The Goodbye Look

The Goodbye Look is one of the best Lew Archer novels by Ross MacDonald. Archer is called to investigate the theft of an antique jewelry box owned by the wealthy Chalmers family. Suspicion quickly falls on the only child, son Nick. This is one of the three or four best in the Lew Archer series, which is another way of saying that it is one of the ten or so best detective stories ever published. It is also maybe the most complicated of the Archers. There are many characters. I strongly recommend you write them down as they appear. Draw a graph showing who is related to who. For that reason, I do not recommend this as the first Archer novel to read. The final resolution is not quite what I was hoping. However, it is certainly good and makes sense. We have here many of the recurring themes that are in all but the earliest Archer novels: The private mental hospital. The strange disappearance of someone a generation earlier, probably murdered. Wealthy people who got that way at the ultimate expense of their children. The only thing this one is missing relative to some of other later novels in the Archer canon is a lot of the incredible off hand descriptions and musings. Ross MacDonald was one of the finest writers - forget detective - that this nation has ever produced. His Archer novels are full of insights and descriptions of amazing power that resonate in the mind. I didn't find quite so many in this one. - henry

The Goodbye Look is another excellent Lew Archer novel by Ross MacDonald. Archer is called on the case to investigate the theft of a antique jewelry box owned by the wealthy Chalmers family. Initially suspicion falls on the Nick the only son. Nick is a mixed up kid who has just dropped out of college. As Archer investigates, the threads he pulls lead him to murders commited decades before. This another excellent installment in the Lew Archer series. MacDonlad is a worthy heir to Hammett and Chandler in the hardboiled detective genre.

Ross Macdonald is an excellent writer of the private eye and mystery grouping.. the book was in excellent condition/ paperback .. and delivery was adequate..