Synopses & Reviews
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 grifters and where the present clientele includes a brand-new corpse.
Review
"Ross Macdonald remains the grandmaster, taking the crime novel to new heights by imbuing it with psychological resonance, complexity of story, and richness of style that remain awe inspiring. Those of us in his wake owe him a debt that can never be paid." Jonathan Kellerman
Synopsis
In The Far Side of the Dollar, private investigator Lew Archer is looking for an unstable rich kid who has run away from an exclusive reform school and into the arms of kidnappers. Why are his desperate parents so loath to give Archer the information he needs to find him? And why do all trails lead to a derelict Hollywood hotel where starlets and sailors once rubbed elbows with two-bit grifters and where the present clientele includes a brand-new corpse? The result is Ross Macdonald at his most exciting, delivering 1,000-volt shocks to the nervous system while uncovering the venality and depravity at the heart of the case."
About the Author
Ross Macdonald (1915-83) was the pseudonym of writer Kenneth Millar, married to fellow author Margaret Millar, and the author of over 25 highly acclaimed novels. Born during WW1 in California he became best known for his extraordinary series of crime novels featuring the private eye Lew Archer. He broke new ground in the genre, picking up the baton dropped by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett and taking the crime novel to new heights. Macdonald was voted a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1973 and died of Alzheimer's in Santa Barbara ten years later.