Breaking out of the decade theme routine, I just finished THE
INSTANT ENEMY by Ross Macdonald (1968). During all the
discussion last month about the Ross & John D
disagreements about bylines, I realized it had been ages
since I had read a Ross Macdonald. My memories were positive
with a preference for the earlier stories but Ross Macdonald
was not among my favorites.
I picked ENEMY because I had not read it before and because I
rather liked the title. It was a good choice. This is a fine
novel with truly elegant writing. Archer is tough but full of
warmth and complexity as he sorts through a runaway daughter
case that quickly becomes very complicated with family debris
that stretched across decades. As is common with Macdonald
novels the keys to everything are the family secrets hidden
for a generation.
The novel deals with serious issues and themes very
well and I was engrossed. Knowing that Ken and Margaret
Millar were dealing with daughter issues during the period
this novel was written adds to the poignancy of the
writing.
Richard Moore
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