The Dark Tunnel Audiobook By Ross MacDonald cover art

The Dark Tunnel

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The Dark Tunnel

By: Ross MacDonald
Narrated by: Tom Parker
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Doctor Robert Branch was a university professor, not a secret agent. But his best friend was dead, and Branch knew that it couldn't have been suicide. He was also certain that the murder had been arranged by a Nazi espionage group operating on campus. The only trouble was, no one would believe him. Branch knew that the Nazis would have him eliminated as soon as it was convenient. He'd even narrowed his choice of executioner down to three: a psychotic homosexual, a respected educator, and the woman he loved.

The Dark Tunnel was originally published in 1944 under Ross Macdonald's real name, Kenneth Millar.

More mayhem? Listen to our other Ross Macdonald mysteries.©1944 Kenneth Millar (P)1998 Blackstone Audio Inc. Detective Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Classic Mystery

Critic reviews

"Ross Macdonald gives to the detective story that accent of class that the late Raymond Chandler did." (Chicago Tribune)

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Humorous Dialogue • Engaging Twists • Perfect Narration • Historical Perspective • Distinctive Writing Style
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Nazi spies infiltrate a college staff during WWII. A college professor helps the FBI bring them to justice. Lots of twists, a MacDonald trademark.

College is Murder

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Loved the twists of this novel with a university setting. Not a spoiler, but except for the barn square dance sequence, it is very solid structurally.

RM at his early best

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I highly recommend anything by Ken Millar / Ross Macdonald. The Narrator is an alias for the great Grover Gardner. Story was gritty and fast paced.

surprisingly great

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The reviews were not good, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The reader was perfect for creating the time period. His voice itself helped set the scene. I got so angsty listening to no one believe the main character, but was also frustrated when he refused to give the full story to the FBI. It was well done and suspenseful. I would have enjoyed a more thorough denouement.

Better than expected

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This is Ross MacDonald's first novel, before he started his Lew Archer series. It's a good start. The main character uncovers a possible German spy scandal in a university town in the late in 1937. Overall, excellent, though the second half of the book gets increasingly complicated. And of course, some parts are a bit outdated. Still very worthwhile. MacDonald taught at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor which helps him with the setting and politics of a university environment.

Great first novel

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This was a fun book. So many funny quips all thru the book. It should be made into a movie like Fletch.

Fun book

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WOW what a great 👍 book I loved the style and time period the story was in it kept you interested and on the edge of your set the hole way threw really great book. 5 stars for me

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Well written early MacDonald effort, this book is most fun for its WWII historical perspective: set in 1943 Ann Arbor. It's a weird hybrid of countrified noir with national and university politics. Unusual, sometimes silly, but it captures the wartime mentality and cultural forces.

History mystery

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Take 'Like ' from the book, 20 pages shorter at least. It gets tiresome hearing that word over and over.

Like, Like, Like. Not hardly!

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Annoying historical and geographical inaccuracies, "Freeway" in the middle of WWII that wasn't built in Michigan until the 1960's. 90 mph down same freeway when WWII fuel saving speed limit was 35. House built on the edge of a "cliff" in dead flat SE Michigan. Etc...

Dated

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