I honestly thought I would find the book to be a greater artistic achievement than its much more comic filmic adaptation. But I think the film might be the smarter, more effective work. Of course, that does not mean this first Lew Archer mystery isn't a great read, but from what I remember in Find a Victim and The Drowning Pool, MacDonald reaches higher heights later in the series. Still, this book deserves distinction for introducing the world to Lew Archer, a much more human and vulnerable detective than the Hammmett & Chandler imitators crafted.