FORGOTTEN BOOKS #247: THE DOOMSTERS By Ross Macdonald

the doomsters
the doomsters2
the doomsters3
Bob Randisi commented on last week’s Black Money FFB post that he really liked Ross Macdonald’s The Doomsters from 1958. I figured I might as well complete the Lew Archer trifecta by doing three Ross Macdonald books in a row for FFB. Like most of Ross Macdonald’s mysteries, The Doomsters presents a dysfunctional family with plenty of secrets. Lew Archer has to explore the past in order to solve a murder in the present. Ross Macdonald sprinkles in some Oedipus references, but long-time readers of the Archer series know all about troubled father-son relationships. Along with The Chill, The Galton Case, and Black Money, The Doomsters is one of the best books in the series.

9 thoughts on “FORGOTTEN BOOKS #247: THE DOOMSTERS By Ross Macdonald

  1. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora)

    I quite agree – this is a very strong title and arguably signalled, along with The Galton Case that immediately followed it, the moment when Macdonald’s books really started to reach their maturity of style, theme and content.

    Reply
  2. Richard

    George, good job doing three RM books in a row. When I read your comments on the book, I thought, but he didn’t say anything about THIS book, as opposed to the Archer series. But then I read your comment that you read it 40 years ago. I assume you re-read it recently? It’s one of the ones I haven’t yet read, what with so many books here and “out there”.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *