The narrator made a reference that compared the distance of something to a home run shot and used Mickey Mantle as a comparison. The weirdness of what era we were supposed to be in despite the narrator’s Miata and a random cellphone also was distracting these people talked and acted like they were in the 1940s. The mystery, even though it involved stamps, a topic that interests me, had little going on. It turns out I found the narrator, whom the author tried to sell as an affable guy, as more on the insufferable side. Hopefully, the characters develop a bit more as time goes on. I'm still on board for more in the McNally series. There were some real shockers in the plot, but they came a bit too late in the story. Too much time was spent following Archy around while he moons over his new girlfriend and not enough time spent on the mystery. The dialogue is witty and funny, the insight into life in Palm Beach is hilarious, but the plot was a little thin. In the meantime, Archy has met a woman that has him thinking along the lines of a long term relationship. When his father assigns him the job of finding out who stole a set of collectable stamps from the infamous Lady Horiwitz, McNally uncovers a clever scheme. I have read Lawrence Sanders before, but never the McNally series.Īrchy McNally, womanizer, detective in his father's law firm, and still living at home, lives the good life in Palm Beach, Florida. This is a re-issue of the first McNally mystery by Lawrence Sanders in digital format. I received this book from Open Road Media and Netgalley. Highly enjoyable, the trick will be for Sanders to go forward, exploring the permutations of this little world without it becoming a stale formula. Is he tipping his hat to the Archy Goodwin of Rex Stout? This Archy is more in line with Hammett's Sam Spade in adopting a persona that allows him to float through many levels of society while, because of his fatuousness, not being given credit for the depth of understanding he brings to his detection. He is vain often, superficial a social butterfly a cad a devotee of the pursuit of the opposite sex and, less than truthful in many of his relationships. What we derive are laughs, knowing smiles, a intricate plot with memorable characters and (surprisingly) empathy for Archy despite the following: Sanders successfully walks a very fine line between insipid details (of food, clothing, wine, cars, etc.) and outright burlesque. Father McNally is head of a local law firm and the son, Archy, a Yale failure, is responsible for the firm's discreet inquiries.Įducated at the proper Ivy League schools, the McNally family fits in as the well-to-do vassals of the Palm Beach nobility. This is where McNally & Son have chosen to serve their clientele.
Then, there was still a lot of the old money around and the need to fit in to a society that those recently rich could only aspire to. Let's go back about a quarter of a century to THAT Palm Beach, Florida - The one that Donald Trump was so anxious to be accepted into. McNally is always fun, entertaining and engaging - right down to his pastel dinner jackets. When mixed together his skills serve to embarrass his father - but save him as well. His sleuthing efforts combine a mix of street smarts, savoir fair, charm and charisma and bullshit. He has a fabulous and devoted steady girl - to whom he has made promises and he's devoted to a mom with the early stages of dementia who comes across as a fading character from times long past - except when her assessment of her devoted but priggish husband make it clear that she is sharper than most. He can't afford luxurious digs - so he lives with Mom and Dad - how else would a guy with his resources be able to live right on the water and have servants at his disposal. He didn't make it through law school to make his stuffy old law firm dad happy, but he manages to solve some tricky problems that Dad's clients seem to get themselves into regularly. He's an affluent living, intelligent, capable underachiever - and he's fine with that. Sanders' character Archie McNally is nothing short of brilliant.
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