Rating: 
Summary: Possibly, the ultimate Ross Macdonald novel
Review: Fairly new to Ross MacDonald, I am finding his books superb dramatic novels told as mysteries...the pieces of the poignant story are given to you jigsaw style, but you still experience the power of the story as they are pieced together. Lew Archer's role is that of the puzzle solver, and you are not as involved with him and his character development as you are with the characters. This is possibly his most satisfying story and like most of the other reviewers, I choose to let you discover the story for yourself. If you have read previous MacDonald, you may spot elements of the story before they're completely revealed, but this hardly will diminish your enjoyment of the book. It might even enhance it. There's much more of interest here than just the identity of the murderer. There's a lot of figuring out the essences of the people involved, and they do act consistently. There is one minor stretch of credibility in this particular book, one rather unlikely coincidence, but it's a realistic coincidence, one which fits nicely as one of the coincidences that do occur in real life and does not seem like the author's contrivance. I don't think it makes any appreciable difference whether or not you've read any other MacDonald works or not. This will read well as the first one or the later one. One of the great mystery novels, for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Fun beach mystery
Review: I have come to depend on MacDonald's mysteries as ideal beach reads and this one lives up to that expectation every bit. Fun, with film noir-type dialog and scrappy detective umph, this books really does make you care about the "bad" guys and the good ones.
Rating:
Summary: Fun beach mystery
Review: I have come to depend on MacDonald's mysteries as ideal beach reads and this one lives up to that expectation every bit. Fun, with film noir-type dialog and scrappy detective umph, this books really does make you care about the "bad" guys and the good ones.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent read
Review: It took me over a year to pick up a Archer mystery. Now, lucky me I have to read them all. MacDonald's works are like a out of control train ride. They start slow and steady but gain speed as the plot thickens, until you reach the point you can't stop reading until the end. This title is no exception. Read any Archer mystery and you will want more.
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Summary: Maybe the Author's Best...Definitely Worth a Look!!!
Review: Just about all of Mr. McDonald's novels deal with long lost family members,who may be dead and buried,living a new life hiding their past, or some similar predicament.The relatives want to somehow find the whereabouts of this clansman, and turn to Lew Archer,PI. The author knows how to turn all the corners at high speeds,leaving the reader baffled when the first definite victim appears. It's always a high flying ride as Archer, the compassionate but hard-boiled detective, uses his subtle charm to finally unmask the strange doings, always in a contemporary setting,circa 1940-1976,his writing years. The GALTON case is my personal favorite,and Mr. MacDonald's beautifully crafted novel may initiate you into a mild addiction to his special family based mysteries, usually based in the Los Angeles area.
Rating:
Summary: The best book to start one of mystery's best writers.
Review: Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer is one of the most fascinating detective creations in American mystery literature. MacDonald is a terrific stylist and, like P.D. James, his novels have a deeper and more poignant resonance than the majority of mystery fiction. Fans of Hammett and Chandler wont be disappointed by MacDonald, their heir apparent--I find his novels far more addictive and satisfying. THE GALTON CASE is acknowledged by the author as the novel where he first found his voice, and so makes an excellent introduction to this first-rate series
Rating:
Summary: The best book to start one of mystery's best writers.
Review: Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer is one of the most fascinating detective creations in American mystery literature. MacDonald is a terrific stylist and, like P.D. James, his novels have a deeper and more poignant resonance than the majority of mystery fiction. Fans of Hammett and Chandler wont be disappointed by MacDonald, their heir apparent--I find his novels far more addictive and satisfying. THE GALTON CASE is acknowledged by the author as the novel where he first found his voice, and so makes an excellent introduction to this first-rate series
Rating:
Summary: classic noir mystery
Review: Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer series is the pinnacle of the private eye novel. In many ways, it is the greatest series of American novels, period. In The Galton Case, Archer is hired to look for Anthony Galton, who disappeared twenty years earlier. Now Galton's dying mother wants to be reconciled with him & bequeath him her considerable fortune. Archer's suspicions are raised when all the pieces of the mystery fall into place a little to quickly. With a lone wolf investigator, wanton women, mobsters, millions, beatings & shootings, The Galton Case has all the elements of a classic noir mystery. GRADE: A+
Rating:
Summary: classic noir mystery
Review: Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer series is the pinnacle of the private eye novel. In many ways, it is the greatest series of American novels, period. In The Galton Case, Archer is hired to look for Anthony Galton, who disappeared twenty years earlier. Now Galton's dying mother wants to be reconciled with him & bequeath him her considerable fortune. Archer's suspicions are raised when all the pieces of the mystery fall into place a little to quickly. With a lone wolf investigator, wanton women, mobsters, millions, beatings & shootings, The Galton Case has all the elements of a classic noir mystery. GRADE: A+
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: This is my first MacDonald novel and I was not disappointed. I had heard RM compared favorably to Hammett and Chandler and the comparisons are just. "The Galton Case" digs into the secrets long hidden by a well-to-do California family. Macdonald keeps the story line flowing with twists and turns and surprises to the bitter end. I would of appreciated a little more development into the "Lew Archer" character. His likes and dislikes, his history, more character development. This is a minor criticism though. Overall this is crime fiction at it's best and I will read more.
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