Black Money (1966)

I’ve recently read a Lew Archer short story which I thought was excellent; so I wanted to read one of the novels. What I’ve found is Ross Macdonald is trying to be like Dashiell Hammitt or Raymond Chandler but his is missing key elements that made their stories interesting. There was no witty banter, wise cracks and no unexpected plot twists. Archer was decent protagonist and I think the book was jammed packed with sex and violence but without the twists and wit it just doesn’t seem the same; maybe even boring in parts. I might try some more of his books, because the Lew Archer short story really was a thrill to read and maybe his other books will be too. ( )

Complex tale filled with flawed characters all of whom have things to hide. MacDonald's Lew Archer glides over this as he unravels a mystery going back seven years. He is as much an observer as detective. The book is deliberately paced, introducing the key protagonists through the first half and then ratcheting up the suspense as the hidden truth is slowly revealed. ( )

Black money is the money that never shows up on the books. Big sums of cash that make you instantly rich.
A seductive Frenchman comes out of nowhere and a rich, chubby and ineffectual heir hires Archer to get his girlfriend back.
The Frenchman is slick, rich and not at all who he appears to be. He helps to add an edge of danger to the story.
Harper keeps going following every clue until he has the answer. The story, set in the world of the rich and the used to be rich, moved very well. Archer stays the dead pan detective who throws in enough sarcastic dialog to let you know he is always listening.
The change of identities at the end is straight out of a William Shakespeare comedy, except for the dead bodies.
The plot moved very well and the characters are mostly rich people on the edge of not being rich.
I give it four stars for a good ending. ( )