Book description
As a mysterious fire rages throughĀ the hills above a privileged town inĀ Southern California, Archer tracks a missing child who may be the pawn in a marital struggle or the victim of a bizarre kidnapping.Ā What he uncovers amid the ashes is murderāand a trail of motives as combustibleā¦
Why read it?
1 author picked The Underground Man as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
To my mind, Macdonald is the greatest of American mystery writers, yet he appears to be all but forgotten. Writing in the tradition of Chandler and Hammettāand sharing their California settingāhe surpasses them both as a writer and a student of human nature. I find his detective, Lew Archer, a believable and appealing character. A decent and compassionate man, heās as tough as needs be, but no tougher. The Underground Man is Macdonaldās best, a complex and haunting story in which a routine search for a missing person leads Archer into a twisted family heritage of death and betrayal thatā¦
From Stephen's list on neglected mysteries.
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