The Ross MacDonald Blog

                            Thoughts on Macdonald’s Research     Macdonald was a professional crime writer and in many respects he took his calling very seriously. He and his wife so regularly attended trials that they were well-known to the courthouse...

SPOILER ALERT                                        It Hits the Fan     Chapter 31 has a no-nonsense opening.  Archer arrives at the Church residence.  When Hilda says that her husband is not home, Archer forces his way inside. Before he begins, he regards...

                                                                                                                                  SPOILER ALERT                                        The Pace Picks Up     MacGowan comes bearing important news. Jo Summer has...

                                    An Odd Conversation     After the strange fumblings of Chapter 18, it’s good to get back to the action in Chapter 19.  Well, not so much; the fumblings in this chapter are logical rather than physical.  The chapter opens...

                                  The Worst Motel Stay Ever       The lights are on in the office of Kerrigan’s motel, giving Archer a clear view of the owners’ brains.  Kerrigan had been shot once, between the eyes, with a gun that Archer guesses might...

                              I’ve Got Friends in Low Places       A few slaps with the Sheriff’s automatic have apparently shaken the stupid out of Archer, because his next move, to Kerrigan’s bar, the Golden Slipper, is a good idea.  The bar boasts...

                                      Working the Edges              Nothing happens by accident in a Ross Macdonald book, and the car ride with Hilda Church is no exception. Hilda has issues with men, partly based on her own negative experiences and partly...

              I Swear I Had a Client Around Here Somewhere   In all the Archer books, Macdonald is careful to provide Archer with a client, no matter how far afield the investigation strays from the original assignment. Sometimes Archer foregoes a written...