First published 2000
Private detective Lew Archer takes on what seems like a routine case when Una Larkin offers him a hundred dollars to find Lucy, a young Black woman who allegedly stole jewelry and fled. Archer senses Una is lying but tracks Lucy to a motel in nearby Bella City anyway. He watches Una confront Lucy in an angry dispute, then goes to check on Lucy after she returns to her room. He finds her with her throat slashed. Before calling the local police, Archer searches Lucy's belongings and discovers a newspaper clipping about the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy family's son. The detective decides to follow this new lead, sensing it connects to Lucy's murder. What began as a simple theft case transforms into something far more complex and dangerous as Archer uncovers the truth behind both Lucy's death and the missing heir.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Bella City
Period: 20th-century
Paperback · 10/18
Content warnings: murder, violence