for a good old-fashioned mystery to read, you've picked the right book. Ross MacDonald has Lew Archer at his best with these three stories: The Doomsters, The Zebra-Striped Hearse, and The Instant Enemy.