McNally's Caper (Archy McNally Novels)

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Linda Shelnutt, April 15, 2006 (view all comments by Linda Shelnutt)
The Whimsical Essence of Evil is Rancid Oil to Archy?s Fresh Spring Rains.

CAPER is like a full-bodied, dry red wine with smoky breaths of woody violets and a nearly imperceptible wisp of grape (Concords). Archie?s relationships with other characters in CAPER are even richer than normal, especially the connection with detective Al Rogoff. This novel dealt with true eccentrics, and worked through a subtly sour attitude in Archy. His crankiness toward the chaotic castle actually made me look forward to an enthrallment effect of the Gothic castle setting. Archy?s continued reference to the whole world being crazy made me feel that Sanders was attempting a major revelation in CAPER, yet felt he might not be able to quite get it across. I was warmed by Archy?s continued exchanges with the child, Lucy. Those scenes drew me more deeply into the plot, and were ironically enhanced by the seeming increase in CAPER of the elder McNally?s chilly demeanor. ?What is it NOW, Archy,? was repeated each time Archy approached his pater with vital info he had been asked to obtain, yet Archy seemed to take this impatience in stride. It wasn?t until the ending scenes that the sire asked, ?What is it Archy? sans ?now.? Maybe Sanders was setting up a contrast to give the ending scenes more impact. If so, it worked. Archy seemed to be pushing his need to taste a variety of women, and to explore the more seamy, heartless, bloodless sexual expressions. His scenes with Sylvia were clearly a toe in the water of an ?evil? he described as whimsical, almost whispering-ly angelic, careless and thoughtless. And his conclusions were fascinating, at the time, and later, of the type of perversion which some of the characters embodied so compulsively. In this novel the characters periodically descend into various dark moods, but the kicker angle of angst was that restless type of empty depression which chains a soul to a dissatisfied body, agonizing over a primal moan, ?Is this all there is.? It appeared as if Sanders were studying that edgy mood of ennui which was so adeptly dramatized in THE GREAT GATSBY, the ?mood disorder? which can drive some people into the visceral dungeons of heinous acts. Archy is such an unlikely character to immerse himself into this type of mood, even with the noble purpose of understanding its every nook. In concluding scenes, several ?keeper? conclusions are zinged out by le pater, Archie, and Al.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780425145302

Author:

Sanders, Lawrence

Publisher:

Berkley

Location:

New York :

Subject:

Fiction

Subject:

Mystery & Detective - General

Subject:

Detective and mystery stories

Subject:

Mystery & detective

Subject:

Private investigators

Subject:

Mcnally, archy (fictitious character)

Subject:

Palm Beach (Fla.) Fiction.

Subject:

Palm Beach

Subject:

McNally, Archy

Subject:

General Fiction

Copyright:

c199

Edition Number:

Berkley ed.

Edition Description:

Berkley Paperback

Series:

Archy McNally Novels

Series Volume:

SB/94-33

Publication Date:

19950101

Binding:

Paperback

Grade Level:

General/trade

Language:

English

Pages:

352

Dimensions:

6.76x4.20x.95 in. .37 lbs.