The mother explains to Archer why she wants to treat the matter as private as possible. I personally think the reason Archer decides to aide Ms. Lawrence is neither the mother’s desperation to find her daughter, nor the $50 compensation offered (by the way, this book was first written in 1951), but he was mesmerized by the beauty of Galley. The way Macdonald describes Galley is brilliant, not giving out too many details, but enough information for any reader to imagine how beautiful and seductive Galley is.

Galley is a special duty nurse, and she went missing only a few days before Christmas day. After Archer speaks with people who knew Galley, he finds out that she is not as good a girl as her mother thinks. Galley is just like many girls today; she is attracted to bad boys. A witness says that she disappeared with a man named Joe Tarantine. Archer ends up looking for more than just Galley.

After reading chapter two, a missing beautiful woman in sunny California, money, and sex strongly reminded me of the case of the Black Dahlia. “The Way Some People Die” has all the ingredients of a typical mystery and detective story. What makes Macdonald’s novel different from others are his love for California, and simple but effective language. Eccentric characters kept me reading. His descriptions, combined with all the hints and clues, take the readers to California where everything is possible - Hollywood glamour, mob connections, drug dealers, alcoholism and sexy Palm Springs. I cannot think of any other place than California for this novel.

Unfortunately, there is no instant gratification, and no one specific answer to this case. The story slows down in the middle of the book, and all the details could be a little overwhelming. Nevertheless, overall this is a good mystery book from the great detective novelist. Oh yes, there are some twists and surprises.

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