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Still's Reviews > The Chill
The Chill (Lew Archer, #11)
by
The 11th Lew Archer.
Some aesthetes were riffing on Ross Macdonald this morning on another site.
Quoted Westlake's dismissal -"this guy must have bought carbon paper by the pound..." ...you know, because all of his books in the series seem to have plots that are a mite redundant.
I could give a rat's ass.
They entertain me and it's so easy to dismiss the "Lew Archer" series for being apparently repetitive.
I can't argue for the defense.
I love every novel I've read in the series.
Same goes for this.
This one finds Archer hired by a Dobie Gillis like collegiate to defend his newish-wife, a troubled young woman who may or may not have committed a bevy of crimes... including murder.
Archer is retained by the husband as well as the dean of the college and the dean's mom to prove the young woman's innocence.
{hisssssss!}
by
"You look tired, Lew. But you do exist."
The 11th Lew Archer.
Some aesthetes were riffing on Ross Macdonald this morning on another site.
Quoted Westlake's dismissal -"this guy must have bought carbon paper by the pound..." ...you know, because all of his books in the series seem to have plots that are a mite redundant.
I could give a rat's ass.
They entertain me and it's so easy to dismiss the "Lew Archer" series for being apparently repetitive.
I can't argue for the defense.
I love every novel I've read in the series.
Same goes for this.
This one finds Archer hired by a Dobie Gillis like collegiate to defend his newish-wife, a troubled young woman who may or may not have committed a bevy of crimes... including murder.
Archer is retained by the husband as well as the dean of the college and the dean's mom to prove the young woman's innocence.
Footsteps approached from the direction of the main house. A big man in an alligator coat emerged from the fog, his bald head gleaming in the light from the doorway. He greeted Bradshaw warmly:
"Hello, Roy. I enjoyed your speech, what I heard of it. You'll elevate us the Athens of the West. Unfortunately a patient dragged me out in the middle of it. She wanted to know if it was safe for her to see a Tennessee Williams movie all by herself. She really wanted me to go along with her and protect her from bad thoughts". He turned to me. "Mr. Archer? I'm Dr. Godwin."
{hisssssss!}
No spoilers.
Dr. Godwin is just a son of a bitch.
Like most analysts.
Only he seems intent on directing his patients to follow a script of his own making.
We drove toward Reno, a city where nothing good has ever happened to me, but I kept hoping.
So many suspects.
I guessed wrong every time I thought I had a handle on the plot.
I was wrong every time.
When the culprit is revealed in the last 15 or so pages, I was stunned.
It was just too sick.
Every character in this novel is a mental case but nothing prepares the reader for the Big Reveal.
She explained about all the brilliant ideas was always hatching. The one I liked best was a plan for a condensed version of the Bible, with all of the offensive passages removed, for family reading."
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The Chill.
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Reading Progress
September 27, 2018
– Shelved
April 6, 2020
–
Started Reading
April 6, 2020
–
14.24%
"Lew Archer is hired by Dobie Gillis to find his Thalia Menninger,
Dobie's bride of a short weekend who's taken it on the lam.
No idea where this is headed but so far there have been references to Beckett and Salinger.
These eggs need scrambling on the quick-as-can side or I'm bailing."
page
41
Dobie's bride of a short weekend who's taken it on the lam.
No idea where this is headed but so far there have been references to Beckett and Salinger.
These eggs need scrambling on the quick-as-can side or I'm bailing."
April 10, 2020
–
19.1%
"It's been a slow time.
Hard to pick a book back up and start reading it again.
Taken at least a week to get this far.
I don't have to tell you why.
There's no dictum when you sign up on this site that you have to say why you've slowed down on your usual reading pace.
Blame it on the bossa nova rhythmic pandemic.
Blame it on the orange monster.
May his inevitable death be as painful as his reign."
page
55
Hard to pick a book back up and start reading it again.
Taken at least a week to get this far.
I don't have to tell you why.
There's no dictum when you sign up on this site that you have to say why you've slowed down on your usual reading pace.
Blame it on the bossa nova rhythmic pandemic.
Blame it on the orange monster.
May his inevitable death be as painful as his reign."
April 11, 2020
–
27.43%
"pg. 76:
He greeted Bradshaw warmly:
"Hello, Roy. I enjoyed your speech, what I heard of it... Unfortunately a patient dragged me out in the middle of it. She wanted to know if it was safe for her to see a Tennessee Williams movie all by herself. She really wanted me to go along with her and protect her from bad thoughts."
"
page
79
He greeted Bradshaw warmly:
"Hello, Roy. I enjoyed your speech, what I heard of it... Unfortunately a patient dragged me out in the middle of it. She wanted to know if it was safe for her to see a Tennessee Williams movie all by herself. She really wanted me to go along with her and protect her from bad thoughts."
"
April 12, 2020
–
28.47%
"Archer’s client tosses a glass of whiskey in Archer’s face. That- of course- endears the client, “Alex�, to Archer all the more.
There has to be some psycho-sexual explanation for Lew Archer’s reaction.
(Therapy session, anyone?)
Pg. 70: ”I also want to find out more about her relations with Dolly. Apparently they were close.�
“You’re not suggesting a Lesbian attachment? ...�
Gasp!"
page
82
There has to be some psycho-sexual explanation for Lew Archer’s reaction.
(Therapy session, anyone?)
Pg. 70: ”I also want to find out more about her relations with Dolly. Apparently they were close.�
“You’re not suggesting a Lesbian attachment? ...�
Gasp!"
April 16, 2020
–
48.61%
"Pages of introductions of peripheral characters. Going to be hard to recall all of the names and where they fit into this tale."
page
140
April 17, 2020
–
59.38%
"Archer flies to Bridgeton from ...hell... god only knows... for more information on Helen Haggerty? Who is H. H.? Jesus -the second victim. Maybe?
Things start getting good here.
It's hard switching back & forth from a new book that arrived today.
A memoir by Amy Rigby: Girl To City.
Beating my brains out."
page
171
Things start getting good here.
It's hard switching back & forth from a new book that arrived today.
A memoir by Amy Rigby: Girl To City.
Beating my brains out."
May 1, 2020
–
80.56%
"So I'm back to this.
Finally.
Such a great novel - I shoulda never been lured away by the Rigby memoir as good as that was.
...his sky was black with chickens coming home to roost... "
page
232
Finally.
Such a great novel - I shoulda never been lured away by the Rigby memoir as good as that was.
...his sky was black with chickens coming home to roost... "
May 2, 2020
–
96.53%
"Look - between you & me? I have finished this novel.
One of the best novels in the entire Lew Archer series.
I'm a little stunned having read the last page.
Never saw it coming.
This is an easy 5 stars read.
More... naturally... later."
page
278
One of the best novels in the entire Lew Archer series.
I'm a little stunned having read the last page.
Never saw it coming.
This is an easy 5 stars read.
More... naturally... later."
May 3, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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by
H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov
(new)
Apr 17, 2020 08:18AM
Yet well worth it, Still!
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Sounds like I'll be adding this one to the list of To-Reads.
I would like to read this one (again?) I hear it's one of the best. And hearing brilliant young critics slamming one of the greats is always good for a laugh, and not much else.
Westlake's dismissal-Great authors praise each other, not-so-great author's don't, I say.
Westlake did some good things but was never in the same class as Macdonald. I have read each archer story about three times over about thirty years. Only on my third read through of one of the stories did I feel he had lost it and was covering the same ground in a weaker fashion. That was sleeping beauty. Not sure what happened there.
I guess this could be due to the effects of his dementia. But the blue hammer does not show this weakness
