Find a Victim: A Lew Archer Novel [Paperback]

Ross Macdonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2001

Las Cruces wasn’t a place most travelers would think to stop. But after Lew Archer plays the good samaritan and picks up a bloodied hitchhiker, he finds himself in town for a few days awaiting a murder inquest. A hijacked truck full of liquor and an evidence box full of marijuana, $20,000 from a big time bank heist by a small time crook, corruption, adultery, incest, prodigal daughters and abused wives all make the little town seem a lot more interesting than any guide book ever could. And as the murder rate rises, Archer finds himself caught up in mystery where everyone is a suspect and everyone’s a victim.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Though it doesn't have much of a title, this Lew Archer whodunit finds the gumshoe stopping over in a small town for an inquest. The seemingly quiet community reveals itself to be a hive of incest, corruption, dope dealing, and stolen booze. All in a day's work for a hard-boiled private investigator. This 1954 volume is for all mystery collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“The writing is incisive and perceptive…forceful and fast-past…powerful and personal…a strange and haunting blend.”–The New York Times Book Review

“[Ross 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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Crime/Black Lizard ed edition (August 14, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375708677
• ISBN-13: 978-0375708671
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sex, murder, treachery., November 22, 2004

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Find a Victim: A Lew Archer Novel (Paperback)

Find a Victim is a classic example of California noir. While driving from L.A. to Sacramento, ace private eye Lew Archer stumbles upon a city known as Las Cruces where sordid secrets abound. Archer is a card carrying member of the hardboiled school of criminal investigation. He's a tough customer who can take a beating as well as render one if necessary.
Early in the narrative, a truck driver is murdered. As Archer seeks to solve this particular crime, he soon learns of a complex web of betrayal and deceit which binds together a number of Las Cruces' citizens.
This novel is about the seemier side of life. Illicit sex is a recurring theme, as are greed and jealousy.
MacDonald uses a highly descriptive type of prose, much of which is quite artfully written. And there are several distinct subplots which are all tied together at the story's dramatic conclusion. Though I found the narrative to be more convoluted than necessary, I have no trouble recommending Find a Victim to anyone who likes their mysteries hardboiled.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detective fiction at its finest, February 19, 2010

By 

Peter (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Find a Victim: A Lew Archer Novel (Paperback)

This book is regarded as one of MacDonald's lesser works as certain parts of the storyline appear contrived and a little in the pulp fiction territory of the day (eg the book starts off with Lew Archer driving along a highway and finding a man shot and needing help), I can understand this sentiment and in relation to MacDonald's other Archer books, this novel is weaker but it is still highly acceptable.

The Lew Archer series dealt with the sins of the past catching up on families and what could happen if people tried to eradicate those past sins.

It is not ultra-violent and there are no scenes in the books that make you wish you hadn't read them (unlike some crime books today). It is simply the best detective fiction ever written.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember the good Samaritan?, June 4, 2010

By 

John Gill (Wellington, New Zealand nz) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Find a Victim: A Lew Archer Novel (Paperback)

"He was the ghastliest hitchhiker who ever thumbed me." This is the opening sentence of Ross MacDonald's Find a Victim. The victim is the driver of a truck load of alcohol which has been hijacked, he doesn't make it to hospital and Lew Archer is off on another mission. Find a client, find a crook, seek justice. These goals and being beaten up are central to the normal Lew Archer mission. There is no shortage of damsels in distress. As things move along we begin to see that things are more complex than they seem, and Ross MacDonald generously lest us spot the real villains a bit before Lew works it out. 215 action packed pages. Will Lew find true love?