Product Description
When Florida-based chemist Gregory Barrow develops a substance for the government that will transform ordinary soldiers into unstoppable fighting machines, he never considers the consequences of his work--until it falls into the wrong hands. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very disappointing.
Being a Lawnrece Sanders fan, I thought this particular book left a lot to be desired.Although the storyline continues, each chapter istold from the viewpoint of a different character.The concept of the book was good, but would have been much better done as a regular story and not told from the viewpoints of the characters.

Sizzler or Fizzler?
The annotation for this book touts it as a "sizzling new shocker...."Don't believe it.This is a very light novel written, in my opinion, at a level suitable for a high school student.Sanders sets the story up to lead you to believe that you're in for a novel about human experimentation, espionage, and...according to the book's cover..."love, lust, and violence!"He sure fooled me!I've seen more violence in Three Stooges films.This is a nice little story if you are looking for a bland, family novel.If you're looking for a spicy, shocking sizzler with love, lust, violence, espionage, etc., try something else.

Private Pleasures Review
The plot of the story is great, and the development of the story was greattoo, hoever, I didn't like the ending that much.Nonetheless, if you're aLawrence Sanders fan, you should check this book out!

brilliant, futuristic fantasy. funny as usual
Private Pleasures was brilliantly innovative. Lawrence Sanders does greatcharacter and story development. This book with its element of fantasy andfuturistic science left me very satisfied. His subtle humor and smooth andclever writing style is unparalleled! ... Read more

Product Description
A butterfly tattoo in a very private place could be the key to solving a murder spree in Archy McNally's third case in the sweaty, seedy society of Palm Beach. 175,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good froth.
The McNally novels are my idea of simple frothy fun. Archy is an endearing fickle bonehead and this is one of his more developed adventures.

In this book (the third McNally novel), Archy is hired by a worried mama to vet a future daughter-in-law. Vet her he does, in his own inimitable way. It is only with reluctance (and in the face of several connected murders) that Archy has to admit that Theodosia Johnson is not exactly what she seems and that the overprotective parent may have a point...

Don't read these for literature. Don't read them for their hard-hitting investigation of the lives of the rich in Palm Springs. Read them for the fashion and the puns and for the pleasure of a thoroughly annoying detective who still has enough Cary Grant in him to carry a book.

Caterpillar: Diamond in the Rough? "... so shall ye reap." Buried in Mud. Shining in Sky.Either way, Beauty is Truth.
In the original 7 McNally novels (see list below), RISK is the third in the series, and sixth which I've read and reviewed.For me, it was one of the more intriguingly quirky offerings.It was this quirkiness which kept my attention.

We had Theodosia Johnson(Madam X, Helen of Troy, Mona Lisa, who, who, who) and Archy's continued struggle with his attractions to women, and his coming-to-consciousness of his Double Standards.I found myself wondering in this one when Connie would give Archy his "comeuppance."She did it in spades and Archy's reaction was classic.Loved the way she initiated her absolutely unsuspected counterpoint with a compassionate, genuinely loving preface. Ya gotta read it.

Here are a few quotes to prime the push, from early on, then later in plot:

>> ... Department of Discreet Inquiries. I (Archy) was the sole member, and it was my task to conduct investigations requested by our moneyed clients who didn't wish to consult law enforcement agencies and possibly see their personal problems emblazoned on the covers of those tabloids stacked next to sliced salami in supermarkets. <<

>> It was like finding a hickey on the neck of the Mona Lisa. <<

Just what was that "it" of which Archy was narrating in his voice perfectly styled as, "I'm telling you, reader."

The opening of this third McNally offering was an antithesis to the kidnap delights applied by the other 5 I've read so far (well, except Peaches's vomit couldn't be described as delightful).In RISK, Archy is embroiled not with a sensually captivating Lady of Spice; he's forcing himself to pretend being enraptured by the prig-of-all-prigs, Mrs. Gertrude Smythe Hersforth.What a PERFECT name!

His summary of her(sforth) nose angle came to:

>> This overstuffed matron was implying that if your name was Smith, DiCicco, or Raginowitz, you were incapable of pride and probably bought your Jockey shorts at K-Mart.In Britain family determines class. But, in America, it's money. <<

On the other hand, Archy also pontificated and quoth-ed, in that delicious way of his:

>> The moment he (a dollars-down-the-drain, no donuts intended, "C" artist) used the phrase "guaranteed income," my opinion of his financial acumen plunged to subzero. Dear old dad had taught me years ago that there is no such thing as a guaranteed income.As pop said, "Who guarantees the guarantor?" <<

Quoting Rubin Hagler, and Archy's "in mind" comment, P 183 of the mass market paperback:

>> "I can promise you a twenty-percent return with no risk."When pigs fly, I thought, but didn't say it. <<

One of the most touching scenes I've read so far in this series was on Pages 249-250, when Arch shares a secret with Connie, a sad truth he uncovered from his investigations.The essence of the message in that scene reminded me of what I appreciated most in one of my favorite movies, CROCODILE DUNDEE.I believe those two pages convey the Heart of Archy and the carrying spirit of this series.Not only was the scene deeply touching; the way Archy dealt with it the next morning was telling.This was how Archy tempered and retained the strength of his character.

From that scene:

>> ... would dwindle away to become just another of the daily outrages we read about and eventually forget because to remember them all would be too painful to suffer. <<

In my review of the pilot to this series, McNally's SECRET, I quoted a passage from the opening of the novel which I felt explained the essence of reader kidnap in Archy's mystique.In RISK Sanders adds a few tangy tits-for-tat to Archy's ongoing sass (interjected into Ongoing Cultural Conversations) about food phobias (pseudo-science-induced-and-force-fed), and other sacred cows.Archy is subtle and quippy enough that his snips stayed on this-side-of-the-edge of hardcore satire.It's that balance toward compassion which keeps me cozily in the story, that plot and character measure of retaining the mood-of-mystery and warmth-of-humor at a level to repel the painful slashes inherent in heavy sarcasm (all for a good cause, of course).

If you'd like a variety of perfectly succinct plot summaries or more details on RISK, you'll find other reviews here which provide those grandly and graciously.

And, for the never-ready diehards like me; If you want a burning brand of "in-plot" detail, feel free to read my reviews of other novels in the original 7:

-- SECRET begins the McNally saga, with sage revelations and Palm Beach essence.

-- LUCK continues and nurtures the reader capture & dunk.

-- RISK adds quirk and spice to the solutions (including zany mixed drinks from an old recipe bk).

-- CAPER draws dark and dungeness (maybe crabs, and dungeons, too).

-- TRIAL does whatever it does (it's next on my list).

-- PUZZLE does the parrot, the Florida Key.

-- GAMBLE saunters and sautes pricey Faberge eggs.

As noted above, I have one more (McNally's TRIAL) of Sanders's original 7 novels to read and review.I have not yet read any of Vincent Lardo's novels continuing Archy's shenanigans after Sander's demise, but I have a feeling they take this balance a Quantum to the true-mystery-genre side of this fulcrum of which I'm speaking. I see the wisdom of this fulcrum location.The commercial market for a P.I. (even a sort of one) mystery series is much more generous than the market for classic satire.Healthy reasons endure for this good taste in the masses seeking to escape into enthralling fiction, rather than be soul-shredded by it (possibly with cutting-edge esthetics, but ... here's the key ... without the grace of anesthetics).

Don't get me wrong.I can appreciate satire and have a taste for it when well done, as in the case of all movies in which Robin Williams has participated, and I loved Callista Flockhart's Ally McBeal series.When the balance reaches a certain mixture in a novel, however, usually the "novel" breaks down into something "else" which loses the healthy emotional glue of the STORY format.That something else is palatable if one shifts out of a Right Brain mode of escaping into an entertaining fictional world; into a Left Brain mode of cerebral analysis and appreciation of concept.In a sense, a novel of heavy satire must be read in a mode normally used for playful nonfiction rather than within a mood suitable for "storytelling."

Maybe this is why satire novels have such a hard target.

Sanders proved beyond doubt through his original McNally SEVEN that he was a high master of the art of The Novel, and of the P.I. genre, especially in retaining the precise mixtures and solutions to maintain the cohesiveness of a novel.To escape into fiction (and avoid being force-fed internal perversion or becoming toxic) most readers (especially me) seem to require a plot, setting, and characters worthy ("good" enough) of living within, yet vulnerable (imperfect, prey to glandular persuasions) enough to feel real.

Being a novelist, being entertained by the reading of one ... neither act is as simple as it seems.

Archy McNally and Lawrence Sanders are tightrope walkers, labyrinth travelers of the first water.

To Diamonds-in-the-Rough/Buff, I say "ruff, rooofff, whooff!"Purina, anyone?(Pure-ina?)

Linda G. Shelnutt

P.S. I have one more key to share about what I see as the treasures sought and received in the McNally series. I hope to be able to do justice to that in my review of TRIAL.It involves the sanctity and sacred value of cherished daily routines.It's one of the prime answers I come to whenever I ask myself the "What's it all about" questions.The answer is so beautifully simple it's nearly invisibly woven into the texture of living tapestry.The answer clears the fog as Life's final chapter begins its walk and the walker is too tired to tangle with adventure.Lawrence Sanders did this with his McNally family.It's his legacy.

No where near where a good book shoud be.
McNally's Risk to be one of the most difficult mystery/thrillers to read that I have ever come across. Not that McNally's prose is akin to Joyce or Proust, but because the story moves at such an irrelevant and plodding pace. Recently I tried to watch the old Hitchccock film `Vertigo.' I remember truly enjoying the first time that I saw `Vertigo.' As I re-watched it this time, I couldn't help notice the beauty contained in every scene and the movements of the story line. However, I found myself nodding off again and again due to the sense that on one hand I knew pretty much exactly what was going on. The other side of the coin was the fact that `Vertigo' is a very slow film to begin with. It's quiet and you must need to be in the right frame of mind to see it. Perhaps that's the way `McNally's Risk' is. I see that most of the reviewers here give the book high regard, and it might be that I missed a good book by not relaxing more and enjoying every line.

But... I did not enjoy the smug patter of Archy McNally here. The guy was someone I wanted to kick around after a while. Lawrence Sander's must have had some reason to make such an unsympathetic character. Though I can't fathom the reason. The guy interjects on every page at least once about how supperior and noble he is, though he is far from it. Mystery threads thump into MchNally's lap and the fun of witnessing classic who done its manipulative characters. That's not the way things are here.

I would strongly suggest that you pass this book by and pursue another title on your list.

A playboy indeed.
The McNally series is turning out to be something less than I expected. It is proving a let-down after having waded through the four deadly sin novels by the same author. Maybe the series will improve with age. If you still want to read, get the books in paperback. Otherwise borrow them from the local library.

One of the major merits of this series is that it is written from the perspective of the playboy himself rather than the perspective of a third person. And it also has the advantage of providing a different viewpoint on the pompus rich.

one word - FUN
I am in the midst of reading the most entertaining mystery series around, and I can't wait to get the next McNally book.McNally, the playboy of Florida's gold coast, wines and dines multiple girlfriends while working for stodgy old dad (the "pater", a.k.a. the "governor").This book was no let down from the first two excellent entries in the series.The description of the bad guys was particularly humerous -- a slick con man and his thug buddy (something between a meat cleaver and a vampire, driving a gun-metal caddy).I really enjoyed the lunch scene between McNally and those two.The peripheral characters also added a lot of charm to the story.A certain element of danger enters near the end, as Archy starts to step on too many toes, but you know our hero must survive for another story.

If you like Lawrence Block's burglar series, you will love Lawrence Sanders' McNally series! ... Read more

Product Description
"Lawrence Sanders has honed a voice for Archy McNally that is wonderfully infectious. You can't help falling for him," says The Washington Times. Now "this raffish combination of Dashiell Hammett's Nick Charles and P. G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster" (The New York Times Book Review) stars in three delectable Palm Beach thrillers--a mix of suspense, sensuality, and high jinks. This treasury of Sanders's best is a treat for fans of his beloved Palm Beach bon vivant and playboy sleuth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Hilarious Investigation by Binky Watrous on Archy's Behalf
If you've read the Archy McNally books, you know he has a slightly daft friend who does bird calls, Binky Watrous. In this wonderful installment, McNally's Puzzle, Binky goes undercover at a bird store called Parrots Unlimited to find out who is threatening the store's owner, Hiram Gottschalk. Sancho Panza is a motivational consultant compared to Binky, and the complications are hilarious. You'll laugh until it hurts!

Before long, bodies are piling up in all directions. Who did it?

Here's a clue. The book's cover has a parrot on it. If you pay attention to the parrot, you'll get some important leads on who the guilty parties are.

Archy McNally is at his usual prissy best, more concerned about his wardrobe than the mystery. The ladies find him irresistible, and he feels obliged to help out. This gets him into trouble, as usual, with his main squeeze, Connie.

The actual plot is full despicable double-dealing. You'll be glad when the bad guys get it.

Great fun!

Sanders best character in 3 delightful tales!
What a pure delight it is to read three of Archy McNally's crime solving adventures in one book!I spent an entire weekend laughing, and thoroughly enjoying myself reading how the brilliant rogue Archy McNally bumbles into a case (and at times into the bed of an attractive female) and how he solves a case.Each of these stories is definite fun to read from the beginning to the last page.I really do miss Lawrence Sanders...Archy hasn't been the same without him.

When you need to laugh out loud...
The main character, Archy McNally, makes these books worth the read!The witty dialouge and inner thoughts of this sleuth keep me laughing.His constant references to literature and music as befits the situation provide me with several bursts of chuckling which always cause my husband to ask what I'm reading.I also like (and share) his penchant for food and drink, and delight in the descriptions of everything he consumes.I usually have guessed the plot correctly half-way through the book, but I can't help loving Archy!

Archy McNally-everyone's favorite playboy
If you've never read a McNally book before, try this set of three, because if you read one, you'll want to read more.Witty, charming, and as morally reprehensible as we'd all like to be, Archy McNally is the type offascinating character you wish was real, just so you could take him out fordrinks. ... Read more

Product Description
The unforgettable detective introduced in The Timothy Files returns in a game of scandals, scams, and gangland massacres.

A WINNER! (New York Times) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Timothy Redux
Our eponymous hero returns in this second installment of the Timothy Series.
In the first novella, Run, Sally, Run, Timothy Cone has been specifically recommended to determine where leaks in a company, Pistol and Burns, are coming from. A Case of the Shorts begins with the assassination of John Dempster, CEO of Dempster-Torrey. Haldering and Co. is retained, and Timothy is drafted to investigate why the company is a target for industrial sabotage. In the last novella, One From Column A, Chin Tung Lee, of the White Lotus label, assigns the investigative team to discover why anyone would speculate in such a conservative company. Oedipal lust to unbridled greed actuated by hatred are just a little of what we see in The Game.
As usual, Timothy Cone cracks the cases with confidence and exaggerated bravado, leveraging on the knowledge of financial specialists, and his bevy of police informants. The whole cast from the Files are back, with some chaps added to compensate for the diversity of the new clientele.
Most Sanders fans when reading about this shabby detective are apt to compare him unfavorably to the dapper McNally. They might just be mistaken. Actually, both characters do have their similarities: their snitches in the police department who believe in quid pro quo, their emphasis on appearances and location, as well as their queer relationships, and controlled humor.
Yet Cone has his strengths. Here,the bad guys are unafraid to get their hands dirty; also, as each client is referred to Haldering and Co., there is a certain a continuity along stories. Moreover, since the focus is on financial institutions, a virgin forest in investigative fiction, we get to read a lot about the unheralded SEC.
In Timothy's Game, Lawrence Sanders delivers sizzling stuff that should be enjoyed in it's own right.

Magnificent!
I thought I was read all great writers for this misteries, crimes and all those, but Sanders has become one of my favourites ones (the first of course is Raymond Chandler). I'm going to read all his books!

A three story collection about a Wall Street investigator
This book is actually a collection of three stories about Wall Streetinvestigator Timothy Cone.Originally issued in 1988, it was written whenLawrence Sanders was at the peak of his writing career (before he startedinsulting his fans by cranking out pot boilers).The stories concernvarious intrigues on Wall Street - insidertrading, stock manipulation andshort selling, and corporate takeovers and greenmail.The plots are welldeveloped and well written, and the characters are interesting.

Fantastic reading experience!
All the other so-called mystery writers should read Sanders' Timothys as Bible, but should not read any of his McNallys

Excellent
The best Lawrence Sanders I've read so far. Timothy is an engaging character, and I think that's why I enjoyed the book so much ... Read more

Product Description
Teaming up with a new sidekick, Binky, for an investigation into the affluent Palm Beach circuit, playboy-turned-sleuth Archy McNally checks out a suspicious rise in business at the posh Whitcomb funeral homes. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

book review
This was the only McNalley book I hadn't read. I was luckey to find a used copy on Amazon. Thanks!

Trial With Style.Tuxedo on a Moonlit Beach. A Beacon to The Art of Film.
In this 5th offering in the original 7 McNally novels, Lawrence Sanders did not entre nous with a deuce of sexual objects entwined in ecstasy (one of whom, or of which, would be Archy); nor did he entre nous with Peaches' cat vomit on Archy's lavender suede shoe; nor did he open Archy's saga with an angry slap on his cheek (face, not rear) from a future sexual success.For his reader partner, Sanders opened this tale, with Archy as narrator, thus(ly):

>> It has been said that no good deed goes unpunished, and I can vouch for it.The donee of my act of charity was Binky Watrous, a close pal of mine and a complete doofus who once, deranged by strong drink, brushed his teeth with anchovy paste. <<

Binky's parents were lost at sea when he was a tot and he was raised by:

>> ... a wealthy maiden aunt, one of the grandest of grande dames of Palm Beach... imposing, haughty, and rather frightening.Her customary greeting was not, "How are you?" but "You're not looking well." <<

Archy's voice could crack through the noire-est night of private-eye-lore with jokes trailing dictionaries. He continued his opening (having stolen the pen from Sanders):

>> I can't remember the date of the battle of Actium, but I have almost total recall when it comes to splendid meals I have enjoyed .... The main ingredients were chunks of smoked chubs enlivened with slices of fennel sausage, and ... <<

As usual, I enjoyed Archy's asides to the reader:

>> Also my journal is a source book for the narratives I pen and ensures accuracy.You didn't think I was making up all this stuff, did you?<<

This appears to be a perfect perspective for a novelist, on death and funerals:

>> I hope you will not ... consider our investigations somewhat macabre.Of course I do not know your attitude toward death and dying.I do know that for many years mine was abject terror.But then one day at the funeral of a good friend I recalled Aristotle's classic dictum: "A whole is that which has beginning, middle, and end."It is true for a whole life, is it not? That realization has been a great comfort to me, and I hope it will be to you as well. <<

Regarding TRIAL's focus on a client of a family-owned-funeral home, a few interesting tidbits on that industry were interspersed delicately throughout the plot, with this about practices of shipping bodies:

>> I reckon that almost every airliner departing from south Florida carried at least one corpse in the cargo bay. <<

In a typical entry in the plot about Archy's daily bread (regular repasts), note the parenthesis in the below quoted passage:

>> ... lunch at a greasery that served french fries limp enough to be bent double .... After a ravishing dinner of baked scallops (with braised endives) and a dessert of bread pudding with sabayon sauce, I went upstairs and worked for an hour bringing entries in my journal up to date. <<

In TRIAL I noticed that in Archy's mentions of a meal, the details began to be placed wholly between a decreasing space of parenthetical marks.It felt as if he were compelled to insert those sensual appeals, yet had been editorially reprimanded about too much, too frequent interjection of meals and changes of attire.It is reported that Sanders received reader criticism about this repetition of rapture of Archy's sensual, pleasure-greedy nature.

I say to that impatient criticism, "How rude!"I might add, "Get a tongue ... or a cheek ... or a piece of rare beef!"

That regular appeal to an artistic sensuality (culinary, clothing-ary, or whatever) is the meat of this series.Given the fickle nature of criticism, if Archy had succumbed to the complaint and totally misplaced the mangia munches, the editorial approach would have reversed to demands to expand the parenthetical's into long paragraph-ical's, and to remove the enclosure marks.The vernacular of that reader request would probably have been a snarl by an elderly matron, "WHERE'S the BEEF!"

Archy seamed these sentiments successfully here:

>> If a whole life really does consist of beginning, middle, and end, I wanted my middle to be as pleasurable as possible.We are all hedonists, but I'm one of the few who will admit it. <<

Yes.Bravo!And, look what Archy accomplishes in each novel in this series!That's a very busy hedonist.In fact, what Archy dramatizes succinctly is how hedonism (which is most often overdone to the point of vomit inducement) done right can enhance both life and productivity.

Okay.Now I'm getting to the point of my analysis of how Archy became such an intimate friend with his readers, that he did not slip into the grave to sleep eternal when his author did so.Allow me to quote the P.S. from my recent review of McNally's RISK, posted 7/28/06:

>> I have one more key to share about what I see as the treasures sought and received in the McNally series. I hope to be able to do justice to that in my review of TRIAL.It involves the sanctity and sacred value of cherished daily routines.It's one of the prime answers I come to whenever I ask myself the "What's it all about" questions.The answer is so beautifully simple it's nearly invisibly woven into the texture of living tapestry.The answer clears the fog as Life's final chapter begins its walk and the walker is too tired to tangle with adventure.Lawrence Sanders did this with his McNally family.It's his legacy. <<

Now I'm ready to expand on that concept about the sanctity of daily routines being one of the ultimate gifts people seem to treasure when they're close to passing ("close" can actually mean a few years prior to the exit)...

When I was younger, and still thinking "life" was meant (mostly) for (and it is, but there's more) movement, creativity, productivity, exploration, experimentation, growth, learning, new experiences, etc., I would sometimes look at older, sedentary people whom I loved, and wonder what they got out of life, since all they seemed to do was ...

I started wondering ...

Exactly what did they do each day that might make them want to still be in this life?

Each pushing the 90's decade in life, they had already given a great amount of good to a quality number of family, friends, and causes; they didn't have residual needs to push projects, climb mountains, write novels (like I'll be doing until I'm 195), or to continue "save the world" pursuits from their dues-paid, natural, ready-to-rest, conditions and conclusions.

All I could see that they did was that they got up in the morning, brewed and sipped coffee, read the paper, scuttled through a few household chores, ate lunch, maybe took a nap or blobbed out in front of the TV, cooked and slurped supper, cleaned up the mess, watched some more TV, then slipped into bed, usually a single. The next day would be the same. It was ... just ... daily ... or regular ... routines.

Each week, as I noted in a story I wrote about my Aunt Annie, she and her sister Mary, and brother-in-law, Hoagie, had set up a cherished routine for Saturday afternoons to "hit" 3 markets on a route for stocking cupboard and refrigerator; then they'd go out to dinner.They took turns picking the restaurant.

(Note about shopping routines:Amazon now sells groceries, TOO! Gotta go check out their coffee collection!Wonder when Amazon will be delivering a gourmet restaurant to my door?)

Suddenly, I realized that those daily and weekly routines WERE a baseline of life, in a sense for all of us, young or old, healthy or ill. Even the most adventurous, active, productive, creative persons probably cherish most (maybe secretly) their daily routines (and meals!), especially the morning and evening ones.Maybe they cherish those repeated events even more than the grandest vacations or adventures.

It was through my observation of Annie, Mary, and Hoagie's retired lives which I suddenly saw the sanctity of and satisfaction in (a simple yet almost sacred satisfaction) daily repetitions of cherished acts or events.

And there's more to that "story."There's the art about what daily routines have to do with development of intimacy, a quality which Archy seemed to be seeking not only with most women he met, but through food, drink, and all his "guilty pleasures."I believe that true intimacy, in romance or friendship, is not accomplished by seamless sexuality; it is accomplished by the simple sharing (either through a reality walk or talking the talk, as in "communication") of those daily repeated, daily-routines.

"What did you have for lunch, old friend?What time did you go to bed?"

When we ask those types of (personal) questions of a friend or lover-at-a-distance, are we are doing bonding of the first water?I say absolutely, yes.

Should we wonder why Archy became such an intimate friend to his readers that most of them slipped easily beyond Sanders' demise into Lardos' eyes?

All right. Now we're ready to address the concluding chapters in TRIAL, which do not quite repeat the other 7 offerings in extent of intensity of culprit capture by action, adventure, surged danger, and fast-paced, fancy-footwork.

The final pages of this novel were rather quiet, sensual, and simply, poetically, elegant.What I note here about that will not spoil the ending. I will not give away salient details. I will, I hope, set the bait for you to be compelled to read McNally's TRIAL.

Yes, Sanders provided the usual intrigue and mystery machinations in which a new and interesting FBI agent (a fascinating character study of obsession) took over the show and engineered a coup-in-chaos, all done at a distance.

And, THEN, after the broken bodies and pasty pieces were tagged, bagged, and swept away...

Archy and Connie dressed to-the-nines.He even wore black patent leathers cushioned with class by knee-high socks, and she was a "vanilla popsicle" in long-white-silk.In those unlikely get-ups the couple made a grand entrance at the Pelican Club (you'll want to join them to see how they were received).A drool-dripping culinary delight ensued, of "pot roast with a fresh horseradish sauce so good it made one weep..." Following that dishy dining experience, the romantic duo sipped hissing champagne as they strolled bare-toed on the moonlit sand behind the McNally manse.

The way Sanders painted that scene would make an artistic film-maker itch, to a point-of-hives, into a compulsion-to-capture, if he could, the simple, elegant ambiance of that closing scene.I'd love to see that movie.Humphry Bogart's, "Here's to you, baby," would have to take (be shipped out on) a back seat in his plane ride to (from?) Casablanca.

So ...

Was Binky Archy's TRIAL?Or did the gauntlet-run have to do with details of death, funerals, and shipping caskets marked "Human Remains" ...

You be the (reader) judge.

Even your Final Chapter might elicit a smile, after you've drooled through your Daily Breads for days-upon-days, and are ready to fly.

Go, Caterpillars!Your dreams are of wings.
Linda Shelnutt
Author of several books on Kindle, including:
Molasses Moon
Myrtle's Ultimate Mystery
Full Moon Rising (The Books of Gem)
New Moon Blues (The Books of Gem)

Throw the Binky away
Perhaps it's because I haven't been in a good mood lately, but this book wasn't up to the McNally series standard.New sidekick Binky Wautrous is annoying and incompetant.Please get rid of him Mr Sanders.The story never engaged me completely either.Who cares about some smuggling shenanigans involving funeral homes?

A laid-back detective
When you think of a fictional detective, you normally picture a hard-boiled man or woman, who carries a gun, lurks under windows with a pair of binoculars, and has three or four fistfights each week. In McNally's Trial, Lawrence Sanders gives us a different picture.

The hero of this series is Archibald McNally, the son of a successful Palm Beach attorney. Archy (as his friends call him) is less than successful himself. He made it through law school, all right, but he was kicked out for streaking naked across the stage during a performance of the New York Philharmonic. His father gave him a office known as "Archy's Locker" due to its rather small size and now uses him as an unofficial investigator whenever the firm has need of such services.

He carries no gun, for he abhors violence. He doesn't spend time outside windows, for he would rather be eating a good meal. But he does have one of the characteristics of detective fiction: He is constantly in the arms of a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, his own true love, Constance Garcia, has an excellent spy network herself, and he always regrets these rather
painful affairs!

His involvement in this case begins when beautiful Sunny Fogarty, the financial manager of the Whitcomb Funeral Home, comes by to ask Archy's father to find out why her employer is suddenly making so much money, in particular why they are shipping so many caskets to New York, Boston, and Chicago.

To complicate matters, Archy's favorite air headed bum, Binky Watrous wants to help. He knows nothing about detecting, other than it sounds like fun, and he's totally incompetent; but Archy doesn't want to hurt his feelings.

As the two investigate, they run into a number of nasty characters, men who just don't fit the upperclass social image of the Whitcombs. How are they involved? Then they discover that Whitcomb's son and daughter-in-law seem to be involved with the gangster types. Luckily Mitzi seems to be infatuated with Binky (though Archy can think of no reason why any woman would find him attractive) and may be a source of information-or is it disinformation?

After a few murders Archy has the solution. But will he live long enough to reveal what he has found to his father? And will another innocent person have to die as well?

This isn't great literature, but it's a great beach book.

It's a Hardy Boys For Gownups!
I have read three of the "McNally Series" and enjoyed them tremendously. Take them for what they are - a good fun read. Don't expect to be enlightened (although your vocabulary might improve) shocked ordeeply engrossed in a serious puzzel. Unashamedly, the plots are as thin asa Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mystery but with a healthy dose of Bertie Woosterstyle. That is half their fun.

So do yourself a favour this summer. Findyourself a beautiful sun drenched beach (with lots of pretty girls inbikinies - Archy would approve) bring a few imported beers (or if your inthe right mood - a fine bottle of chilled crisp white wine or maybe athermos of exotic cocktails) sit back and enjoy. Oh also bring some food -after reading about the wonderful meals you will be hungry.

I lookforward to finding my next "McNally" in my far from homebookstore. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains The Anderson Tapes--the national best-seller that launched the author's career--along with The Tenth Commandment and The Fourth Deadly Sin, two popular suspense novels in the Commandment and Deadly Sins series. ... Read more

Product Description
Edward X. Delaney returns in this spellbinding tale of greed, deception, and the brutal killing that shocked New York's art underworld. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

"A GOOD READ"
Lawrence Sanders may not be having many loyal fans but somehow i dont mind his books. They are well written and interesting. I read this book and found it quite well.
I mean the suspense and all was very good(though one can guess it!)but the description of the characters was what i liked a lot. A lot of time taken on characterisation, which is the soul of any book.
Also even though this book was a murder mystery.... it made a very good copy because of its characterisations.
Anyways good read but only if you are a Lawrence fan.

A good read for an author who is fast going out of print.
In another five or ten years about the only books of Sanders left in print will be the McNally series. Lardo will probably be more remmebered for that than Sanders. Cult followers are probably the only ones who read the Delaney books these days. The Deadly Sins series is rather heavy reading and not for the light hearted. Read this one if you are in no hurry to go anywhere. This one is probably the best of the four novels staring Delaney. Read and enjoy, then go on to something else.

A good read for an author who is fast going out of print.
In another five or ten years about the only books of Sanders left in print will be the McNally series. Lardo will probably be more remembered for that than Sanders. Cult followers are probably the only ones who read the Delaney books these days. The Deadly Sins series is rather heavy reading and not for the light hearted. Read this one if you are in no hurry to go anywhere. This one is probably the best of the four novels staring Delaney. Read and enjoy, then go on to something else.

Thoughts of The Second Deadly Sin
In the book, The Second Deadly Sin, Lawrence Sanders writes a great book using the literary device of imagery.Sanders uses imagery really well when he describes people, events, and the surroundings of the situation.One of the reasons he uses such precise descriptions is because the book is a mystery and is dealing with a murder where you need all the descriptions you can have in order to help keep the reader involved in trying to solve the murder mystery.Another reason to have imagery in a book where there is a crime is to allow the reader to create a visual picture of the circumstances in the book.

The first way Sanders shows that he uses a lot of imagery is in his descriptions of the people.He shows this when describing what Edward X. Delaney and Abner Boone first see when they walk in the room where Belle Sarazen is.Sanders says:"She wore a skin-tight white leotard, cut high to hipbones, tight over crotch.A soft mound there.The garment was sleeveless, strapped-a tanktop.The body was that of a dancer, long-legged, hard, with flat rump, muscled thighs, sinewy arms, small breasts (nipples poking), and definite break between ribcage and waste."(Sanders 91).This quote is good in letting the reader draw a visual picture of what the lady looks like.He also shows his use of describing people when he describes what Delaney remembered when he looked at Abner boone.He says:"Chief Delaney's memory had been accurate:Detective sergeant Abner Boone was a tall, thin, shambling man, with floppy gestures, and a way of tilting his head to one side when he spoke.His hair was more gingery than sandy.His skin was pale and freckled.He was Delaney guessed, somewhere between thirty and thirty-five; it was difficult to judge."(Sanders 35).This quote gives the reader another opportunity to make a visual picture of what the character looks like.

The next topic Sanders describes are the events in the book.One of and probably the main example of Sanders using his descriptions in events is when Victor Maitland is murdered.Sanders says:"The first knife thrust went into his back. High up.Alongside the spine.The blow was strong enough to drive him forward, face breaking, hands thrown up in a comical gesture of dismay.But he did not go down.The blade was withdrawn and stuck again.And again.And again.Even after Victor Maitland was face down on the wide floor boards, life leaking, the blade was plunged. Fingers scrabbled weakly.Then were still."(Sanders 4).This quote is well written in giving the reader a sense of being in the room and watching Maitland die.

The final topic that Sanders describes with precise words is the surroundings of the situation.The first example that shows that he uses description is in Maitland's apartment.He says:"Sunshine was flooding through the overhead skylight.One of the panes of glass was broken and had been stuffed with a blue rag.There was a wire mesh over the skylight.But no ventilator.The room smelled musty, spoiled...Chief Delaney inspected the still life a top the rough crate:sketch pad, propped on a can of turpentine, half a charcoal stick, bottle of whiskey."(Sanders 45-48).This quote gives such description that the reader can feel like he/she is in the room with the investigators.The second example that shows his use of description is in Saul Geltman's office when Delaney and Boone went into his office.Sanders says:"The furnishings were all white and black leather and vinyl on chrome and stainless-steel frames.The desk appeared to be pewter (over wood?) supported on a cast-iron base.The desk fittings-rocker blotter, pen set, letter opener, etc.-were antique mother-of-pearl.In one corner of the room was an ancient safe, at least a hundred years old, on big casters.It was painted black, delicately striped, the front decorated with an ornate American eagle, wings outspread.There were two tumblers and polished brass handles."(Sanders 71).This quote is well described because it tells the reader where everything is and allows him/her to draw a visual picture of what the room looks like.

In conclusion, the way Sanders uses the literary term of imagery makes the book better and more fun to read.It gives the reader a sense of being there as if they were one of the characters in the story.It also gives the reader a visual picture so they can see what the character sees.

Another Great Sanders
I've read all of the McNally series books and have started the Deadly Sin series and really have grown to appreciate Sanders.In this book, Delaney is faced with another murder mystery and I'm finding it a very difficult book to put down.I like Delaney's way of sticking to his routine as he tries to thread his way through all of the possibilities.I highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Product Description
6" x 8 1/2" x 1" - "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife . . ." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Thou shalt not covet...any thing that is thy neighbour's
Very well-done novel about a diminutive private investigator uncovering just what happens when people break the tenth commandment. The author makes Joshua Bigg out to be sharp, eager and tenacious, but not a superman or Adrian Monk-style super sleuth, with the result that the protagonist was much more human than your typical detective. I also appreciated the secondary storyline of Mr. Biggs and his love interest.

A small parcel
Chief Investigator Joshua Bigg works for a prestigious firm of lawyers in New York, looking into suspicious circumstances around any of their cases. An intelligent, well dressed man of 5'3 3/8" (he insistes on the exact measurements), he is drawn into two cases which the firm is handling, the first being the disappearance of a Yale University professor and the second, the apparent suicide of the husband of a well known socialite. He befriends a police detective and the two of them form an alliance which enables them to dig deeper into the motives of a friend of both families, a clergyman who befriends wealthy widows and lines his pockets with their money. It's an amusing, well written story which exposes the many scams of unscrupulous con men who prey on the lonely and bereaved.

The Tenth Commandment
This is an excellent book about investigation.Joshua Biggs rapidly increases his knowledge and experience on solving several situations.although this main character is only 5'3 and 3/8", he is big among attorney investigators in New York city.This thrilling book is amazing.I really like this book because the author explains certain situations that many of us would recognize in our own private experiences that we for some reason do not really speak much of.

Good mystery!
Not as good as The Sixth Commandment, but still interesting. At times, seemed like too many characters and with 2 story lines going on - got confusing. Again, another likeable male lead character, Joshua Biggs. Ithink that's my favorite thing about Sanders' books - his descriptions ofthe characters are so vivid and realistic. Funny one-liners, too. UnlikeSanders' other stories, this one had a moving romance with well-writtenscenes - usually he doesn't get that "mushy" and I liked it! ... Read more

Product Description
Three provocative thrillers from the master.Hailed by Mario Puzo as "brilliant and horrifying," The Tomorrow File brims with diabolical plot twists.Peter Tangent propels The Tangent Objective and The Tangent Factor-shocking stories of corporate secrets, violent passions, greed, and honor.Rolling Stone writes: "It's hard to tell if Sanders or his hero (Peter Tangent) is more ruthless.But both are out for adventure ...and both deliver!" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Quick, easy reading
If you enjoy suspense mixed with a bit of humor, you will enjoy this compilation & its main character, McNally. These books are fun & easy to read. Recommend it for when you are seeking something not so heavy, but still want to be captivated & on your toes.

Entertaining detective fiction
This is a reprint of the first three books in the Archic McNally series when the characters were still fresh.The characters wear a bit thin in some later books of the series.The main player is Archie McNally, amodern day Bertie Wooster, who carries out investigations for his father'sPalm Beach law firm when he is not chasing women or hanging out at thePelican Club.He has a taste for fine dining and fashionable clothes (butdoes not wear socks), and dashes about in his red Miata, mixing pleasurewith work.His investigations bring him into contact with a broad spectrumof society, from the successful to the dysfunctional, old money, new money,and working stiffs.The plots and the various characters are welldeveloped.

This book was full of suspense and kept me interested.
I was impressed with Lawrence Sander's tale "McNally's Risk".I found it to be a veryfun, easy book to read.The story flowed throughout keeping my curiousity at its peak. I couldn't put it down until Ifinished it - which only took one day!I am looking forward to reading theother books in this series.I recommend this highly as fun, leisurelyreading. ... Read more

Product Description
A storm of passion, betrayal and violence explodes in the world of a talented and tormented pop singer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Too Many Love Songs, But Not For Me
Roberta, the folk singer, comes home for a respite with lots of baggage, physical and emotional, and her accompanist, Hap the guitar player who writes songs.She sang old blues: Helen Morgan, Billie Holiday, and others."The voice was part of the night's music.It was screech and weep, moan and wail.It floated on a jigsaw sea and soared to the chandeliers..."They were love songs, love asked, love given. love rejected, love spurned and grabbed.Love lost, corrupted, and killed.

Her dad had been a talented young man, so artistic and gifted.God works in mysterious ways.It was difficult to see how it all could be a blessing in disguise, as it undoubtedly was.Hap was put in the attic area near the Indian servants.He felt as if Bobbie was just using him for her pleasure, all those stimulants and depressants for the highs and lows of the music world.Things turned sour for the music lovers and death (for him and others) intervened.But before that disastrous last evening, he wrote a poem which started: "Come with me where roses nod and sunbeams dance above. Then I shall press thy hand in mine and speak to thee of love."Shades of Shakespeare.

Coming home, 1040 kept me living in the past with the music I used to sing.I had not sung for forty years, and this music soothed and consumed me.Eddy Roy was there then; I came back once because he said he hoped I would.I was always running away from the present, trying to find the past in the music.Now, it has changed and is becoming a parody of what Eddy strived for; there is no local to keep things on a even keel.Those miscreants in New York, L. A., Denver, and Branson, Missouri, think they know music, but they are only being used by a has-been group singer to promote herself and a tour group out near the airport in Englewood.The music chosen by this group is love songs (now) of the worst sort.It's not upbeat, but is in a sinking mode as is their whole organization.Their mainstay has turned his crown over to the younger generation and they will destroy the music as Hap was destroyed by the environment where he did not belong.Love songs can be uplifting or sad.Play me the sad songs, like Gershwin's "But Not For Me."Michael did in his Nashville appearance with the Symphony.I thank God for song writers like Feinstein. ... Read more

Product Description
Focusing on fundamental data modeling concepts, this text prepares readers to design, build, and implement systems of higher organizational value. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Data Modeling(ISBN: 0877090661)
This publication, which, though apparently outdated, is still informative and relevant to understanding modern data model constructs. It is only outdated in the area of object-oriented data models. The author is a master in the field. I rate the book a worthy 4 stars for its ability to help a newcomer to the field understand data modelling concepts in relational databases.

Just a Beginner's Book
This book gives a concise summary of elementary data modeling concepts that can be found in practically any textbook on the subject.It may do for a beginner in a hurry, but for someone at all familiar with the topic, it simply rehashes very, very familiar material.

In fact, I could have titled this review "The One-Idea Book," because the only original (?) idea I found was the suggestion to implement optional 1-to-many relationships by using a composite table.

Nothing to it and outdated
Well the book is certainly short - I finished scanning it over a weekend.By the first hour I realized that I didn't really want to read it carefully.

Overall the book reads like it was designed as an undergraduate text book -- an academic view of data model with little of use to a professional.

Most of the treatment is very outdated.The E-R diagrams are like nothing modern I've seen and the book apparently is pre-UML.

I guess if you need a very basic introduction, this book might be useful, otherwise, stay away.

all what an OOP developer need for database design
In my opinion most IT books fail in one of the following two parts:
1) The author does not master the concepts thoroughly enough
2) The author cannot explain the abstract concepts in a simple way

On the contrast, this book's author impressed me a lot on those two parts.I rate this 1995 book as 'classic' in my reading list.

As an experienced developer, sometimes I am confused how to design database schema even though I know the SQL queries and the three normal forms; how to map OO class/object into relational tables even though I have advanced knowledge on OOP.

This book answers all those questions I encountered before during my 5 years experience as a OO developer.

The only problem is that, this book uses some outdated annotations to explain the ideas.Anyway you will find it not difficult at all to digest a 146-page book with some special annotations.

Very concise, but still pretty useful
The book seems to have been conceived as a textbook, and some of the pages devoted to general IT discussion seems a little redundant to me (especially considering that the book is quite short).

Despite this, I consider it a very useful book on the subject, and the advice on how to structure data is very well presented and convincing.

What surprised me is to find some very good hints and rules of thumb on practical aspect of Data Modeling, which usually you don't find in this kind of books.

I've not yet been able to try out the data design methodology detailed in the book, but I'm more than willing to give it a try next time I have to participate in specifying an application DB.

All in all, a good buy. It short enough that reading it cover to cover is not a daunting project, and after having read it once you will probably want to use at least part of what you found in it. I'd really like to see a similar treatment for other IT ideas and problems, like OO design, for example. ... Read more

Product Description
When his son requires a life-saving cure, the president of the United States falls prey to power-crazed faith healer Brother Kristos, who quickly rises to nightmarish political heights. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

P.U.! Stay away!
The book, if read ironically, would be a weak satire, but I don't think this is what Sanders intended. Coming at it as a Christian potboiler (if that's even a genre), it starts pretty bad and proceeds to fall flat on its bottom. The (laughable) descriptions of the sex act were just plain creepy, and those inclined to religion will hate the way Brother Kristos fulfills every stereotype of the preacher who is a money-hungry, hypocritical zealot. I'm not a Christian, and even I found it to be uncalled for.

Basically, the book is a whole list of failures. Put every category out there- narrative, characterization, dialogue, language- and all are found to be lacking. This was my first and last venture into the world of Lawrence Sanders, and if you're smart you'll never pick up his fiction to begin with. Zero stars.

NOT AN ORIGINAL STORY
This book appears to me to be an almost exact copy of the story of Rasputin.He came from a religious background, faith healer, heavy drinker, seducer of women.Helped the Czar's son who had the same blood disease. Was poisoned, shot then drowned by a close associate of the Czar.This author took the Rasputin story and moved it from Russia to the United States and moved the time frame from the early 1900's to the late 1900's.My rating is low because it appears to me that the author did not give credit for his source of the plot.

One of Sanders' Best
Having read 18 of Sanders' books to date, I enjoyed "Capital Crimes" more than most of his works and as much as the "Deadly Sins" series. It moved quickly and was difficult to put down."Caper" reads in a similar fashion to "Capital Crimes"and I would recommend either book.

Not very good.
I'll admit, this is the only book of Sanders that I've read other than the McNally Series (which I love), but I was very dissapointed with this book. The story was dull and the characters lacked wit and personality.AlthoughI'm sure one day I will, this novel has made me disinterested in readingany of his other books.

This is one of Sanders best! A modern Rasputin on D.C
I believe this is one of Sanders best books, I have read ALL of his work and really like this novel, it fills the gap between the Deadly Sins and the McNally Saga. ... Read more

Product Description
Three suspenseful tales of scandal, sex, betrayal, and murder combine in an omnibus edition that features The Sixth Commandment, The Seventh Commandment, and The Eighth Commandment. ... Read more

Product Description
In this masterful erotic thriller, two dangerously predatory women compete for one man's heart. But seduction is a double-edged sword when the man in the middle means to come out on top.

Lawrence Sanders is..."A master."--The New Yorker

"A pro."--Los Angeles Times

"A huge talent." --Mystery Scene ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The ongoing battle between good and evil
Sanders might have had more fun writing The Loves of Harry Dancer than any other of his excellent books.Best known as a mystery/suspense writer, Sanders seems to have enjoyed indulging his creativity in unusual and singular novels like The Tomorrow File, The Marlow Chronicles and The Loves of Harry Dancer.
This fanciful love story recounts the turmoil recently-widowed Harry experiences amidst the passionate and changeable forces of good and evil.Sanders creates some of his most memorable characters and certainly some of his most fantastic action, not to mention some of his edgiest sex.
I love this book, and I enjoy giving it as a gift.

For the Love of God, Avoid this Steaming Load
This book is among the worst books I have ever read.Two sides compete for the soul of Harry Dancer.There is no explanation as to why Harry is worth competing over.The characters fighting to bring Harry to one side or the other are never developed into anything that would even mildly interest a reader.

I was stuck in a waiting room for two days and read this because the alternative was three week old newspapers. I did not choose wisely.

I see used copies are available for a penny.You are at risk of overpaying.The book really sucks plain and simple.

Odd book, but I liked it.
I like most of Lawrence Sander's stuff.This one was very offbeat, but I liked the atmosphere very much.It's the story of how Harry's soul is fought for(in a very real way) by good and by evil.I found the good vs. evil theme a little obvious, but I liked the way each side was drawn to the other.And I found Harry's grief over his wife's death real.

A waste of time
I have read many of Mr. Sanders book recently and when I found this one in a library I decided to read it.There is a lack of information in it.Too many characters to keep track of, no background information on any of thecharacters, particularly the title character.after finishing reading thisbook, I was left with so many questions of who, what, where and why. ... Read more

Product Description
With over 25 million copies of his books in print, Lawrence Sanders is the #1 master of suspense. Featuring his most intriguing character since Edward X. Delaney--Wolf Lannihan--his latest work, Tales of the Wolf, offers non-stop thrills and is sure to please his legions of fans. Original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

GREAT SHORT FICTION


Though I had a better, full time job back in 1986, I was working part time in a nationally known bookstore, and when this pile of paperbacks came in, was taken by the cover enough to want to read the stories. It was my first brush with Lawrence Sanders and to this day the book, TALES OF THE WOLF, remains one of my favorites.

The baker's dozen of stories here concern one Wolf Lannihan, a rogue if ever there was one, yet he is always loyal to the 'general' and the triple I company.Since these stories all originally appeared in a men's magazine of the late 1960s (Swank) they do have some rough edges and were written to a certain template of the time.Yet for me, after reading many other books by Sanders, this small volume remains a favorite.

Lawrence Sanders wrote some very good books, and then some that were not so very good, but for many readers this book will offer up some enjoyable hours of reading. Too bad he didn't write more short stories concerning ole Wolf.As the Chick Bowdrie stories define an earlier, less successful Louis L'Amour, so too do these early stories from Sanders define him in his earlier writings prior to The Anderson Tape fame.

Semper Fi.

Good pulp fiction
This is a collection of 13 short stories that first appeared in magazines in the late 1960's.The central character is Wolf Lannihan who works for International Insurance Investigators (Triple-I).He is a womanizer whomixes business with pleasure, sometimes putting pleasure first.In onestory, he seduces a 16 year old girl before turning her over to the police. The stories are of mixed quality and length, some much better than others. Some of the plots are transparent, but overall they are interesting lightreading. ... Read more