Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780425145302
ISBN number: 0425145301
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 352
Printing Date: January 01, 1995
Publishing house: Berkley
Sale Popularity Level: 398877
Studio: Berkley
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In a low-down, high-society caper, sleuth Archie McNally investigates a family that is as mysterious as the House of Usher--and twice as twisted. By the author of McNally's Puzzle. Reissue.'
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Reminiscent of the great sandwiches and drinks that Edward X. Delaney shared with us in the Deadly Sin novels, Arch McNally continues the tradition. I would love to visit the Pelican Club for a month, trying each of Mr. Pettibone's drinks and Priscilla's sandwiches, then go for a long swim in the ocean.
Rated by buyers 
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This is the 4th book in the McNally's series, and I've read them in sequence. They're highly formulaic but still enjoyable. The main character continues to be a lovable rogue, mostly amoral but still with certain personal limits, so it is not surprising that he sleeps with various available women in the very first 3 books.
But -- SPOILER ALERT -- in this one he sleeps with a woman who is married, living with her husband and planning to continue that way. And -- lest you think that he was momentarily carried away by passion -- he sleeps with her two more times.
Suddenly, to this reviewer at least, McNally has become a less lovable and much more unattractive figure.
Rated by buyers 
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One of the rare instances when Archie doesn't do what he is supposed to do. Extremely entertaining and funny as ususal. My husband and I enjoy listening to Sanders books on McNally and we have learned to carry a dictionary with us to figure out what some of the obscure words mean. Well worth the money spent on it.
Rated by buyers -
McNally's CAPER was not offered on a Super Shipper Savings, at the time of my preparing to read and review it (I had a dusty, used copy in my personal library). In fact, this book's Amazon buying page wasn't linked into the rest of the series' buying pages. Ultimately, I resorted to searching for it on Amazon under Sanders name; it was a few pages down on that list. Once on the purchase page, I was puzzled to note that many reviews, even Archy stalwarts, had concluded that this novel is not as good as the others in the McNally series. (This is not a criticism of Amazon, but rather a compliment that it's so easy to search for details, and learn about a book merely from the way its presented here.)
That said, I'm sorry; I can't help it. It's just me:
The depressing situation of this book's buying page surged a desire to "save" McNally's CAPER by attempting to unearth its core of value, as I read. In order to do this, I would have to also understand what might have struck certain readers wrong.
Possibly the opening chapter's continued reference, applying various terms and methods, to the whole world being crazy struck too close to home, since Archy allowed no one escape from his pronouncement. Readers might have balked and bleated, "We're NOT crazy; speak for yourself."
Of course what Sanders was likely aiming for was to bait curiosity about precisely WHY Archy had been brought to that dastardly conclusion about the whole of the human race, and of reality itself.
In addition to sighting askance from CAPER'S proclamations of Bubbles Off Plumb, possibly mystery buffs are generally a bit too rule conscious to cozy up to the stretch of ethics of the opening chapter's widow shoplifter resolution (which I thought was in exquisite taste as a tantalizing "prologue" presenting tantamount thematic keys). This novel was dealing with extended eccentrics, and with a subtly sour attitude in Archy; yet his crankiness toward the chaotic castle he was about to become undercover-ed within was an intrigue enhancement, for me. Made me curious about the enthrallment effect of the Gothic castle setting; I looked forward to rambling in exploration.
Early on in the plot, Sanders repeatedly referred to classic literature & TV episodes, focusing on the zany/crazy and whimsical/farcical, like Alice In Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Adams Family, etc., all of which could become easy turn offs to readers accustomed to Archy & company being perky, yet refreshingly sane and conventionally unconventional, with just the right tinge of acceptable eccentricity. When that tinge tags over the line, the whole shebang becomes Farce or Satire; and possibly Archy's capture core is that he has seated into the mainstream novel category, in which readers can identify with heroic, even if off-beat, character tangents. That somewhat conservative, respectable balance with the precise amount and slant of humour is vital for a drama/comedy to avoid slipping into farce, which has a limited audience, myself included in that limitation. I need to be able to identify somewhat with most of the characters, and "live" in a setting and plot, which can be effervescent or dank, but not lacking absolutely in a foundation in conventional reality.
Too far in any direction of that continuum is too far. (Took my wisdom herbs this morning, can you tell? Yeah, maybe I'd better check the label's death date.)
Sanders appears to have been a type of author who needed to push envelopes to see when they fall off the desk. That may be the segment of his talent which allowed him to write such riveting, dramatic, mainstream novels in a variety of types, with complex levels of dark/light balance.
After reading the scene of Archy meeting Lucy, whom it appeared to me that Sanders wanted readers to see as another version of Alice, Dorothy, or ... (for the moment, I forget what other girl child heroines have seated into classic fiction and fairytale lore), I immediately began struggling with the ambivalent feelings that this girl was going to be different, maybe darker, maybe brighter; she'd certainly have a heavier (or maybe lighter?) spin on an archetypal characterization.
Throughout the read, with the repeated foreboding that the denouement in this offering would be heinous, would shake the faith of humanity, would convince the reader that the whole world was crazy; I kept wondering what could be more heinous than ... heinous.
Throughout the read I continued wondering what had turned off many of the reviewers, or caused them to dim the lights on this one, almost proclaiming it the runt of the litter. For me, runts offer the best type of hero material, hiding subtle but gorgeous gems, which must be studied in quiet contemplation to be seen clearly, or at all.
As noted above, some readers might not like the continued ... Read More
Rated by buyers -
McNally, the title character, is quite a charmer. His pretentions and self-mocking attitudes make him likeable. The plot of this book isn't revolutionary and the end is dissapointinlgly predictable, however, it is still an enjoyable read. The ending doesn't wrap up in a completely neat way, which I wouldn't object to, but the rest of the book (including the last page where McNally says he wanted iot to be more cut and dried) seems to lead to a more solid resolution. All in all, I'd still reccomend this as a light pleasure read, great for beaches and subway rides.
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