Archy McNally
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Archibald "Archy" McNally is a fictional character created by bestselling novelist
Lawrence Sanders Lawrence Sanders (March 15, 1920 – February 7, 1998) was an American novelist and short story writer.Author Bibliography Archive.org/ref> Life Lawrence Sanders was born in Brooklyn in New York City. After public school he attended Wabash ...
. He is the protagonist of thirteen novels, seven by Sanders and six by
Vincent Lardo Vincent Lardo (born 1930) is an American popular crime novelist. Life and career Born in the Bronx, Lardo attended the former Evander Childs High School, followed by the City College of New York. He enlisted in the Army in 1952, and in 1953 w ...
, who took over the series following Sanders' death in 1998. Archy is the ''Son'' in the law firm ''McNally and Son, Attorney''. Thirty-six years of age when the series begins, Archy lives in his parents' home (a "third floor suite: bedroom, sitting room, dressing room, bathroom") and is the head (and sole member) of the firm's ''Discreet Inquiries'' department. Archy is employed as a
private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...
for the firm's clients, often working in tandem with Sergeant Al Rogoff. Expelled from Yale Law for a youthful indiscretation that involved streaking in a Richard Nixon mask, Archy McNally is a self-described "bon vivant, dillettantish detective, and the only man in Palm Beach to wear white tie and tails to dinner at a Pizza Hut." No cynical
hardboiled Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...
dick, Archy (not "Arch," which is more adjective than name) McNally drives a red
Mazda Miata The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-person sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda. The convertible is marketed as the or in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata () in the United States, and formerly in Canada, where it is now marketed as the ...
("one of the first in South Florida"), stays in shape by swimming two miles along the Atlantic shore in the late afternoons), dresses per local custom ("this is South Florida, where everyone favors pastels")), favors frozen daiquiris "from the June solstice to the September equinox,") and tries to limit his consumption of English Oval cigarettes) as he adds daily notes to his private journal).


Archy McNally Novels


Setting

The primary setting of the McNally series is Palm Beach, Florida. Recurring locations within that setting include the following: *The McNally 'manse' "on A1A, right across the road from the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
," is a "three-story faux Tudor with
mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
ed windows and a leaky copper
mansard A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...
roof" that projects "moneyed ease--costly comfort without flash.". *The offices of McNally and Son,"a five-story edifice of glass and stainless steel" where the firm's staff do work in "estate planning, taxes, revocable and charitable trusts," plus "litigation; real estate; copyrights; trademarks and patents; divorce; malpractice; personal and product liability; and even one old codger who knew more about maritime law than anyone south of Chesapeake Bay." Archy rarely occupies his office therein, which is "possibly the smallest in the building," assigned to him so that his father "could easily refute any charges of nepotism. *The Pelican Club, an establishment created by Archy and his "
wassailing The tradition of wassailing (also spelled wasselling) falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. The house-visiting wassail, which traditionally occurs on the twelfth day of Christmastide ...
pals" from a "two-story clapboard house out near the airport." The club faced
Chapter 7 Chapter Seven refers to a seventh Chapter (books), chapter in a book. Chapter Seven, Chapter 7, or Chapter VII may also refer to: Albums * Chapter Seven (album), ''Chapter Seven'' (album), a 2013 album by Damien Leith. * Chapter VII (album), ''Ch ...
bankruptcy shortly after opening but was saved by hiring the Pettibone family to run it. *The estates of McNally and Son clients, such as Lady Cynthia Horowitz, who is featured in the first book. *Bar Anticipation, "the most infamous bar in South Florida."


Characters

Recurring characters in the series include the following: * Prescott McNally, the ''Attorney'' of McNally and Son, father of Archibald. Prescott's sire was Fredrick ("Ready Freddy") McNally, a burlesque comic and "remarkably astute investor in real estate" who purchased properties in Florida in the 1920s and sent Prescott to Yale to "become a gentleman and eventually an attorney-at-law." A man of steadfast routine, Prescott McNally observes a daily cocktail hour (of thirty minutes duration) and reads
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
while sipping a glass of
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
in his study after dinner. * Madelaine McNally, mother of Archibald, "a paid-up member of the Union of Ditsy Mommies," she is also "an absolutely glorious woman, warm and loving." Nearing seventy years of age, Madelaine drives "an old, wood-bodied Ford Station wagon," and talks to her
begonia ''Begonia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains more than 2,000 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown ...
s. *Consuela Garcia, the on-again, off-again romantic partner of Archy McNally and "social secretary and general factotum"to McNally and Son client Lady Cynthia Horowitz. *Jamie Olson, McNally houseman and savant of Palm Springs service staff gossip. *Ursi Olson, McNally housewoman and chef. *Simon Pettibone, Pelican Club manager and bartender. *Jasmine (Jas) Pettibone, Pelican club wife, housekeeper and den mother, wife of Simon, mother of Jasmine and Leroy. *Leroy Pettibone, Pelican Club chef. *Priscilla Pettibone, Pelican Club waitress. *Sergeant Al Rogoff, Palm Beach Police Department, who drives a pickup truck and affects a "good-ol' boy' persona while secretly being a man who reads
Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...
, T.S. Elliot, and enjoys fine wines. *Mrs. Trelawney, personal secretary to Prescott McNally. *Lolly Spindrift, the Palm Beach gossip columnist who "fills his Mont Blanc with acid and his bed with men." *Binky Watrous, a work-averse buddy of Archy's who was expelled from Princeton for punching a British VIP. *Georgia O'Hara, Florida State Trooper, with whom Archy becomes infatuated in McNally's Alibi, and with whom he is now dating openly in McNally's Dare.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNally, Archy Characters in American novels Fictional American detectives Fictional private investigators