The Drowning Pool

This classic hard-boiled mystery, the second featuring P.I. Lew Archer, holds up well more than fifty years after its first appearance. Archer is hired by a woman who has received a blackmail letter; the case involves him in intrigue, death, and twisted relationships among family members and lovers. Tom Parker's narration perfectly captures Archer's world-weary persona and is, by turns, crisp, sardonic, and wry. He shows us the feeling behind Archer's mask of disengagement and capably handles the female characters with softer tones. The well-drawn characters involve the listener, and only references to prices and technology remind us that the story features a different time. M.A.M. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine