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The Chill: A Lew Archer Novel Audiobook
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(4.01) - 1,008 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Lew Archer knew he shouldn’t have taken the case, but Alex Kincaid seemed so desperate. Kincaid’s loving new bride Dolly had just inexplicably walked out on him, leaving Kincaid more than a little fearful for her sanity—and her safety. So Archer reluctantly agreed to help Kincaid find her. But what he found instead was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine—a new fresh corpse and evidence linking Dolly not only to this murder but to a series of others dating back to before she was even born.
Winner of the Mystery Writer of America Grand Master Award, Ross Macdonald is acknowledged around the world as one of the greatest mystery writers of our time and is labeled as one of the founding authors of the hard-boiled detective—most notably for Lew Archer in the series of novels on his many detective cases.
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"Lew Archer is a classic male detective; arrogant, dark, charming, and alcoholic. But there is a twist to this dick. He DOESN'T sleep with the girl! I was quite surprised, and it made me proud of this author. Unfortunately for the girl she is murdered that night, so having some law around may have helped a bit. There are a lot of characters to follow in this tale of murder and deceit, which is both confusing and fun. It's easy to follow Nancy Drew; there are only six characters in the book, one dies, and one is the murderer so the big reveal isn't very surprising. In this novel I was lost in the web of characters a few times, but I managed to place everyone just by the end so I could connect who the murderer was. I thought the whole book was really great, until the last three pages when it became fantastic! Maybe I'm a chump, but I never saw that ending coming. Bravo Mr. MacDonald, I do believe I will be reading more of your fiction."
— Carla (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“An entertainment of almost Byzantine complexity in which practically nothing is as the facts would seem…Highly satisfactory.”
— New Yorker -
“As usual, Macdonald’s economical prose propels the reader forward from one action-packed scene to another...The Chill stands out among his books.”
— Amazon.com -
“Archer solves crimes with the instincts of a psychologist and the conscience of a priest, and the mid-twentieth-century Southern California setting is a wonderful ride in the Wayback Machine.”
— Los Angeles Times, praise for the series -
“Lew Archer...is a crime-fighter of the old school; painstakingly searching out the twisting thread of suspense that leads him from the hint of one complicated drama to another.”
— Christian Science Monitor
Awards
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A Los Angeles Times Pick of the Best Mystery Series
The Chill Listener Reviews
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" Part of my quick but thorough immersion in the hard-boiled detective genre. Hammett, Chandler, Ross Macdonald . . . read nine books by them and EC Bentley in nine days. This is one of the best (well, almost all Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer books are the best. "
— David, 2/11/2014 -
" Good mystery, fun quick read. Sometimes I couldn't help reading the detective's lines in the voice of Leslie Nielsen so that made it a little hard to take seriously. "
— Katherine, 2/7/2014 -
" Hard to pick a favorite Macdonald, but this one is probably the most memorable. "
— Doug, 2/6/2014 -
" Read this for my Amazon book club. Pretty easy read mystery that keeps slowly , but sharply moving. slamming twist at the end. Recommend it if you are into "cozy" type books. You may like it even if you aren't since it is different and keeps moving. "
— Karen, 2/2/2014 -
" The best of the series. Macdonald is equal to Hammett, Chandler, Waugh, Parker, Grafton and Mosley in the literate, noir, hardbioled detective genre. "
— David, 1/29/2014 -
" Keep good tabs on all the characters and thier relationships. Duplicity abounds. Never saw the solutioin coming. "
— Almeta, 1/11/2014 -
" One of the best of Macdonald's Lew Archer novels. My only complaint is that the characters became a little difficult to keep track of late in the book, but that may have been more due to my reading habits than to Macdonald. In any event, a wonderful entry in the series. "
— Jim, 1/3/2014 -
" A bit overly complex but his similes were working as well as ever. I've read enough of Macdonald now to say that while I like him a lot, I definitely prefer Chandler. "
— David, 12/31/2013 -
" An on form Ross McDonald is always a good read, though the psychiatric theories of the 1960s alternate between quaintness, sexism and creepiness. "
— Nicholas, 12/15/2013 -
" Another totally satisfying Ross Macdonald book. Many think he's a weaker imitation of Chandler, and obviously he was inspired, but - unpopular as this admission might be - at times I think I like Macdonald better. He's more subtle and he always has a stellar mystery. "
— Remy, 12/1/2013 -
" Wow, I loved this book! Plenty of twists and turns, and the big twist was totally unexpected even though everything was hinted at from the beginning. Fan-freaking-tastic. "
— Elaine, 11/8/2013 -
" intricate plot. many of the characters weren't particularly interesting. good atmosphere though. "
— Michael, 10/26/2013 -
" I always enjoy a good old-fashioned mystery, complete with a cigarette-smoking private detective. It's not going to change anyone's life, but it reminds me of movies I watched with my grandfather. "
— Kristin, 8/22/2013 -
" Lots of dark secrets from the past and deviousness. Ah, how I love Lew Archer! "
— Colleen, 7/8/2013 -
" "A covey of quail marched across the road in front of my car like small plumed tipsy soldiers." "
— Mary, 5/8/2013 -
" Let me start by saying, I am not a huge mystery fan. But this one intrigued me. I loved the links between the murders and the twists and turns. It started out feeling Maltese Falconish-which I couldn't finish and turned out to be a fun read. My image of Archer remained Bogartesque. "
— Margaret, 9/15/2012 -
" A good "Archer", in fact one of the better ones, with a twist that even surprised me! I was sure I had it all figured out and I was dead wrong!! "
— Philip, 9/11/2012 -
" A masterpiece, I'd give it 6 stars if I could. A classic American mystery. "
— Danielle, 6/4/2012 -
" Very intriguing and very smart. "
— Julie, 3/31/2012 -
" wonderful wonderful mystery novel. better than chandler i think. sorry for the short review but i'd definitely recommend this to anyone and i'm excited to read more of macdonald's works! "
— Nate, 9/20/2011 -
" All I can say is: a creepy surprise ending totally blew me away! This will stun you! "
— Jay, 8/6/2011 -
" First Ross Macdonald novel for me: nicely done. Looking forward to more. "
— Kim, 7/19/2011 -
" This is one of favorite mysteries of all time. "
— Kent, 5/15/2011 -
" The best of the series. Macdonald is equal to Hammett, Chandler, Waugh, Parker, Grafton and Mosley in the literate, noir, hardbioled detective genre. "
— David, 2/10/2011 -
" A bit overly complex but his similes were working as well as ever. I've read enough of Macdonald now to say that while I like him a lot, I definitely prefer Chandler. "
— David, 9/19/2010 -
" cool detective Lew Archer hired to track down a missing newlywed byher father. Seems her past has caught up with her. Murders over the past 20 yrs seem to link all involved parties. Archer straightens out this twisted mess. Like I said, cool. "
— Kwoomac, 8/3/2010 -
" Terrific Lew Archer myster. Well plotted. This should be a first read for anyone who has not been introduced to Ross MacDonald. "
— Joseph, 7/26/2010 -
" Very intriguing and very smart. "
— Julie, 6/28/2010 -
" what???? <br/>hmmm. <br/>didn't see that one coming. <br/> <br/>Macdonald is great, read him as soon as you can. "
— Mikel, 6/1/2010 -
" Let me start by saying, I am not a huge mystery fan. But this one intrigued me. I loved the links between the murders and the twists and turns. It started out feeling Maltese Falconish-which I couldn't finish and turned out to be a fun read. My image of Archer remained Bogartesque. "
— Margaret, 4/21/2010 -
" Rich, complex detective story in the company of Lew Archer. Agitated young man asks Archer to find the woman who disappeared the day after he married her. "
— Robin, 1/28/2010 -
" A perfect example of noir...whiskey drinking, skirt chasing, cig smoking characters.Lew Archer series is a classic. "
— Lee, 12/18/2009 -
" An extremely well plotted detective novel. "
— B., 10/30/2009 -
" wonderful wonderful mystery novel. better than chandler i think. sorry for the short review but i'd definitely recommend this to anyone and i'm excited to read more of macdonald's works! "
— Nate, 10/9/2009 -
" Been awhile since I've read one of the late Ross MacDonald's "Lew Archer" mysteries...Archer searches for a bride and becomes involved in an old murder mystery and a new one...a basic, throw-back PI read!!! "
— Mark, 7/9/2009
About Ross Macdonald
Ross Macdonald (1915–1983) was the pen name of Kenneth Millar. For over twenty years he lived in Santa Barbara and wrote mystery novels about the fascinating and changing society of his native state. He is widely credited with elevating the detective novel to the level of literature with his compactly written tales of murder and despair. His works have received awards from the Mystery Writers of America and of Great Britain, and his book The Moving Target was made into the movie Harper in 1966. In 1982 he was awarded the Eye Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Private Eye Writers of America.
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.