Dream Town (Private Investigator Archer Book 3)

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All roads seem to lead Archer back to one very significant place, and with that comes a true sense of threat and an escalation in pacing and tension that brings Archer as close to a permanent ending as any man might ever wish, or not, to come. Then she disappears, Archer trips over a corpse, and he is caught up in a wild investigation which includes Hollywood actors, gangsters, drugs, people smuggling and more. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs. First, there is a fairly large cast of characters in this one, so a mental scorecard is needed to keep track of everyone.

This is another example of that versatility, as he pens a story that is pulled right out of the gumshoe era, which differs greatly from many of his other series. Bill Clinton on One Good Deed One Good Deed represents David Baldacci’s move into historical crime with a new character, ex-jailbird Aloysius Archer . The characters are all equally despicable so one doesn't really care who will turn out to be the bad guys in the end. Sure there is more to the story, Archer reluctantly agrees to poke around, making plans to come by her home the following day.When he makes his way to Malibu later that night, he finds a dead man in her home, with no sign of Eleanor, and ends up being coshed and knocked out. His language is descriptive, but focused on moving the story forward with mystery driven elements, action sequences, and moments of discovery along the way. This was already my favorite of Baldacci's recurring series, and Dream Town only reinforces that, in large part because of Baldacci's brilliance in stitching his story across a tapestry of a bygone era of movie magic with a dark side.

Archer takes plenty of physical abuse in the story, but at least he doesn’t get a bullet between the eyes like the guy he trips over.

For those unfamiliar with this series, it is a masterful historic crime thriller, full of action and the usual masterful Baldacci storytelling. The book captures the glamour of the era, the rise of the Hollywood star and the importance of the movie studios and the people who pull the strings, but also the seedier side of the town. When the investigation sends him to Hollywood, Archer is convinced he has a lead that could prove fruitful, all while Eleanor Lamb remains missing. The dangers that Archer faces end up testing his relationship and feelings for Liberty, his work is far from well rewarded and his life is at constant risk, yet when he considers the possibility of other better paying opportunities, it is clear that when it comes down to it, a PI is what he wants to be and nothing is going to change his mind.