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Sleeping Beauty (Lew Archer Series Book 17) Kindle Edition

by Ross Macdonald (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 218 ratings
See all formats and editions
In Sleeping Beauty, Lew Archer finds himself the confidant of a
wealthy, violent family with a load of trouble on their hands--including an oil spill, a missing girl, a lethal dose of Nembutal, a six-figure ransom, and a stranger afloat, face down, off a private beach. Here is Ross Macdonald's masterful tale of buried memories, the consequences of arrogance, and the anguished relations between parents and their children. Riveting, gritty, tautly written, Sleeping Beauty is crime fiction at its best.

If any writer can be said to have inherited the mantle of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, it is Ross Macdonald. Between the late 1940s and his death in 1983, he gave the American crime novel a psychological depth and moral complexity that his pre-decessors had only hinted at. And in the character of Lew Archer, Macdonald redefined the private eye as a roving conscience who walks the treacherous frontier between criminal guilt and human sin.
Previous page
  1. Book 17 of 18
    Lew Archer Series
  2. Print length
    290 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
  6. Publication date
    December 1, 2010
  7. File size
    731 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ross Macdonald is either part or wholly wizard. . .conjuring the magic of real mystery. . . . A masterpiece." --Chicago Tribune Book World

"Sleeping Beauty is particularly complex and satisfactory. . . . It is a marvelous formula that Macdonald has found; the wonder is that he keeps improving it." --Newsweek

"Ross Macdonald remains the grandmaster, taking the crime novel to new heights by imbuing it with psychological resonance, complexity of story, and richness of style that remain inspiring." --Jonathan Kellerman


From the Trade Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

eping Beauty, Lew Archer finds himself the confidant of a
wealthy, violent family with a load of trouble on their hands--including an oil spill, a missing girl, a lethal dose of Nembutal, a six-figure ransom, and a stranger afloat, face down, off a private beach. Here is Ross Macdonald's masterful tale of buried memories, the consequences of arrogance, and the anguished relations between parents and their children. Riveting, gritty, tautly written, Sleeping Beauty is crime fiction at its best.

If any writer can be said to have inherited the mantle of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, it is Ross Macdonald. Between the late 1940s and his death in 1983, he gave the American crime novel a psychological depth and moral complexity that his pre-decessors had only hinted at. And in the character of Lew Archer, Macdonald redefined the private eye as a roving conscience who walks the treacherous frontier between criminal guilt and human sin.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004CFAWHA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Crime/Black Lizard; Reprint edition (December 1, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 731 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0375708669
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

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  1. Ross MacDonald

    Ross MacDonald

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
218 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

el errabundo
5.0 out of 5 stars Best English language crime novelist of the 20th century
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
Sleeping Beauty is a great mystery novel. Ross Macdonald is a master. Not just a great mystery crime novelist, but a great novelist, period. His territory was the California coast from the border to San Francisco, circa the early 50's to the early 70's. Fascinating psychological profiles of his characters, from the highest to the lowest rungs of society, and hypnotic, atmospheric profiles of locations. Imagine Albert Camus as a private eye.
If you are interested, I recommend you skip his earliest work, and start with his books from the early 50's on. His first few novels demonstrate a glaring defect in that he imitates the obnoxious tendency of the typical hardboiled detective pulps of that era in objectifying women by rating each and every attractive female as a potential lay. By the early 50's he had matured enough as a writer (and human being) to leave that kind of nonsense behind.
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Kate G No Cal
4.0 out of 5 stars Not Ross Macdonald's best but better than many other suspense novels
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
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One of the last books in the Lew Archer series. Some passages are as impressive as any in other entries in the series. But there are parts of this book that seem 'under written'. Overall a very good mystery.
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Elliot H.
5.0 out of 5 stars Ross Macdonald delivers again
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2017
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One of Ross Macdonald's best!

Tightly wound mystery involving a missing girl with a disturbing family. Macdonald does a wonderful job incorporating the environmentalist movement vs. the oil money making tycoons of California.

Archer first starts out in trying to help out a young woman who's run away from home, however, it leads to a wild goose chase, while dead bodies pop up out of the sea of the past. There's twists and turns around every corner looking for the missing girl. As Archer becomes more involved with the family, the odder the case becomes, trying to make connections from the distant past.

This is a great book with great cast of characters. Somehow, Archer is always able to come out clean.
4 people found this helpful
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An Alexandria music lover
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good novel, presented with extraordinary care and art
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 1998
Verified Purchase
Though not the best Ross MacDonald novel, this is certainly one of the best (which places it head and shoulders above nearly all the competition).
What is amazing about this audio performance is the exceptional care, expense, and art that went into its creation. Most novels are condensed when put on cassette; nearly all are read by only a single actor or actress. This is read by a large and excellent cast, and the recording company devoted some effort to making the background sounds both realistic and appropriate. The music was simple but quite effective. The acting was sometimes a bit uneven, but the narrator (playing the detective, Lew Archer) was pitch perfect in his role. His voice was the perfect embodiment of the Archer character -- a bit depressed, extremely competent, and at heart a passionate advocate for the good but weak (even if that description does not fit his client).
All in all, this is a novel -- and production -- that can be recommended with the greatest enthusiasm (to quote the tag line that professors must place in their letters of reference for graduating students).
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Archer
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2013
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Ross Macdonald was one of the seminal authors of the noir detective genre. He digs into disfunctional family relationships as the cause of crime. The story is well told and creates a convincing outsider detective.
One person found this helpful
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3.0 out of 5 stars A profound disappointment.
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2020
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After reading the deeply caring and mutually respectful correspondence between him and Eudora Welty, a profound disappointment. She was blinded by love. He is overrated by everyone but her.
One person found this helpful
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Michael M. Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars a masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2019
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Tom Nolan in WSJ said this was his favorite in the Ross Macdonald/Lew Archer series, and that prompted me reread it. It really is extraordinary: riveting, complex and incredibly written!
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Fiona
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent condition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2018
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Perfect
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Jaime Jiménez
5.0 out of 5 stars Obra maestra
Reviewed in Spain on July 6, 2018
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Obra maestra. No se entiende que no esté disponible una buena traducción al español. El estilo es una mezcla de clásico y moderno.
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Kindleのお客様
5.0 out of 5 stars 人生最高のミステリー
Reviewed in Japan on October 17, 2021
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最初から最後までずっと引き込まれてた。しかも深い。作者の作品中、イチオシですね。
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book crazy
4.0 out of 5 stars UNFORTUNATELY BENT
Reviewed in Japan on January 3, 2022
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GOOD CONDITION BUY POST BENT IT.
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