7.4 /10 1 Votes
Country United States Originally published 1947 Adaptations Blue City (1986) | 3.7/5 Goodreads Language English Genres Fiction, Thriller | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Similar Ross Macdonald books, Other books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Blue City was a thriller novel written in 1947 by Ross Macdonald, originally released under his real name, Kenneth Millar. It was generally considered Macdonald's first truly hardboiled novel, a start along the road that was going to lead to many comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
Contents
Plot
Twenty-two-year-old Johnny Weather has returned from the army, having served in the European Theater in the Second World War, only to find his estranged father long dead. His father was a leading factor in the corruption of the town and an important person, but the police seem more than happy to let his murder remain 'unsolved', as does everyone Johnny encounters.
As he tries to dig up the murderer, he fences with a motley list of strange characters and hustlers, everyone from the astonishingly cruel man who took over his father's night club, to his father's ex-wife, who's more than willing to seduce Johnny to keep him off the subject of his father.
Although the book never names the state in which the fictional town is located, many references are made to the city being located in the Mid-West, apparently within an easy drive to Chicago.
Other media
Blue City was adapted to film in 1986, starring Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and David Caruso. The film was poorly received by critics and audiences alike.