[.ca] Lawrence Sanders McNally's Dare (ISBN 1594130396)

lardo's true style coming through:
i just finished mcnally's dare this week. i have read all the books in this series and all of lawrence sanders work. this book has lardo writing more in his own style, rather than that of sanders. it seems to me that he is not quite the same as sanders in description writing, however he has done a fine job of plot and carry through. i will forever miss the vivid and textured descriptions that sanders gave the reader, and fervently hope that lardo will keep archy dressing with savvy and eating the fabulous concoctions by ursi at the mcnally manse and the pettibones at the infamous pelican club

and the beat goes on . . .:
I have read all of the McNally stories and almost all of Mr. Sanders novels. I believe that Mr. Lardo has done a marvelous job of picking up where Sanders left off. To those who don't see it that way, so be it! Just wish you could open up your minds a bit and allow yourself to keep enjoying these wonderful stories. Dare is highly entertaining if a bit busy. It keeps one guessing about who really "done it" throughout the story. Archy's panache and his love of fine food is strangely comforting and all said and done, these stories are like an old friend, and good company to boot.

Nailed It!:
Vince really nailed it with Dare! Writing, plots, and character exposure were right on the money. Unlike some of the earlier efforts, there were no dead spots in this story. The other reviewers have done a good job in describing the overall plot, so I won't waste your time with more of the same. Having read all of the MaNally series, I'd say this one ranks among the best. All of the usual characters are there, and are given enough exposure that you don't tire of them. I'd like to see Bunky disappear, since he's become more annoying than fun. The Archy character is more hard edged, and some readers may not like the way he treats people in this story. I've always enjoyed Archy and his dad's chats in the home study, and these did not disappoint. I've also enjoyed Archy's late-evening reflections in his third-floor apartment, and was disappointed that in this story they lacked detail. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, but some the clues were so obvious that I thought they were intentional curves. They weren't! As a result, the ending was a bit of a letdown, but that doesn't distract from a very good book.

Good but not particularly great.:
McNally is in rare form in this particular novel. It will stand the test of time in its own right and will probably stand with "McNally's Chance" as the two best entry's to be contributed by Lardo to the McNally lexicon. But don't count on it winning any of the awards given to mystery writers by their peers.

Deceived:
Have enjoyed many of the books by Lawrence Sanders. I had not realized he had died in 1998. I purchased "McNally,s Dare" because Lawrence Sanders' name was so prominently displayed on the cover. Looked great, I haven't read him in years. I know now why, and think it is intellectually dishonest as well as a cheap ploy at the expence of his name. I will admit it was my mistake and one not to be repeated. I only made it through a couple of chapters to realize Mr. Lardo is no Mr. Sanders and probably explains the deception. I won't make that mistake again.