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The Drowning Pool (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

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MacDonald was not only the heir to craftwork of Hammett and Chandler, he may well have brought this particular strain of crime fiction to its pinacle. This being my first MacDonald novel, I found his plot work to be intriguing yet completely coherent (sadly, I can't say that for Chandler), and his prose to be pitch - perfect. If RM had a shortcoming as a writer, it might be that his characters are a little underdeveloped. He manages to weave darker, transgressive noir themes into the story without being crude or providing shock of its own sake. I can't wait to get my hands on more of MacDonald's work!

Ross MacDonald is usually compared to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. However Lew Archer is never hard-bitten (despite hard-bitten experience) as Hammett and Chandler's detectives are. In Lew Archer, MacDonald creates a wholly sympathetic detective with loads of angst or emotions more akin to Dave Robicheaux (James Lee Burke's detective). That is, his life is not just something he's surviving -- he is experiencing it. There is violence, but the violence is secondary to the feelings and atmosphere of the story. It differs from an Agatha Christie mystery where you come to admire her ability to fit a plot puzzle together. With the Drowning Pool, there is more a feeling that this is a tragedy rather than a detective story. The Drowning Pool shows themes that run throughout MacDonald's mysteries -- multi-generational sins of the father being visited upon the children, sincs with long roots and branches, dysfunctional families. MacDonald's talent lies in infusing his stories with dark atmospheres that generally has not been translated well onto the silver screen. Paul Newman playing Lew Archer is much more light-hearted than the book. Melanie Griffith plays the seductive daughter in the movie. I remember the first time I saw the movie that I was surprised that Melanie's mother (whom I didn't know was Tippi Hedren at the time) would allow her 14 year old to project such sexuality. I don't think that Melanie was acting the part because she went on to live with Don Johnson shortly after the movie.