The Far Side of the Dollar

A Lew Archer Novel

By: Ross MacDonald

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Has Tom Hillman run away from his exclusive reform school, or has he been kidnapped? Are his wealthy parents protecting him or their own guilty secrets? And why does every clue lead Lew Archer to an abandoned Hollywood hotel, where starlets and sailors once rubbed shoulders with tycoons and hustlers? The once-popular palace is now boarded up. But for Archer, it may hold the key to a missing teenager and a hot murder.

Archer knows that 20 years ago a handful of dreamers and losers came together in the Barcelona. The only questions now are: What kind of deal went down there? And why were a mixed-up rich kid and a beautiful blonde the first to pay the price?

More mayhem? Try our other Lew Archer mysteries.

©1964 Ross Macdonald (P)1995 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What families do families do?

This is an interesting take on what familiy means and what members do to each other.

Runaway to Murder

Archer is hired to find a runaway. What he gets is a kidnapping, an adoption scam, and the murder of a married couple. As always, Macdonald has lots of interesting characters.

Labyrinthine Shocker

Ross Macdonald's imagination, knowledge of the human psyche, and gift for 20th Century dialogue can probably be summed up best with two words: Literary Genius. His novels are absolutely addictive. I hate to see them end! This one is particularly affecting and mysterious to the last heart-breaking page. It's a masterpiece! But one titillating question remains: Will Lew Archer ever find love?

Subtle and controlled

Ross Macdonald writes quite differently than the other masters of the genre. He gives very little insight into his detective's mind or feelings. The focus is on the other characters, the detective remaining a cypher who reports dispassionately. He seems depressed in a way. The book is very plot-driven. We see what Archer sees as he works through the events of the case. Lacks the humor and warmth of Rex Stout. Closer to Hammet but in a 1960s world. Very enjoyable for fans of detective stories with focus on plot, not personality of the detective. It's the opposite of Grafton or Christie.

QC problems

Someone at Audible needs to QC this. Chapters repeat. Or begin in the middle before going back and starting over.

I like the book itself, but the quality control is a mess.

Psycho action

Great development of mystery and character. Usual snappy dialogue from McDonald's, along with psychological portrayal that is just about successful

Very good

Great tale beautifully performed well plotted a great way to spend a few hours. Some of the key clues were slightly predictable and though the ending was a surprise I was only half surprised.

90% psychodrama

Not a lot of action or detection. Lots of family drama with good characterization but it got a bit talky. Mostly good but the ending was a bit of a let down.

Pop psychology motives

The story was pretty gripping, but the psychology behind the motives is tired so the denouement is lackluster and weird. The author tries unsuccessfully to add some romantic flair between Lew and and ex, but all it does is lead to a scene where Lew displays some uncharacteristic and unwarranted jealousy that was really offputting. As usual, a good number of characters are obnoxious entitled rich people and/or drunks. Gambling to excess and abuse also come up. It’s a bit grim.

Spoilers:
A good deal of the plot revolves around an adoption. This is evident early but takes obnoxiously long to come to light. And when it dies, it’s a lot of “real mom” kind of talk, which I personally think is shallow. While the book is good about talking about the dangers of lying to adopted kids, and our PI tries to impart some leveling balance on the subject of parenting and parentage, the nasty notion of biology being determinative plays too much into the motive, as does “real” parents, and it’s topped off by rich people thinking they’re better than people who need money. While people haven’t changed a lot, what we consider normal or reasonable behavior has. The psychology in this installment hasn’t aged well.

Narration: Really well done. Story was gripping for the most part, and easy to follow.

Lew Archet

Fan from years ago.. still am and audio books pick up where my site for reading left.