McNally's Caper by Lawrence Sanders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"As the French say, when there's no alternative a man must sleep with his wife."

McNally's Caper (1994) is the fourth out of seven installments in Lawrence Sanders' series starring Archy McNally, "the chief (and sole member) of the Discreet Inquiries Department of McNally & Son," a law firm that represents prestigious - and rich - clients in Palm Beach, Florida. This is the sixth McNally novel that I have read and while I have been frequently disappointed by Mr. Sanders' other novels this series always delivers. Not in terms of plot, about which I don't much care, but because of the wonderfully ornate language that never fails to amuse me.

We meet Archy - who has just successfully solved a case of thefts in a jewelry store - as he accepts a new discreet inquiry task from his father, the head of the law firm. Mr. Forsythe, a client of the firm, suspects that someone in his family or maybe a staff member is a thief: several items of value have recently disappeared from his home, including a Picasso lithograph and a first edition Edgar Allan Poe. Archy commences the investigation in the guise of cataloguing books in the library of the Forsythe mansion.

Very soon Archy learns that the Forsythes, despite reputation of being dull, are in fact "a fascinating and perplexing family of crotchety individuals." There is a strangulation attempt, naked pictures of household staff and a family member emerge, blackmail is suspected. Not only does Archy have his hands full with the investigation but also, as expected, he gets involved in affairs of the flesh with one of the Forsythe women. The scenes of amorous conquests and sexually charged asides are - as usual for McNally series - tactfully written and funny:

"A woman, perched high on the wheeled ladder, was reaching up to select a volume from the top shelf. She was wearing an extremely short denim skirt.
Her position in this literary setting forced me to recall Browning's apt observation: 'Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?'"

The atmosphere momentarily darkens when the obligatory murder occurs. Archy works hand-in-hand with the police and, obviously, manages to be instrumental in solving the case and in making sure that the guilty parties will face the consequences.

I am happy with the light, breezy, often whimsical prose with clever puns and word plays. How not to like phrases like "Seductio Ad Absurdum" or the "that's offal" pun? The novel is a total trifle, guaranteed to be forgotten in a day or two, but I had some fun while reading. A marginal recommendation, and - maybe because I like Archy or maybe for no reason at all - I am rounding the number of stars up.

Two-and-a-half-stars.



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