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Archy McNally #5

McNally's Trial

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As an investigator for his father's Palm Beach law firm, Archy McNally has discreetly handled scores of unusual cases for the firm's upscale clientele. But when Sunny Fogarty, the attractive comptroller for Whitcomb Funeral Homes, approaches them regarding an unexplained rise in her company's fortunes, Archy has a most peculiar situation.

309 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

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About the author

Lawrence Sanders

160 books372 followers
There is more than one author with this name

Lawrence Sanders was the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty mystery and suspense novels. The Anderson Tapes, completed when he was fifty years old, received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for best first novel. His prodigious oeuvre encompasses the Edward X. Delaney, Archy McNally, and Timothy Cone series, along with his acclaimed Commandment books. Stand-alone novels include Sullivan's Sting and Caper. Sanders remains one of America’s most popular novelists, with more than fifty million copies of his books in print. Also published as Mark Upton.

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5 stars
660 (28%)
4 stars
959 (41%)
3 stars
614 (26%)
2 stars
65 (2%)
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23 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
Profile Image for Rohit Enghakat.
262 reviews67 followers
December 2, 2017
The book was not so good. This is the second or the third Sanders book which I have read all of them are mediocre. In this case, the author has used sarcastic humour which is supposed to entertain the readers. While the idea was novel, the cheeky one-liners in almost every sentence was irritating and getting on my nerves. For e.g., the father is described as paterfamilias, Hizzonner, pater, His Majesty, sir etc....c'mon whats wrong in describing him as a plain old simple father ? A weak plot did not help matters and I wanted to stop reading but kept on going given the self-confessed bibliophile I am. After the first 100 pages, the whole plot became a bit predictable and continued to drag. One more Sanders book on the shelf. I hope it will not be so disappointing.
Profile Image for Eric_W.
1,954 reviews428 followers
January 13, 2010
It’s pretty hard not to love a book that throws in such uncommon words such as hirsute, acumen, trichologist, inamorata, prolixity, and characters who confuse the Nutcracker with the famous Christmas ballet the Ballbreaker.”

Archy McNally is sort of an American Jeeves, and I can envision David Case reading these books to perfection. This was my first — not to be the last — Sanders. McNally is the hedonistic quasi detective who handles discreet inquiries for his father, the prestigious Palm Beach lawyer. In a nutshell as described by the book’s bad guy, “ Your father is an attorney but doesn’t do litigation. You started out to be a lawyer but got kicked out of school. You’re single and live with your parents. You drink but you’re no doper. You do investigations for your father’s firm.”

McNally’s sidekick is Binky Watrous, supported by the Duchess, who is threatening to cut off Bink’s allowance, so, always wanting to be a P.I., he asks to work for McNally in this most amusing investigation. (“It wasn’t that Binky was incapable of reasoning, but his gears had slipped a bit, just enough so his thinking was slightly skewed. I mean, he was the kind of numbskull who, informed that a friend had choked to death on a fish bone, was likely to inquire, ‘Broiled or sautéed?'” and “His sartorial sense is gravely retarded. He once wore spats over flip-flops to a beach barbecue.”) McNally has been approached by Sunny Fogarty, the nubile treasurer of Whitcomb Funeral Homes. It seems they have been making obscene amounts of money — too many people have been dying — and she can’s understand why. Archy, with the approval of his father, agrees to make some discreet inquiries. The Whitcomb Funeral Home situation is complicated. The patriarch, Horace, has left a controlling share in the family business to his dying wife, Sarah, and is in the midst of a battle with his son, Oliver, who wants to expand the business into a nationwide franchise. Oliver’s wife, Mitzi, falls for Binky, and then develops an unhealthy involvement with a local gangster. It seems that Oliver and this nefarious gentleman have been shipping caskets all over the country where they are picked up not by other funeral homes, but the same cartage service that happens to be owned by the same gangster..
Forced to hobnob with the Palm Beach upper crust, Archy remains skeptical — he wears a puce beret -- even though his own family dresses for dinner and suffers through repasts consisting of a cocktail hour, “shrimp and scallops sautéed with capers, roasted peppers and sundried tomatoes.”

The fun with this book isn’t trying to figure out who did what or why, it’s Archy’s joie-de-vie and high society ostentatiousness
Profile Image for Zain.
1,884 reviews287 followers
June 12, 2020
The delightfully, good natured Archy McNally is called upon to investigate why a funeral home owned by the Whitcomb family is suddenly making a super load of money.
Profile Image for Lukasz Pruski.
973 reviews141 followers
December 1, 2017
"I won't label [her] as Rubenesque, but she was abundant and all the more stirring for it. Her body was vital, overwhelming. I hung on for dear life and, in addition to my pleasure, had the added delight of being a survivor."

Having just finished Inside Mr. Enderby a rather dark and serious novel I decided it was time for some mindless entertainment and a pure leisure read. Lawrence Sanders comes to rescue and the always dependable Archy McNally, of McNally & Son, a debonair, gourmet, dapper, and a very manly private investigator responsible for conducting discreet inquiries in his fathers law firm. We are reminded that Archy is not a lawyer himself as he had been expelled from Yale Law for streaking naked across the Philharmonic stage in a Richard Nixon's mask: can one not love such a character?

The firm's client is Ms. Fogarty, a high-level employee of a funeral-home chain (Mr. Sanders allows himself to chide the euphemism 'grief counselor', thank you!), who has noticed an unusual uptick in the company's business in recent months, and wants to make sure nothing illegal is going on. Obviously, Archy is the one to conduct his trademark discreet inquiries, alas this time he is burdened by having an apprentice helper: his acquaintance Binky Watrous needs a job. The case quickly grows to involve some serious crimes and really bad people; even special agents of the FBI make their entrance. Of course, it is Archy who figures everything out but not soon enough: quite serious things happen, serious enough not to fit the light-hearted mood of this story.

Archy in his role as the narrator is again using florid language full of cute periphrases, which to me is perhaps the best feature of McNally's novels. The language is artificial yet somehow, magically, it does not sound artificial. The prose is perfectly suited to depiction of sex scenes. The descriptions do not use physiological terms, do not rely on heavy metaphors, and do not sound awkward and embarrassing as most of such writings do in non-top-shelf literature. They are simply funny:
"Zing! Went the Strings of My Libido."
or further on the same page:
"She owned a body as solid as the figurehead of a Yankee clipper [...] but there was not an ounce of excess avoirdupois on her carcass. Believe me; I searched."
On the negative side, I like this installment the least of the three I have read so far (two others being McNally's Risk and McNally's Luck ) Binky Watrous, a dweeb and an expert in imitating birdcalls, is not an interesting character at all. Not worth all that focus. In fact, most characters are caricatures, including the FBI special agent Kling, except for two strong female characters, Ms. Fogarty, and Mrs. Sarah Whitcomb, the funeral-home owner's wife. I also liked the mention of Boleslaw the Bashful, the king of Poland (1243 - 1279). Overall, not too bad as pure entertainment.

Three stars.
Profile Image for Brian.
345 reviews106 followers
April 23, 2023
Archy McNally’s latest assignment for his father’s law firm is a “discreet inquiry” into the finances of a corporate client that owns several prominent funeral homes in the Palm Beach area. It’s an unusual case. Sunny Fogarty, the financial executive who engages Archy, is concerned that the company is making too much money. Archy first dubs it “the curious case of the lucrative funeral homes.” Later, when the investigation uncovers some questionable air shipments from the funeral homes, he begins referring to it as “the case of the flying dead.”

As Archy tries to get to the bottom of the company’s unexplained financial bonanza, he also finds himself in the middle of a family drama involving the owners of the funeral homes, the elderly Horace and Sarah Whitcomb and their son Oliver. Sarah is dying, and her husband and son are at odds over the future of the business. Each of the three sees Archy as a potential friend or ally and tries to enlist his aid.

Meanwhile, Archy’s ne’er-do-well friend, Binky Watrous, begs him to take him on as an apprentice in the discreet inquiries trade so he can show the aunt he depends on that he is not completely ne’er-do-well. Archy is reluctant because he has little faith in Binky’s intelligence, judgment, or discretion, but Binky surprises him. It’s “somewhat of a shock. Like discovering Mortimer Snerd could explain the Pythagorean theorem.”

So with some help from Binky, Sergeant Al Rogoff of the Palm Beach police, and even the FBI, Archy gets to the bottom of the case. As usual, he does it without breaking much of a sweat, reserving time most days for an afternoon swim in the ocean and a cocktail or two with his parents before dinner. He continues to enjoy the life of a young, debonair Palm Beach bachelor, with an on-again, off-again romance with the lovely Connie Garcia. He admits to being unfaithful to her on numerous occasions, but he protests that he is “genetically disadvantaged” and his “infidelity is due to faulty DNA.”

Like the other Archy McNally books, McNally’s Trial provides an enjoyable light reading experience. The mystery is “befuddling,” as Archy puts it, at least for a while. But the real treat in these books is the character of Archy himself, with his irrepressible joie de vivre, eccentric fashion sense, arcane vocabulary, and humor—much of it self-deprecating.

Archy is always ready with a bon mot or a pun, which may not be to everyone’s taste but which I do enjoy. A couple of examples—groan warning ahead: After a night of beer-drinking, “I awoke the following day a sad Budweiser man.” He describes a salad made with “olive oil so virginal I was certain it had taken a vow of chastity.” What can I tell you? I enjoy a bad joke or pun now and then.
Profile Image for Sharyn.
3,147 reviews24 followers
July 19, 2015
I really enjoy these books! Written in 1995, people smoke and drink to excess, Archy's sartorial splendor and vocabulary make me laugh out loud. The way to solving the mystery meanders through Palm Beach and surrounding cities. I used to live in Palm Beach and some of the surrounding cities, so I enjoy the ride!! Archy is never faithful, loves to describe his meals, as well as his days, throws in Yiddishisms, (used the word schmaltzy, and then says if you knew the meaning you wouldn't use the word!!) thought that was funny. I actually figured out the main plot point before Archy, doesn't usually happen. Also, the murder came way late in the book. And once again the really bad guy got away. Has happened in more than one other book!!
Profile Image for Nik Bramblett.
29 reviews14 followers
March 4, 2013
Lawrence Sanders' Archy McNally books are FUN-- sorta-kinda whodunit mystery, but mostly just really, really smartassed. And honestly, at some level, it's like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: you actually have to be fairly well-read and paying attention to really get it. :)

The addition of Binky to the mix, with his odd blend of ineptness and genius, adds a layer of adventurous delight to this book!

It's not rocket science, sure: but every movie is not even DESIGNED to win an Academy Award, of course.
Profile Image for Mary Green.
69 reviews
July 14, 2018
The McNally books are always a light fun romp. This one is perhaps my favorite because it contains a line I have often quoted. "If you're going to be a friend of a bubblehead, there's not much point in getting furious because he is a bubblehead."
The characters are all charming and I'd like to meet every one of them. Even the bubblehead.
155 reviews
March 1, 2025
I really like the author's style in this book. I did feel like he was talking directly with me. I loved he used all of those different adjectives. I didn't know the meaning of most of them, but it was still a fun thing to add. :). The only reason I gave this a 4 star rather than 5 was for the ending. It was very unsatisfying for me. I won't go into it any further. I just thought it could have been wrapped up a little better then it was.
Profile Image for Donna Craig.
1,115 reviews48 followers
January 27, 2025
*sigh*
Such a fun read. I love Sanders’ writing, and Archy is my fave
Profile Image for John Lyman.
565 reviews6 followers
May 18, 2010
Another good Archy McNally book, albeit not as good as the others I've read. Archy's style of dress is metrosexual at best, his taste in food is beyond my culinary experiences and his vocabulary leaves me reaching for the dictionary regularly. It would appear this was the last of the McNally books Sanders wrote. I have two more to read.
11 reviews
September 5, 2016
Once an Archie fan, always an Archie fan!

Archibald McNally has probably become my favorite fictional character. His playboy charm, his '800 watt' smile, and the meticulous ways in which Sanders describes his daily life; it makes one want to be best friends with Archie. Definite must-read for all Sanders' fans!
37 reviews1 follower
November 13, 2009
Archy McNally rocks! I love the way this series has been written - the wit is super and the language pretty darn good.
Profile Image for Nora-adrienne.
918 reviews171 followers
May 8, 2011
I love all the McNally books, it's a shame the author is no longer with us, and his new co-writer stopped writing also.

Vincent Lardo, wherever you are, your fans would love more books.
Profile Image for Linda Munro.
1,934 reviews26 followers
March 7, 2017
I always love the Archy McNally books written by Lawrence Sanders, and I was truly touched when the author passed on in 1998; for there will never be another writer quite like Sanders!

Archy is a mid- thirties single male who still rooms at his parent’s home. While he is in a relationship, he is far from monogamous and truly only seems to feel bad about that fact when he gets caught. He is a frumpy old man in a decent body; wealthy, educated (well at least until he was thrown out of college and always looking to other people for that specific heads-up in one of his discreet investigations.

These investigations are normally begun at the behest of one of McNally & Son’s high profile, wealthy clients and are meant to get to the bottom of a wrong doing before that wrong doing is plastered across the front page of a tabloid. In the case of this book….something deadly has infected the Whitmore Funeral Home and it is far beyond dead bodies!

One of many great books that always bring a smile!
Profile Image for Mike.
62 reviews6 followers
February 25, 2020
The fashion peacock detective Archibald McNally is tasked with a strange investigation of a funeral home. Why is it making so much money? It's a test of his abilities, a trial, so to speak. In the end, it all make perfect sense. But then it always does when Archy and his unpaid intern Binkie do what they do best -- or nearly their best.

It's been a long time since I read any of Sander's McNally books, and now I recall why I loved them. They are clever, humorous and well-written. Unlike many detective books, or thrillers, the story is entertaining and captivating through out. You don't have to read a third of the book to get to the meat. In Sander's McNally series, you are entertained from the beginning and so you stick around for the delightful misadventures as you get clues to the main story line. If it were a movie, I could see an irreverent Topher Grace, Jake Gyllenhaal or Toby McGuire as Archy.
1 review
September 11, 2018
Way to go, Archy!

In this McNally adventure, Archy displays a bit more depth of character. Archy is asked to investigate income and shipping irregularities noticed by management of a family owned and operated mortuary, clients of his father’s law firm. His friend Binky asks to join him in his ‘discreet inquiries,’ hoping to learn PI skills. Archy has to face an additional level of moral quandary, responsibility for a friend’s involvement in dicey doings, an ‘innocent,’ of sorts.
This is not the only relationship experience that Archy benefits from in this particular challenge. He’s on something of a roll!
414 reviews5 followers
April 8, 2019
Is this an apology for daddy's boys? Mommy's boys?

The dialogue and situations sound like a frat boy with an overheated literature degree. At times it's very, very amusing - I wish I were that glib and funny - and sometimes it's just tiresome. Archy redeems himself with some seriousness, but skip the thesaurus.

Enough with the alcohol, the high living, the butler brings you the dinner - Archy is just not a character I like a whole lot.

I can't give it a two, and I can't give it a four. Three it is.
249 reviews
July 28, 2023
Our favorite palm beach detective takes on a side kick for this adventure, Binky who's rich aunt is going to cut him off if he doesn't find a job. This adventure takes you to the underworld of the funeral service business. The plot is pretty easy to figure out, but the trip to the end is worth the read. Some of his better lines are; Saturday turned out to be an equine of a different complexion, the plot curdles. Not great writing but a fun escape from reality. Recommended.
Profile Image for Barbara Nutting.
3,205 reviews164 followers
February 10, 2019
“...........as corny as Kansas in August...........” - filled with cliches and old timey songs, but a joy to read. I love Archy because he is such a bon vivant. You can’t beat Palm Beach for money and corruption, “now I find upper-drawer citizens with big bucks and mansions can be just as slimy as your average mugger.” Well said Lawrence, so prophetic!!
Profile Image for John Parrino.
Author 9 books11 followers
October 13, 2019
McNally is quite different from Sander’s other protagonists. He’s a prig, like the character Miles in the TV series Frazier: a bit prissy, erudite, an anti-macho, violence-avoiding anti hero. He adores the finer things of life (contrary to Timothy Cone, perhaps my favorite Sander’s character) and doesn’t mind pursuing them. I intend to reader further in the McNally series to see if I can warm up to this guy, but so far he doesn’t compare favorably with Cone, Delaney, Dora and others.
Profile Image for ronald damato.
18 reviews2 followers
July 22, 2018
ArchieMcNally,My Man

Love this guy,suave,social,a real ladies man,with a brain and devious detective skills.He is able to solve monumental problems without so much as breaking a sweat.Start reading, you cannot put it down
301 reviews
November 9, 2021
FINE EXAMPLE

This book is a great example of a retro storyline filled with interesting characters. The dialog fits the retro theme very well. The action is well paced and most of the good people emerge victorious.
Profile Image for Jessada Karnjana.
590 reviews9 followers
April 18, 2022
สไตล์ของ Sanders ในชุด McNally ไม่ใช่นิยายสืบสวนลึกลับชนิดลุ้นกันตัวโก่ง หรือซับซ้อนซ่อนเงื่อน แต่เป็นนิยายสืบสวนชายหาดบรรยากาศสบาย ๆ ถ้าขี้เกียจอ่าน จะปิดมันตอนไหนก็ได้ ความสนุกอยู่ที่การเล่าเรื่องสนุกและเต็มไปด้วยอารมณ์ขันของผู้เขียนและความไฮโซเจ้าสำราญของอาร์ชี่ย์
983 reviews9 followers
March 21, 2024
Mr Lawrence’s books are a pleasure to read from beginning to end. They are wildly funny and irresistibly clever. He has warm smart characters with lots of humor and heart. This novel centers around a family owned funeral home
Great read!
Profile Image for Rebecca.
1 review
August 14, 2024
This one took a little while to get through. The storyline was ok, the writing a little superfluous. Probably wouldn't read another book by this author.

Fav line: "You think me guilty of vanity? Of course I am. And so are you. Self-love is the only enduring passion. C'mon, admit it."
Profile Image for Kathi.
1,340 reviews4 followers
February 14, 2025
I do enjoy Sanders's writing style for this series. I love Archy's vocabulary and cringe at his taste in clothing. The bad guy and his motivation were easy to guess, and there are a few loose ends. Will they come back to haunt Archy is a future installment?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews

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