Is The Moving Target part of a series?

This novel introduces Lew Archer, a private investigator who features in many subsequent books by Ross Macdonald. While each book generally presents a self-contained mystery, reading them in order allows for a deeper appreciation of Archer's character development and the recurring themes.

The Moving Target

Classics Crime

Pages: 424
Published: 1949
Language: English

Private investigator Lew Archer is hired to find a missing millionaire in the sun-drenched, corrupt landscape of Southern California. As he digs into the family's secrets, he finds himself caught in a web of kidnapping and murder where no one is truly innocent. This hard-boiled debut established a new kind of detective for the post-war era.

Prose complexity: 7/10

Gritty Atmospheric Dark

Anti-Hero Morally Grey

Ross Macdonald

Ross Macdonald was the main pseudonym used by the American-Canadian writer of crime fiction Kenneth Millar. He is best known for his series of hardboiled novels set in Southern California and featuring private detective Lew Archer. Since the 1970s, Macdonald's works (particularly the Archer novels) have received attention in academic circles for their psychological depth, sense of place, use of language, sophisticated imagery and integration of philosophy into genre fiction. Brought up in the pr...

All characters in The Moving Target

Frequently asked questions

Is The Moving Target part of a series?
This novel introduces Lew Archer, a private investigator who features in many subsequent books by Ross Macdonald. While each book generally presents a self-contained mystery, reading them in order allows for a deeper appreciation of Archer's character development and the recurring themes.