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moni875's review against another edition
Hated it. I also don't like mysteries that much anyway. it was a waste of time so i skimmed it. and it was still a waste... someone else can enjoy it probably.
nell_nell0's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tfmilner's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most beautifully written hardboiled novels that I've read. I wrote down sentence after sentence that hit hard and stuck with me. The story itself isn't what sets this one apart, but the writing is transcendent.
johnjohnston's review against another edition
3.0
Takes me back to my teenage years when I read a bunch of Ross Macdonald. As good a Chandler substitute as you can get.
dresden99's review against another edition
3.0
This is frequently engrossing as a nuts and bolts detective story, that diverts into all sorts of directions when a new character is introduced. That isn’t inherently a bad thing, and is commonplace in carving out a seedy world within the Noir genre. However, I wasn’t super invested in the ever expanding side stories of its characters. I still think McDonald’s use of similes and character work is rich and intriguing.
deepwinterodd's review against another edition
5.0
#39: The Drowning Pool by Ross MacDonald:
Synopsis: Lew Archer's hired by the middle generation of a really dysfunctional family, two generations of which are killed. Archer's sucked in and, for once, not framed, but he does accidentally kidnap someone and get them killed before getting kidnapped himself and winding up in the middle of a bad marriage. And in Nevada.
(It's creeeeeeeeepy. Now with bonus mental institution!")
Archer is dragged into one of those small inbred Central Californian town that freaks me out like a motherfucker, and as soon as he gets the lay of the land, there's a body in the pool. Get it? The Drowning Pool? Enh? Symbolism. Woof!
Archer investigates without a client, tracking the small-town cops' suspect to L.A. and Nevada and walking them right into an ambush. After that goes so well, Archer follows the femme fatale out to the coast and gets mixed up with her husband, who, disappointingly, has much less to do with things than previously suspected.
A gorgeous, sultry California noir that had so many twists and turns I nearly lost track. Archer's a great gumshoe, granite and strong and noble, and he's just beset with crazy ladies. Seriously. Every time he turns around another woman off her meds falls from the sky and lands on him, ready to party. Why doesn't that ever happen to me?
She closed her eyes. From the places where it was pinned to the durable bone, the flesh of her face fell in thin slack folds. The folds made dark lines slanting downward from the corners of her closed eyes, the wings of her nose, the edges of her jaw, deep charcoal shadows cartooning dissolution.
I said goodnight and left her.
Synopsis: Lew Archer's hired by the middle generation of a really dysfunctional family, two generations of which are killed. Archer's sucked in and, for once, not framed, but he does accidentally kidnap someone and get them killed before getting kidnapped himself and winding up in the middle of a bad marriage. And in Nevada.
(It's creeeeeeeeepy. Now with bonus mental institution!")
Archer is dragged into one of those small inbred Central Californian town that freaks me out like a motherfucker, and as soon as he gets the lay of the land, there's a body in the pool. Get it? The Drowning Pool? Enh? Symbolism. Woof!
Archer investigates without a client, tracking the small-town cops' suspect to L.A. and Nevada and walking them right into an ambush. After that goes so well, Archer follows the femme fatale out to the coast and gets mixed up with her husband, who, disappointingly, has much less to do with things than previously suspected.
A gorgeous, sultry California noir that had so many twists and turns I nearly lost track. Archer's a great gumshoe, granite and strong and noble, and he's just beset with crazy ladies. Seriously. Every time he turns around another woman off her meds falls from the sky and lands on him, ready to party. Why doesn't that ever happen to me?
pippercorn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
matt_som's review against another edition
3.0
Decent. I have read far better by Ross MacDonald. The prose in this one does not have the "snap" of his better books.
christinemomo's review against another edition
5.0
Finished November 17th. “There was nothing wrong with Southern California that a rise in the ocean level wouldn't cure.”
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