Meet Me at the Morgue (Thorndike Pr Large Print Cloak and Dagger Series)

Rating:
Summary: Crime writing at its best.
Review: Meet Me at the Morgue takes place in Pacific Point, California, a seaside town just south of Los Angeles. Four year old Jamie Johnson, the son of one of the community's richest men, has been kidnapped. The ransom is $50,000.
Howard Cross is the narrator of this well written novel. He's a local County Probation Officer who suddenly finds himself at the center of the investigation.
This book has much to recommend it. As an investigator, Cross is most definitely hard-boiled. But MacDonald wisely keeps Cross' tough guy persona in check so as to make him a more likeable protaganist. The narrative is compelling and flows quite smoothly. Believable dialogue and great descriptive passages both add to the novel's substantial appeal.
Meet Me at the Morgue has only one flaw. And that's what prevents me from giving it 5 stars. One of the crime's perpetrators, a man named Art Lemp, is inexplicably tied in to a completely unrelated subplot. This, unfortunately, constitutes too much of a coincidence and thereby detracts from the story's otherwise masterful construction.
But, all in all, I'd have to say Meet Me at the Morgue is a prime example of crime fiction as it was meant to be. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good Lew Archer Mystery (but without Lew Archer)
Review: Ross MacDonald is quite well known for his series of mysteries starring Lew Archer as the erstwhile detective. In this kidnapping / murder mystery, the Lew Archer stand-in is a probation officer who admits he lives on several sides at once. This novel shares several themes with his Lew Archer series. One's past sins do come back to bite you; women inevitably ruin their life with the wrong man; and an absent father will reappear in one's life. The dark atmosphere is also present in this novel. It is a very enjoyable read. MacDonald has an excellent ear for dialogue and detail.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good Lew Archer Mystery (but without Lew Archer)
Review: Ross MacDonald is quite well known for his series of mysteries starring Lew Archer as the erstwhile detective. In this kidnapping / murder mystery, the Lew Archer stand-in is a probation officer who admits he lives on several sides at once. This novel shares several themes with his Lew Archer series. One's past sins do come back to bite you; women inevitably ruin their life with the wrong man; and an absent father will reappear in one's life. The dark atmosphere is also present in this novel. It is a very enjoyable read. MacDonald has an excellent ear for dialogue and detail.