McNally's Gamble (Archy McNally Novels)

Amazon.com

Archy McNally, the hero of Lawrence Sander's latest whodunit McNally's Gamble is a throwback to an earlier, more gracious age. He lives well, dresses well, and keeps hours that Dashiell Hammet's "Thin Man," Nick Charles, would approve of. When not wining, dining, or driving his fire-engine red Miata around Palm Beach, Archy keeps discreet tabs on the wealthy clients of his father's law firm. Then one day, Edythe Westmore, a well-to-do widow, considers buying a Fabergé Imperial Egg and all hell breaks loose. Her children are displeased, her lawyer (Archy's father) is concerned, and Archy is up to his neck in intrigue.

Sanders writes a serviceable mystery, but the real pleasure in McNally's Gamble is Archy. Imagine Bertie Wooster as a detective, or Lord Peter Wimsey a Floridian, and you'll have some idea of Archy. Though he describes himself as "a frivolous scatterbrain," he has enough discipline to solve the case and, by the end, land the girl, as well.

Book Description

Put your money on Lawrence Sanders' most popular detective... in his latest New York Times bestselling crime caper!

Customer Reviews:

Silver Ghost Rolls In Faberge Egg. Roll The Dice .......2006-03-07

This one opened with a fast-moving, jazzy rescue of a kidnaped child, capturing me with Archy's warmth to the victim's father, and the hint of a crime to come which was billed to be more heinous than a child kidnaping.

Following quickly on the heals of the rescue, I settled into the main plot, riding along with Archy's loving machinations in prep for his father's birthday dinner, after which the family cocktail hour sported the pater's introduction to Archy of his new assignment. The mater was invited into the act by a request from her husband to describe how her friend and contemporary, Edythe Westmore, a client of the McNally law firm, seemed to have been taken in by a flimflam financial advisor with egg on his agenda, which would eventually be on his face, if justice prevailed and Archy's Discrete Investigations got a clue.

No unsettling, Gothic castle with Adams family cast offs in this one. Whereas McNally's CAPER (see my previous review on that devious delight) captured like a dark, luxuriously rich ale, GAMBLE captured with quality champagne easing the pain of a soured budget diminishing in a cash flop (executed by the financial wizard fop).

Archy fizzed nicely through this plot with just the right amount of bubble and bounce, keeping the light hearted intrigue moving until the enigma-of-the-egg enhanced entertainment to arrive at an all time high in this series.

Sanders easily cajoled me into feeling quite a bit of empathy for Walter, who stood the most to lose if his mother, Edythe-of-the-egg-contemplations, continued translating her T-Bills into the devious dead ends devised by, was it Felix Katz or Frederick Clemens who was actually running the condo-based show of the cash con. Walter was established as a thwarted genius in uncovering bipedal beginnings of hominoid critters, through dirt-churning in Africa. He had lost his bases of funding for the necessary continuation of African adventures, and had turned to Mommie Dearest for replenishment and extension of his research there. But Edythe was more impressed with her slick investment-aid-and-abettor's egg, than her son's upturning more dirt around the origins of knuckles lifting up into "sandwiches" instead of dredging, hit-and-miss among rotted leaves on the ground floors of primitive jungles.

Based on the syntax and word choice of my previous sentence, I've sentenced myself by the crime of having indulged in too long of a tour of Archy's series. Be warned: The way Archy talks rubs off. In any case, isn't Palm Beach just another version of Africa, same ole with The Pelican Club and clusters of mansions steaming up the causes of civilization? Of course when comparing Palm Beach to Africa, we all rise a few levels from nests of vipers to first-class cons and prettier palms. Or was that rise a Dante descent in disguise? (Don't get me wrong, here; Sanders has cured me into a Palm Beach fan.)

One of Archy's enduring and endearing characters, the old, moldy, Antique shop owner, Sydney Smythe warmed his way into my heart in this one, worming in through a few choice words from Sanders describing Mr. Smythe's actions and reactions to Archy's interjections. It's amazing how much empathy for a character Sanders develops with light, limited touches of syntax, especially in contrast to the heavyweight, plethora of mouth-fulls he pours through Archy's mug.

Given the entertaining way Archie dances his way through this plot labyrinth and its resolution, if GAMBLE becomes a movie, it may have to be billed as a complexly delightful musical, no con intended.

I particularly enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek interjection of the klutz criminals from Boston (Larry, Moe, and Curly, reduced, cloned and given aliases). Was this an all-in-fun, missing-cross-link reference to Boston based Spenser's gang?

Spenser and Archy couldn't have more divergent styles, yet I enjoy both (see my reviews on Parker's Spenser, too). As their fans know, what these characters' authors have in common is an uncommon skill with syntax; they make words fly and dance with the rhythm of sun. Unadulterated or shrouded in clouds, the sun keeps pace with the effervescence of life, captured by authors at one with their craft.

In the Spirit-of-Fun, may we forever linger in Archy's finesse and enigmas,

Linda G. Shelnutt

Amusing fluff.......2005-08-11

Archie Mcnally, consumate dandy and endearing modern day Berie Wooster, is up to his usual tricks in this tale of murder, con-tricks and extortion. Set in Palm Beach, Florida, Archie is employed by his fathers' law firm to investigate the troubles suffered by the firms' clients in a completely discreet fashion, and to find a way around those troubles without scandal or the need to call in the police. Mrs. Edythe Westmore is a wealthy but rather stupid client of the McNally law firm who is being gulled into the purchase of a Faberge Imperial egg, at the cost of half a million dollars, by a couple of smooth crooks. Her son and daughter are furious at what they consider to be the wasting of their inheritances and beg Archie to help them to expose the financial advisors who are urging their mother to invest with them. For all his foppish ways, Archie isn't quite as wet as everyone believes, and does a creditable job in foiling con men and thugs alike. To me, he seems like a cross between the Scarlet Pimpernel and Dashiell Hammetts' "Thin Man". It's light, amusing fluff with mouth watering descriptions of food, expensive cars and Archies' eclectic taste in dashing clothes...a good, light, fun read.

McNally eggstracts con artist.......2004-05-03

Was this book a fun read? Eggxactly. Archy is employed to discover if a rich woman's proposed Faberge egg investment is on the up and up. Is it? Of course not, and we all know who the good guys and bad guys are all along, but the book is fun nevertheless. The rich woman's kids have motives of their own, which add to the interest. And the crooks are very entertaining, and Archy spends a lot of time dancing with them as he tries to con them as well.

I particularly enjoy McNally books that have less Binky, like this one.

A B-List Jeeves.......2004-02-12

The late Mr. Sanders owes a great deal to P.G. Wodehouse whose Jeeves stories are the style source for Archie McNally, Palm Beach playboy and scion in a stuffy law office. Sanders enjoys the same deft wordplay and skewed insights that make Jeeves and Bertie such a pleasure to follow. This novel has a colorful set of characters ranging from louche to larcenous and a nimble plot. It even has a Pelicans (read: Drones) Club where, as expected, the staff is brighter than the membership. A fast read and diverting.

A bit pedestrian but still ok........2003-12-11

The trick here is not to emulate Travis McGee who is far too free-wheeling with his sex drives. There is still hope for McNally. Except for his petty weaknesses McNally did ok in this novel. The trick is taking him with a grain of salt. If you can't do that read some other sleuth.

Archy McNally Series: McNally's Secret, Luck, Risk, Caper, Trial, Puzzle, Gamble, Dilemma, Folly, Chance, Alibi, Dare, Bluff (Set of 13)

Average customer rating:

Archy McNally Series: McNally's Secret, Luck, Risk, Caper, Trial, Puzzle, Gamble, Dilemma, Folly, Chance, Alibi, Dare, Bluff (Set of 13)
Lawrence Sanders , and Vincent Lardo
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000MSXOJE

Average customer rating:

MCNALLYS GAMBLE

Manufacturer: G.P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H1OG2U

Set 5 Archy McNally Series : McNally's Alibi McNally's Chance McNally's Folly McNally's Dilemma McNally's Gamble

Average customer rating:

Set 5 Archy McNally Series : McNally's Alibi McNally's Chance McNally's Folly McNally's Dilemma McNally's Gamble
Lawrence Sanders , and Vincent Lardo
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K7DNKM

Product Description

Set 5 Archy McNally Series : McNally's Alibi McNally's Chance McNally's Folly McNally's Dilemma McNally's Gamble

Average customer rating:

Archy McNally Series: McNally's Secret, Luck, Risk, Caper, Trial, Puzzle, Gamble, Dilemma, Folly, Chance, Alibi, Dare, Bluff (Set of 13)
Lawrence Sanders
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000MT1IN2

LOT 3 NOVELS BY LAWRENCE SANDERS McNALLY'S CAPER, GAMBLE, PUZZLE

Average customer rating:

LOT 3 NOVELS BY LAWRENCE SANDERS McNALLY'S CAPER, GAMBLE, PUZZLE
LAWRENCE SANDERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000STBU1G

Average customer rating:

LOT 3 NOVELS BY LAWRENCE SANDERS McNALLY'S CAPER, GAMBLE, PUZZLE
LAWRENCE SANDERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ST99OG

Product Description

THREE NOVEL * McNALLY'S PUZZLE(1997) * McNALLY'S GAMBLE(1996) * McNALLY'S CAPER(1994)

LOT 3 NOVELS BY LAWRENCE SANDERS McNALLY'S GAMBLE, CAPER, PUZZLE

Average customer rating:

LOT 3 NOVELS BY LAWRENCE SANDERS McNALLY'S GAMBLE, CAPER, PUZZLE
LAWRENCE SANDERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ST643U

Customer Reviews:

From A to Z.......2001-02-22

The sisters have plans for a weekend of fun and frivolity, but those dreams are quickly dashed when Sebastian has them in rehearsal for the Under The Sea Musical Gala, which is in two weeks. Owing to the tight schedule, there will be no free time, as it will be taken up with the rehearsals. Needless to say, there is great chafing between the sisters and tempers flare. Sebastian gets an invitation to the Dixieland Waters Jazz Festival, as is directed to go by King Triton. Aquata is ordered to lead the rehearsals, but she'd rather rehearse for a play instead, a play she wrote. However, Triton put the kibosh on that, wanting emphasis on the musical, so the sisters do double duty, learning both the music in the morning and the play at night. The double-duty schedule has them both tired and snappish, as now both artistic creations are suffering from the split efforts. Just when they are about to give up, Ariel hits on a plan to combine both the musical and the play as one. The book makes fun of itself, when the "Seven Sisters" all have names that start with "Z" and are not much different in character than the sisters themselves. Valuable lessons in working together and keeping an open mind come into play here, as well as the humor.

Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk

Average customer rating:

Neptune Rising... A Wonderful Tale of the Sea

Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Daedalus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Mermaids | Obsessions | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0399209182

Customer Reviews:

Neptune Rising... A Wonderful Tale of the Sea.......2000-10-27

Neptune Rising is one of those fabulous books that fascinates not only children, but adults as well. The stories themselves weave throughout your head until you too want to become one with the sea and swim with the characters. Jane Yolen transcends most authors' stories of the sea, with both new and old fables in this powerful book. I remember as a child being enthralled with her books, sitting on the floor of my public library for hours. As an adult with my own collection of her works, I escape into that same dreamworld whenever I read Neptune Rising again.

Average customer rating:

Alida Van Gores won't write anymore...
A very special book
Mermaid's song By: Alida Van Gores
Great Book! What happened??

Mermaid's Song
Alida Van Gores
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0451161130

Customer Reviews:

Alida Van Gores won't write anymore..........2005-08-02

For all of us who have been searching for another book - any other book - by the author who wrote Mermaid's Song, I found this on the web today. It's dated July 5, 1998.

"Author and screenwriter Alida Adrianna Van Gores died of breast cancer June 3 at her home in Laguna Beach. She was 47.

Van Gores began her career as an artist, but soon moved on to writing. Her first novel, "Mermaid Song," was published in 1989, and she was working on her second novel when she died. Also, Van Gores wrote the teleplay for the 1984 CBS telepic "He's Not Your Son," and her screenplay "Marooned" was recently optioned by Itaska Films."

She wrote the perfect mermaid book, but there will only be one.

A very special book.......2004-10-27

I am not a avid book reader, but I couldn't put the book down. It gave a new meaning to the sea. A went to school with Alida and she was a very special person in my life. I am sorry to tell all she passed away a few years back and there will be no sequal. It would have been wonderful I am sure. Pick it up and you will devour it. Wonderfully written!

Mermaid's song By: Alida Van Gores.......2004-05-16

In all my years of reading, absorbing and devouring books. I have never found another like this one. Alida Van Gores should be found and prasied. The brilliant world of the Merra brought to life with such cleaverness. She's created what's reffered to by fans as the "Holy Grail" of mermaid fiction. Alida if you ever read this, I want you to know, my daughter falls asleep each night to the songs and legends of the Merra.
"Start a ripple, change the sea and all that was will ever be."
You changed the sea Alida.

Great Book! What happened??.......2001-09-22

I highly recommend this well-written and engaging book to anyone interested in intelligent undersea life. The characters are true-to-life and it is easy to like and dislike them. Inclusion of split-tailed mers is a particularly nice touch, since they are well-known in Europe (check out The Mermaid of Denmark out in the Bay!) but seem to have been forgotten by American artists and writers. She's got romance, secrets from the past, political corruption, civil war, and the potential destruction of the oceans! Thoroughly enjoyable.

Book Description

Songs of a Sourdough is Robert Service at his best! This is nature poetry at its finest. Here, the "Bard of the Yukon" uses picture words that place the reader right in the Yukon of old. As you read you can see the stranger stagger in to the Malamute saloon and feel the fifty-below gush of air until he closes the door behind him.

Customer Reviews:

The Bard Of The Yukon At His Finest!.......2004-09-11

"Songs Of A Sourdough" is Robert Service at his best!. This is nature poetry at its finest. Here the Bard Of The Yukon use picture words that place the reader right in the Yukon of old. As you read you can see the stranger stagger in to the Malamute saloon and feel the fifty below gush of air until he closes the door behind him. You will hear him play the piano and see the ghastly look of the Lady that's known as Lou. You too will jump for the floor when the shooting of Dangerous Dan McGrew starts. You too will hear the Call of The Yukon and understand its Law while you come to appreciate The Younger Son.

I bought my first copy of "Songs Of A Sourdough" during my Canadian honeymoon in 1980. From experience I can give you one bit of advice. Do not, I repeat, do not ever pick up this book unless you want to be hooked on Robert Service and his songs forever.

Average customer rating:

bookworm
The Mermaid's Song ...
An Enchanting Read!
An Enchanting Read!
An enjoyable read that kept me up late at night!

The Mermaid's Song
Marianne Willman
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0312962568

Book Description

The Bargain

Falsely implicated in a terrible crime and desperate to flee England, young Flora O'Donnell strikes a desperate deal with mysterious and aloof Blaise Cheney. She will go to France-his wife in name only-to usher his ward, Johanna, into society.

The Enchantment

But at Chateau Morgaine, Blaise's ancestral home on rocky Breton coast, Flora finds herself swept into a different world. An ancient enchantment seems to possess the chateau, and the townsfolk whisper of mermaids and faerie spells. But they also tell darker tales-of a curse that has claimed the lives of Cheney brides for centuries.

The Mermaid's Song

Now, helpless against a growing desire for her mysterious husband, Flora finds herself drawn into a realm where secrets pas and present cast a shadow over her heart. What unspeakable tragedy haunts Chateau Morgaine? For only when she releases the dark secrets locked within its rocky walls will she be free to love at last...

Customer Reviews:

bookworm.......2006-04-13

this was one of my very first romance novels and let me tell ya it was a good sampling. i've always been a pushover for such things and from the beginning i was hooked. Flora and Blaise were two very different characters but seemed to fill one anothers empties. a family curse was also very thrilling and how Garwood weaved those mysterious scenes into it was even better. throughout the whole entire thing i stayed up till midnight trying to find the perfect place to stop. it just keeps you begging for more. i highly recomend this for any romance reader and for anyone who loves a little mystery.

The Mermaid's Song ..........2004-03-25

My rating for this book is low compared to what others have given. Let me explain why.
First, the book plot is good and carries the gothic feel that goes along with Marriane Willman's writing. The characters were well-done and likeable. How ever, in the last remaining two or three chapters, I found myself not liking the twists and turns b/c they took focus off the main story line of the Cheyney history and the fabled tale of a mermaid loning for her home sea. And by the time I got to the Epilogue, I was frustrated that hardly anything had been solved between Flora and Blaise. Willman waited until the Epilogue to allow her characters to say the three words of affection to each other. I like reading those senitmental words before an Epilogue at the least. The ending felt so rushed, it took away the beauty of the story that I was inrigued to read by the notations on the back of the book.
But you may decide to pick up this book and read it, and I in no way am saying not to read it. Just find it in a local library and do not waste money on the purchase. Thought the read is well enough for entertainment, it is not worth the money to gather dust on a shelf...I do not expect I'll be reading it again.

An Enchanting Read!.......2002-01-05

"The Mermaid's Song" by Marianne Willman is a delightful tale that will enchant readers everywhere. Willman has a wonderful lyrical style of writing that is sure to have reviewers raving.
Teaching at a girl's academy, Flora O'Donnell has escaped her past and her true identity. She has always felt a connection with one of her students, Johanna Cheney, who has been all alone ever since she came to the academy. One day, Johanna's uncle and legal guardian, Blaise Cheney, shows up for a visit and soon discovers how he has neglected his niece, who is fast becoming a young woman. He plans to take Johanna with him to his home in France where she can make her debut into society. Blaise then makes a very unorthodox offer to Flora, asking her to become his wife in name only for a two year period, during which time she will act as Johanna's mother. Seeing it as a means of escape from her past in England, which appears to be closing in on her, Flora accepts, and thus begins her journey.
But neither Blaise nor Flora counted on falling in love. In Blaise's chateau, Flora finds out about the terrible curse that has plagued the Cheneys for generations, and must deal with Blaise's interfering maiden aunt and a rather unfriendly maid. But her love for Blaise knows no boundaries, and she finds herself swept away by her dashing new husband.
But Blaise is hiding a shocking secret regarding the true reason for his deal with Flora. Fate takes matters into its own hands before Blaise can explain things to Flora, and consequently she is devastated when she discovers the truth. Will Flora be able to forgive Blaise for his betrayal? And what other, perhaps more mystical forces are at work here?
You'll have to read the book to find out, and it is most definitely worth the read. "The Mermaid's Song" is an outstanding historical romance, with a healthy dose of the fanciful and a touch of suspense added to the mix. This book had me captivated from start to finish - the main characters are complex and will win your heart, and the descriptive passages of the magnificent settings are intricately and expertly woven. I highly recommend this book!

An Enchanting Read!.......2000-06-02

This is a story full of myth and mystery, as are the characters. It transported me to the sea in the day it took me to finish this. This is truly a magical novel that I couldn't put down.

An enjoyable read that kept me up late at night!.......1998-05-23

Marianne Williams weaves a warm tale about challenge, hope and love. Her characters were well thought out and seem to come alive on the paper. The hero has a tendancy to be a bit overbaring at times, manipulating to get his way....but we all love a rougue I suppose. The heroine stands her ground, through all kinds of twists and turns. As you can I tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to Marianne's next book.

Mermaid Whispers, Island Songs, and Oyster Dreams

Average customer rating:

Mermaid Whispers, Island Songs, and Oyster Dreams
Steven D. Hanks
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1591134129

Book Description

When a man known only as "Stranger" stepped off a boat onto the decrepit dock in Drytown, he soon found out that the past he was trying to escape was the least of his worries. While looking for a simple life in the tropics, he is thrust headfirst into a series of misadventures that give a whole new meaning to the term "island hopping". From treasure seeking pirates to third world revolutionaries, Stranger is caught in the middle of everyone else's problems. Paradise has its price and, with a little luck and a lot of liquor, Stranger might find the promise that tomorrow holds.

Disney's the Little Mermaid: Four Novels : Green-Eyed Pearl/Nefazia Visits the Palace/Reflections of Arsulu/the Same Old Song

Average customer rating:

Disney's the Little Mermaid: Four Novels : Green-Eyed Pearl/Nefazia Visits the Palace/Reflections of Arsulu/the Same Old Song
Suzanne Weyn , and Marilyn Kaye
Manufacturer: Disney Pr (Juv Pap)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books

Popular Characters | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1562825623

Little Mermaid (Disney Golden Sing Along)

Average customer rating:

The Little Mermaid (Disney/Book and Cassette)
not so bad

Little Mermaid (Disney Golden Sing Along)
Golden Books
Manufacturer: Golden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0307743047
Release Date: 1993-08-01

Book Description

Matching folio to the Disney animated feature. Includes 13 pages of beautiful full-color photos from the movie and 8 songs, featuring the Oscar -winning "Under the Sea." Also: Kiss the Girl * Daughters of Triton * Part of Your World * more!

Customer Reviews:

The Little Mermaid (Disney/Book and Cassette).......1999-12-27

This the Disney story about Arial, the little mermaid & all her odd assortment of friends that live with her in the sea. My grand-daughter Britanie, is 4 years old & just loves this book/ tape so much that she wore it out. I love the idea that the cassettes follow the words in the book so the children following the words read aloud, start to recognize words that they hear. I am in the process of trying to purchase her another set. This is only thing she asked me to get again her for Christmas.

not so bad.......1999-12-01

I thought that this book would be great for children. It has many good fantasy adventures for little kids and I think that you should read it to your kids or just read it on your own time.

The Little Mermaid: The Rescue, the Mermaid's Sacrifice, a Song of Love, the Undersea Wedding (Little Library)

Average customer rating:

The Little Mermaid: The Rescue, the Mermaid's Sacrifice, a Song of Love, the Undersea Wedding (Little Library)
John Burdick , and Hans Christian Andersen
Manufacturer: Smithmark Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Literature | Children's Books | Boxed Sets | Formats | Books
ASIN: 083175527X

Mermaid Songs: The Sonnet Trilogies of Jan Dawkins

Average customer rating:

Mermaid Songs: The Sonnet Trilogies of Jan Dawkins
Jan Dawkins
Manufacturer: Mermaid Songs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books