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A review by jhscolloquium
Dream Town by David Baldacci
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
In One Good Deed, bestselling and award-winning author David Baldacci introduced readers to Aloysius Archer, a World War II veteran who had just been released from prison for a crime he maintained he did not commit. He became embroiled in a murder mystery and helped solve the case. He so impressed the lead detective, Irving Shaw, that Shaw recommended Archer to his buddy, Willie Dash, who once worked with Eliot Ness. As A Gambling Man, the second book in the series, opened, Archer was on his way to Bay Town, California, to take advantage of Shaw's generosity and convince Dash to give him a chance. Along the way, Archer found plenty of trouble, as well as Liberty Callahan, a Reno nightclub performer with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. Finally arriving in Bay Town, Archer became Dash's apprentice and his relationship with Liberty grew closer.
Dream Town begins with Archer, now thirty years old, and Liberty attending a posh party in Hollywood on New Year's Eve 1952. Archer still drives the 1939 red Delahaye convertible he acquired in A Gambling Man. He has spent three years working with and learning from Willie Dash in Bay Town, and is now an experienced and highly skilled investigator. Baldacci again expertly sets the scene, evoking the time period, and instantly draws readers into the time period. Baldacci wanted to write about the post-World War II era because he "finds it fascinating." It was a unique time in U.S. history. Americans were tired of being poor, having survived the Great Depression. There was a great migration to the West and, more particularly, California, the Golden State where life was sure to be better.
Gone is the Archer who survived war only to find himself in prison and then, in One Good Deed, on parole. He had to operate carefully because an infraction -- or violation staged by corrupt local officials -- could result in further incarceration. In A Gambling Man, Archer had been released from parole and was free to begin his journey to California, but he had not established himself as a competent investigator. Three years later, he is confident and self-assured, but still gets aggravated when he feels he could have handled a situation better. Archer is a multi-layered, fully formed character and very much a man of the time in which he lives. He is masculine and protective of those he believes he needs to shield from harm. He is also capable of introspection and has maintained a close friendship with Liberty while she has found modest success in Hollywood, landing supporting roles that pay extremely well, as she continues striving for the big break that will put her name on a marquee. His feelings for Liberty have deepened with time. But Liberty fears for Archer as he careens from one near-miss to another. Can she tolerate the stressors of Archer's profession? Or can she convince him to settle down and, perhaps, play a cop on a television show or in the movies?
Archer is immediately hired by Eleanor Lamb, a screenwriter living in Malibu. He is thrust into the Hollywood scene, interacting with famous, wealthy, powerful, and, in some cases, nefarious people who have much to lose. The story takes off at a brisk pace as Archer ventures to his client's home only to discover that she has vanished. He finds a dead body in the house and someone gets the jump on him as he is searching for details about the decedent's identity and actions.
Archer does not trust the police. First of all, the local force has a terrible reputation and has been at the center of scandals. More importantly, Archer has learned over the years that "anybody can be bought," so he does not provide information to the authorities as he gathers it. Archer has learned to rely only on himself and trust his investigative instincts. That wisdom is critical to the story because Baldacci reveals that money is at the root of several aspects of the plot. Which makes sense because, after all, Archer is operating in Hollywood with an eclectic cast of supporting characters who work at and operate big movie studios. There is a lot of money, along with reputations, at stake.
The story is told in Baldacci's signature style. He employs short, action-packed chapters that detail Archer's investigative efforts and his thought processes as he pieces together the clues he finds. Baldacci is known for his economy of language which always serves his stories well.
And language is an important component of the story's authenticity, of course. Archer lives in what "was a very different world" as is reflected not only in the characters' attitudes and outlooks, but also the very words and phrases they use. For instance, readers may find themselves reaching for a dictionary when Dash tells Archer to take a seat on the "davenport" in his office. (It's an antiquated term for "couch" or "sofa.") Archer uses the old-fashioned phrase, "Come again?" when he doesn't understand what another character is telling him. The way that male characters refer to and discuss women is jarring and, by today's standards, offensive. Baldacci explains that in order to adopt a historically accurate tone, he researched what life was like for women during the era. And some of what he discovered was shocking. In one scene, Archer visits a bank to inquire about Eleanor's purchase of her Malibu home. He learns that it was a cash transaction. To secure a mortgage, Elanor would have "needed a male co-signor. An unmarried woman can't get a mortgage without a suitable man signing with her." When Archer questions the practice, the banker cavalierly explains, "Banks need a guy on board to feel secure. And it's for the ladies' protection, too. Dames are clueless about money and such. They won't get taken for a ride with a sharp guy around. . . . I guess there's no law against a dame buying a house with her own cash, though there probably should be." (Women were not issued credit cards in their own names until the mid-1970's.)
And as with the previous installments in the series, locations serve as supporting characters in the story. Baldacci takes readers along with Archer to the beaches and canyons of Malibu, studio back lots, seedy parts of downtown Los Angeles, and even Orange County. One character lives in a modest tract house in Anaheim on the edge of a long-gone orange grove outside the city limits. Archer interacts with a friend of Dash's. He's a former police officer who now runs a bar near Chinatown. His name? Jake Nichols. Archer also takes a flight to Las Vegas where he mixes it up with mobsters, and makes his way to the beautiful shores of Lake Tahoe.
The story in Dream Town is another engrossing and highly entertaining journey featuring a tautly-constructed, imaginative, and often surprising plot. There are many dead bodies and numerous characters in various forms of distress, some of whom are motivated to commit heinous acts in order to preserve their wealth, power, and lifestyle. They are no match for Archer, who survives more than one assault in his quest to learn Eleanor's whereabouts and whether she was abducted or fled. And if the latter, what motivated her to disappear? Is she a victim or caught up in criminal activity?
Dream Town is a traditional mystery, in some ways outright old-fashioned. But it is also a charming and compelling escape to a time period when life was simpler. No characters send text messages or emails to each other, vehicles are large and gas-powered, the old Hollywood studio system is still operational, and society's expectations of men and women are clearly outlined. Archer, Liberty and many of the other characters smoke. (Archer's brand is Lucky Strike.) Thus, the story is also thought-provoking because it spotlights how much the world has changed in the ensuing seventy years. Best of all, Archer is attractive, endearing, and surprisingly vulnerable, and accompanying him as his latest investigation proceeds is enjoyable in much the same way as watching classic black-and-white movies. Happily, Baldacci promises more installments, noting that his research has provided plenty of material for future Archer adventures. It will be fascinating to see if any time elapses between the conclusion of Dream Town and the beginning of the next book, and if Archer, and the world, will have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Dream Town begins with Archer, now thirty years old, and Liberty attending a posh party in Hollywood on New Year's Eve 1952. Archer still drives the 1939 red Delahaye convertible he acquired in A Gambling Man. He has spent three years working with and learning from Willie Dash in Bay Town, and is now an experienced and highly skilled investigator. Baldacci again expertly sets the scene, evoking the time period, and instantly draws readers into the time period. Baldacci wanted to write about the post-World War II era because he "finds it fascinating." It was a unique time in U.S. history. Americans were tired of being poor, having survived the Great Depression. There was a great migration to the West and, more particularly, California, the Golden State where life was sure to be better.
Gone is the Archer who survived war only to find himself in prison and then, in One Good Deed, on parole. He had to operate carefully because an infraction -- or violation staged by corrupt local officials -- could result in further incarceration. In A Gambling Man, Archer had been released from parole and was free to begin his journey to California, but he had not established himself as a competent investigator. Three years later, he is confident and self-assured, but still gets aggravated when he feels he could have handled a situation better. Archer is a multi-layered, fully formed character and very much a man of the time in which he lives. He is masculine and protective of those he believes he needs to shield from harm. He is also capable of introspection and has maintained a close friendship with Liberty while she has found modest success in Hollywood, landing supporting roles that pay extremely well, as she continues striving for the big break that will put her name on a marquee. His feelings for Liberty have deepened with time. But Liberty fears for Archer as he careens from one near-miss to another. Can she tolerate the stressors of Archer's profession? Or can she convince him to settle down and, perhaps, play a cop on a television show or in the movies?
Archer is immediately hired by Eleanor Lamb, a screenwriter living in Malibu. He is thrust into the Hollywood scene, interacting with famous, wealthy, powerful, and, in some cases, nefarious people who have much to lose. The story takes off at a brisk pace as Archer ventures to his client's home only to discover that she has vanished. He finds a dead body in the house and someone gets the jump on him as he is searching for details about the decedent's identity and actions.
Archer does not trust the police. First of all, the local force has a terrible reputation and has been at the center of scandals. More importantly, Archer has learned over the years that "anybody can be bought," so he does not provide information to the authorities as he gathers it. Archer has learned to rely only on himself and trust his investigative instincts. That wisdom is critical to the story because Baldacci reveals that money is at the root of several aspects of the plot. Which makes sense because, after all, Archer is operating in Hollywood with an eclectic cast of supporting characters who work at and operate big movie studios. There is a lot of money, along with reputations, at stake.
The story is told in Baldacci's signature style. He employs short, action-packed chapters that detail Archer's investigative efforts and his thought processes as he pieces together the clues he finds. Baldacci is known for his economy of language which always serves his stories well.
And language is an important component of the story's authenticity, of course. Archer lives in what "was a very different world" as is reflected not only in the characters' attitudes and outlooks, but also the very words and phrases they use. For instance, readers may find themselves reaching for a dictionary when Dash tells Archer to take a seat on the "davenport" in his office. (It's an antiquated term for "couch" or "sofa.") Archer uses the old-fashioned phrase, "Come again?" when he doesn't understand what another character is telling him. The way that male characters refer to and discuss women is jarring and, by today's standards, offensive. Baldacci explains that in order to adopt a historically accurate tone, he researched what life was like for women during the era. And some of what he discovered was shocking. In one scene, Archer visits a bank to inquire about Eleanor's purchase of her Malibu home. He learns that it was a cash transaction. To secure a mortgage, Elanor would have "needed a male co-signor. An unmarried woman can't get a mortgage without a suitable man signing with her." When Archer questions the practice, the banker cavalierly explains, "Banks need a guy on board to feel secure. And it's for the ladies' protection, too. Dames are clueless about money and such. They won't get taken for a ride with a sharp guy around. . . . I guess there's no law against a dame buying a house with her own cash, though there probably should be." (Women were not issued credit cards in their own names until the mid-1970's.)
And as with the previous installments in the series, locations serve as supporting characters in the story. Baldacci takes readers along with Archer to the beaches and canyons of Malibu, studio back lots, seedy parts of downtown Los Angeles, and even Orange County. One character lives in a modest tract house in Anaheim on the edge of a long-gone orange grove outside the city limits. Archer interacts with a friend of Dash's. He's a former police officer who now runs a bar near Chinatown. His name? Jake Nichols. Archer also takes a flight to Las Vegas where he mixes it up with mobsters, and makes his way to the beautiful shores of Lake Tahoe.
The story in Dream Town is another engrossing and highly entertaining journey featuring a tautly-constructed, imaginative, and often surprising plot. There are many dead bodies and numerous characters in various forms of distress, some of whom are motivated to commit heinous acts in order to preserve their wealth, power, and lifestyle. They are no match for Archer, who survives more than one assault in his quest to learn Eleanor's whereabouts and whether she was abducted or fled. And if the latter, what motivated her to disappear? Is she a victim or caught up in criminal activity?
Dream Town is a traditional mystery, in some ways outright old-fashioned. But it is also a charming and compelling escape to a time period when life was simpler. No characters send text messages or emails to each other, vehicles are large and gas-powered, the old Hollywood studio system is still operational, and society's expectations of men and women are clearly outlined. Archer, Liberty and many of the other characters smoke. (Archer's brand is Lucky Strike.) Thus, the story is also thought-provoking because it spotlights how much the world has changed in the ensuing seventy years. Best of all, Archer is attractive, endearing, and surprisingly vulnerable, and accompanying him as his latest investigation proceeds is enjoyable in much the same way as watching classic black-and-white movies. Happily, Baldacci promises more installments, noting that his research has provided plenty of material for future Archer adventures. It will be fascinating to see if any time elapses between the conclusion of Dream Town and the beginning of the next book, and if Archer, and the world, will have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.