It was a long way from the million-dollar Foothill Club to Pelly Street, where grudges were settled in blood and Spanish and a stolen diamond ring landed a girl in jail. Defense lawyer Bill Gunnarson was making the trip—fast. He already knew a kidnapping at the club was tied to the girl's hot rock, and he suspected that a missing Hollywood starlet was the key to a busy crime ring. But while Gunnarson made his way through a storm of deception, money, drugs, and passions, he couldn't guess how some big shots and small-timers would all end up with murder in common...
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
“My favorite . . . [Macdonald] is first among those novelists who raised the genre from its roots in pulp fiction to serious literature.” —P.D. James, from Talking About Detective Fiction
“First-rate entertainment. . . . A marvel of plotting.” —Anthony Boucher, The New York Times Book Review
“My favorite. . . . [Macdonald] is first among those novelists who raised the genre from its roots in pulp fiction to serious literature.” —P.D. James, from Talking About Detective Fiction
“Most mystery writers merely write about crime. Ross Macdonald writes about sin.” —The Atlantic
“[Ross Macdonald] gives to the detective story that accent of class that the late Raymond Chandler did.” —Chicago Tribune
“[The] American private eye, immortalized by Hammett, refined by Chandler, brought to its zentih by Macdonald.” —New York Times Book Review
“Macdonald should not be limited in audience to connoisseurs of mystery fiction. He is one of a handful of writers in the genre whose worth and quality surpass the limitations of the form.” —Los Angeles Times
“Most mystery writers merely write about crime. Ross Macdonald writes about sin.” —The Atlantic
“Without in the least abating my admiration for Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, I should like to venture the heretical suggestion that Ross Macdonald is a better novelist than either of them.” —Anthony Boucher
“[Macdonald] carried form and style about as far as they would go, writing classic family tragedies in the guise of private detective mysteries.” —The Guardian (London) --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
“First-rate entertainment. . . . A marvel of plotting.” —Anthony Boucher, The New York Times Book Review
“My favorite. . . . [Macdonald] is first among those novelists who raised the genre from its roots in pulp fiction to serious literature.” —P.D. James, from Talking About Detective Fiction
“Most mystery writers merely write about crime. Ross Macdonald writes about sin.” —The Atlantic
“[Ross Macdonald] gives to the detective story that accent of class that the late Raymond Chandler did.” —Chicago Tribune
“[The] American private eye, immortalized by Hammett, refined by Chandler, brought to its zentih by Macdonald.” —New York Times Book Review
“Macdonald should not be limited in audience to connoisseurs of mystery fiction. He is one of a handful of writers in the genre whose worth and quality surpass the limitations of the form.” —Los Angeles Times
“Most mystery writers merely write about crime. Ross Macdonald writes about sin.” —The Atlantic
“Without in the least abating my admiration for Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, I should like to venture the heretical suggestion that Ross Macdonald is a better novelist than either of them.” —Anthony Boucher
“[Macdonald] carried form and style about as far as they would go, writing classic family tragedies in the guise of private detective mysteries.” —The Guardian (London) --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
About the Author
Ross Macdonald’s real name was Kenneth Millar. Born near San Francisco in 1915 and raised in Ontario, Millar returned to the U.S. as a young man and published his first novel in 1944. He served as the president of the Mystery Writers of America and was awarded their Grand Master Award as well as the Mystery Writers of Great Britain's Gold Dagger Award. He died in 1983.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intricately plotted.,
By
This review is from: Ferguson Affair (Paperback)
Lew Archer is nowhere to be found in this Ross Macdonald mystery from 1960. Instead, a very conscientious lawyer by the name of Bill Gunnarson serves the dual role of narrator and crime solver.What starts out as a rather mundane case involving serial burglaries becomes increasingly complex and engaging as murder and kidnapping are added into the mix. As in all Ross Macdonald novels, The Ferguson Affair is steeped in human tragedy stemming from the effects of ill-fated relationships and family dysfunction years in the making. Macdonald's grand theme seems to be that the past will dictate the future and that an individual's ability to alter his pre-determined destiny is extremely limited. The Ferguson Affair gets 5 stars from me because of its intricately constructed and engaging plot, its highly descriptive and imaginative prose and its very compelling and moving character sketches. Ross Macdonald took his craft quite seriously and the results of that are apparent in the pages of this remarkable book. Do yourself a favor and read it.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Non Lew Archer Mystery Still Entertains,
By
This review is from: Ferguson Affair (Paperback)
Originally published in 1960, the Ferguson Affair was released more or less in the middle of the Lew Archer series. Lawyer Bill Gunnarson substitutes for Archer, the most pronounced difference being he is married. It's of little consequence, because MacDonald keeps her appearances to a minimum. If you did a word search and substituted Bill with Lew and Ginnarson with Archer, no one would notice this wasn't an Archer mystery.All of the Ross MacDonald trade marks are here; double identities, crokked cops, etc. The Ferguson Affair is thoroughly enjoyable, and hopefully Black Lizard will release it soon!
1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pygmalion,
By
This review is from: Ferguson Affair (Paperback)
William Gunnarson is an attorney. His client, Ella Barker, is a nurse. She possesses a diamond ring taken in a burglary. She has been threatened. In nine out of seventeen burglaries the victim was in the hospital.Broadman, a pawnbroker, dies from an assault. He is suspected of being a fence. Gunnarson's client gives him a lead to a friend of hers, a lifeguard who, it seems, has recently run off with a movie star. Later Gunnarson learns the movie star has been kidnapped and the chief suspect, at least for an earlier crime, has been shot by a police officer. Gunnarson's wife Sally is upset he does not spend more time with her. More deaths and confusion ensue in the sordid and convoluted plot. It is possible the movie star is a willing participant in her own disappearance. It is also possible she has a double.
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