McNally's Luck - Lawrence Sanders

    1992; 323 pages.  New Author? : No.  Book 2 (out of 13) in the Archy McNally series.  Genres : Crime Humor; Private Investigator Mysteries; Florida Noir.   Overall Rating: 9*/10.

 

    Archy McNally sure has been busy lately.

 

    First there was the catnapping of Peaches, an irascible feline with whom Archy doesn’t get along.  But its owners are clients of the McNally family investigation agency, so Pater McNally, has assigned Archy to look into Peach’s plight.

 

    Now there’s been a murder of a client, and Pops has instructed Archy to also work on that case.  These back-to-back investigations are cutting into Archy’s eating, drinking, and socializing time at the Pelican Club.

 

    If only there was some way to combine the two investigations into a single case.  Dream on, Archy.

 

What’s To Like...

    McNally’s Luck is a pleasant blend of crime-mystery, wit, and social commentary.  Archy is the pampered, dutiful son in in well-to-do family where mom, dad, and junior all do their share to make their investigative business a profitable enterprise.  Archy also coordinates his efforts with his friend, Sergeant Al Rogoff, of the Palm Beach Police Department, who’s gritty demeanor contrasts nicely with our hero’s suaveness.

 

    The crime-mystery aspect of the storyline impressed me.  The catnapping plot thread could have easily become absurd, but it doesn’t.  How do you even go about investigating a catnapping, since the victim can’t communicate with you?  Trying to solve the murders (there’s more than one) is equally perplexing.  Archy makes lots of inquiries, with very few results to show for it.

 

    There is also a mystical plot thread, and those always fascinate me.  As part of his sleuthing, Archy attends his first séance, and comes away with mixed thoughts about communicating with the dead to get some answers about the slayings.  I was impressed by how deftly Lawrence Sanders handles this.

 

    The story is told in the first-person POV; and was a vocabularian delight.  Archy never uses a plebian word when there’s a highfalutin alternative.  Lawrence Sanders also sprinkles in a few Spanish, French, and Latin phrases, plus a whole bunch of Yiddish ones.  I loved that.

 

    Everything builds to a climax in the form of a meeting of the various investigators.  Combined brainpower carries the day, although only after overcoming several slick plot twists.  The tale closes with an Epilogue wherein Archy gives his thoughts about seances.  Presumably it echoes Lawrence Sanders personal ideas on the subject, and was heartwarmingly done.

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Zoftig (adj.) : having a full, rounded or curvaceous figure

Others: Tsores (n.), Pourboire (n.), Logy (adj.), Matutinal (adj.).

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.3*/5, based on 1,129 ratings and 95 reviews.

    Goodreads: 3.96*/5, based on 3,198 ratings and 160  reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “A strong woman,” I opined.  “Domineering.”

    “Do you really think so?” he said.  “That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?  Dominant perhaps, but not domineering.”

    “You poets,” I said, smiling.  “You make a nice distinction between adjectives.”

    “I hate adjectives,” he said.  “And adverbs.  They’re so weak and floppy.  Don’t you agree?”

    “Indubitably,” I said, and we both laughed.  (pg. 197)

 

    “Do you believe in ghosts?”  (. . .)

    “Oh my, yes,” she said airily.  “I have never seen them myself, but I have been told by people whose opinion I respect that spirits do exist.  Mercedes Blair’s husband died last year, you know, and she says that ever since he passed, their house has been haunted by his ghost.  She knows because she always finds the toilet seat up.  No matter how many times she puts the cover down, she always finds the seat up when she returns.  She says it must be her dead husband’s spirit.”  (pg. 254)

 

Kindle Details…

    McNally’s Luck currently is priced at $7.99 at Amazon.  The rest of the books in the series range in cost from $6.99 to $9.99.  The first nine books in the series are also available in a trio of 3-book bundles for either $14.99 or $16.99.

 

I had no wish to meet my Maker in the parking lot of a store that sold Twinkies and diet root beer.  (pg. 287)

    The cussing in McNally’s Luck is sparse, which is normal for this series.  I counted just four instances in the first half of the book.  A couple of rolls-in-the-hay are hinted at, but there was nothing lewd.

 

    I can’t think of anything to nitpick about.  Archy’s sleuthing efforts kept me turning the pages, and the witty writing style meant there were no slow spots.  The “Is the Supernatural real of fake?” issue was handled deftly, which is no easy feat.

 

    All the plot threads get tied up except for one: Archy’s goal was to lose 5 pounds, and I don’t recall him ever revealing whether he succeeded in that endeavor.  Based on the eating and drinking episodes he describes, I’m thinking he didn’t.

 

    9 Stars.  One last thing.  At one point (81% Kindle), Archy gives an aside, wherein he shares what he calls “McNally’s First Law of Shopping”.  It is a sage maxim, and we’ll divulge it in the comments.