The Drowning Pool

MacDonald borrows heavily from Chandler - most obviously The Big Sleep, but with a dash of The High Window for flavor and a pinch of The Lady in the Lake for piquancy - and to good effect. Archer could easily be Marlowe's bastard son - less poetry and polish, but with a certain similarity about the jaw. Even smacking of the derivative, it's good noir, with a nearly nonsensical story that's...more

MacDonald borrows heavily from Chandler - most obviously The Big Sleep, but with a dash of The High Window for flavor and a pinch of The Lady in the Lake for piquancy - and to good effect. Archer could easily be Marlowe's bastard son - less poetry and polish, but with a certain similarity about the jaw. Even smacking of the derivative, it's good noir, with a nearly nonsensical story that's subordinate to the parade of dames and toughs.    hide