McNally's Alibi
Lawrence Sanders & Vincent Lardo Book Review

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Plot Summary of McNally's Alibi

"

Putnam, Aug 2002, 24.95, 309 pp.
ISBN: 0399148795

Renowned collector Deci Fortesque hires Palm Beach private sleuth Archy McNally to find an alleged original complete text of Truman Capote's Answered Prayers. Archy quickly learns that Claudia Lester asserted that she possessed the manuscript, but her former lover Matthew Harrigan stole it from her. Matthew insists he took nothing and that Claudia is just a former lover causing him trouble.

Antiques dealer Rodney Whitehead informs the sleuth that neither Claudia nor Matthew is credible, not that Rodney is any better. The search turns nasty when the supposed owner of the Capote manuscript is found dead in the sleazy Crescent Hotel not long after Archy visited the place. Police Lieutenant Georgia O'Hara knows Archy is holding out on her, but he refuses to reveal anything that might interfere with completing his client's assignment as the fee is too good.

When Lawrence Sanders died a few years ago and Vincent Lardo took over the McNally franchise, this reviewer howled about another series of lite books. Several novels later, this reviewer still howls that Mr. Sanders would have been proud to claim the Lardo books as his own. The latest MCNALLY'S ALIBI is a strong novel containing an intriguing investigative story line and three women making Archy's life miserable in different ways. Fans of Mr. Sanders, McNally, or a strong private investigative novel will want to read Mr. Lardo's latest take and like this reviewer demand early release of another Arch book ASAP.

Harriet Klausner

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout.

"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of McNally's Alibi

Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 70%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%

Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Kind of investigator - hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript

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