The Way Some People Die

by: Ross MacDonald

Published by: First Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Edition

Reviewed by Diane A Brown

P.I. work can be challenging, but Lew Archer wasn’t prepared.

It all started out so simple, an over-protective mother, looking for her adult missing daughter. She hadn’t heard from her for a few months and was truly distraught. It was obvious by her humble surroundings that she had little money, but Archer didn’t want to work for free. He was reluctant to get involved, but Mrs. Lawrence was adamant and showed him a picture. Galley was her name and she was definitely a looker. He agreed to do a little poking around if Mrs. Lawrence would pay him fifty dollars. But he was sure it would be a dead end.

That was a bad call…

Galley had left little behind to trace, but it was enough to get Archer started. It appeared she had unknowingly become involved with some unsavory characters. It was quite possible she was in definite danger. The more Archer dug, the deeper he was pulled in. Cross-country searches, illegal activities, and drugs weave a tangled web of deception–but that is just the beginning. Just when he gets close to Joe Tarantine, a major link to Galley, he often slips away.

When Galley finally surfaces, Archer is determined to set her free. The stakes are high and the risks are chancy at best, but that’s just part of the job. When things really get hot, the police are involved. But will they trust his instincts or write Archer off?

Witnesses and sources turn against each other and Archer is stuck in the middle. Some times he’s just ahead of the police but the next time he’s to late. Sorting out the truth in between the lines is a challenge, will Archer’s persistence pay off in the end or will the real truth slip away?

This is one of 18 Lew Archer novels published between 1949 and 1976. Ross MacDonald, the pen name for Kenneth Millar, died over 20 years ago. At that time, he was considered the greatest American crime novelist since Raymond Chandler–also a literary artist–not just a detective storywriter.

The Way Some people Die is full of unexpected twists and 360 degree turns.

Armchair Interviews says: It will keep you hanging until the very last page!