Part of Lew Archer, book 1
First published 1998
Ralph Sampson has disappeared, and someone close to him likely orchestrated it. The Southern California millionaire surrounded himself with an eccentric circle that includes a mountain-owning spiritual guru and a former actress who reads stars and practices darker arts. Private investigator Lew Archer takes the case and finds himself moving between two worlds. He searches the secluded canyon retreats where the wealthy hide their secrets, then descends into underground jazz clubs where violence erupts without warning. Each lead pulls him deeper into a web of betrayal among people who should have been allies. Archer serves as more than just a detective. He becomes a moral compass in a landscape where the line between legal wrongdoing and personal failing blurs beyond recognition. The case forces him to navigate relationships poisoned by money, desire, and long-held resentments. Macdonald weaves together the threads of sexual obsession, financial corruption, and family animosity into a crime story that moves at breakneck speed. This debut novel introduces readers to Lew Archer, a character who would define the California private eye genre for decades to come.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, moral-ambiguity
Setting: California, Southern California
Period: 20th-century
246 pages · Paperback · Vintage Crime/Black Lizard