Rating: 
Summary: Well-Done!
Review: To take on a deceased author's much-admired creation cannot be an easy task. Yet Vincent Lardo perfectly has caught the flavor of the beloved character of Archy McNally, which originally was created by the late Lawrence Sanders. He's caught the rhythm of the narrative, the sense of place, the voice of the protagonist. So if you loved Sanders' Archy, you won't notice much difference in Lardo's version. And if you like to read a good mystery about the high life, Palm Beach, tropical nights, gourmet foods, and, oh yes, romance, then any of the McNally books should hit the spot. Doesn't matter whether the author was Lawrence or Vince. These are fun reads, the published equivalents of sneaking potato chips. You won't want to stop with just one.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice to have our Friend Archy Back
Review: Vincent Lardo's second installment in the long-running Archy McNally series, created by the late Lawrence Sanders, is another faithful follow-on. The plot theoretically revolves around an amateur production of "Arsenic and Old Lace." Nevertheless, all of us now know that the Archy McNally novels just use a threadbare plot to romp the colorful oddball characters through in an unbelievable maze of interconnected and naughty relationships. Lust and greed are the central themes, never a coherent plot.Lardo has fully captured the style of Lawrence Sanders with all of the fun characters, silly Palm Beach social scene, and unfortunately all of the inconsistencies, unexplained dead-ends, useless daydreaming and self-indulgence that somehow never really coalesce into a plot. Let's not dwell on that too much. Lawrence Sander's great strength in this series was to keep you awash in the interesting characters and lead you to an inevitable conclusion that only his socialite-detective could not foretell. To be honest, I wish Lardo would lose the endless pages, the last pages of each chapter, where Archy ruminates full of foreboding about the obvious. This series is light-hearted fun, and it is nice that Vincent has been so adroit in continuing it. I worry that this series could die but for the staunch cadre of Archy lovers that keeps it alive. Frankly, this series is turning into a very "inside" experience, where much of the fun of the book is revisiting familiar characters. I don't think that this publication stands-up well on its own. I hope Vincent Lardo can craft a more polished story to parade our delightful Palm Beach eccentrics through in his inevitable third contribution to the McNally franchise.
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