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Article: Gumshoe in paradise.(Santa Barbara, California)
- Article from:
- Sunset
- Article date:
- September 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Sunset Publishing Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In September, life in the most beautiful city in the world acquires a wary edge. The wind blows hot over San Marcos Pass. In the cafes along State Street, people look up, squinting, worrying. Are those ashes? Is that flame? But let an expert describe the possibilities:
"Before we reached Santa Teresa I could smell smoke. Then I could see it dragging like a veil across the face of the mountain behind the city.
"Under and through the smoke I caught glimpses of fire like the flashes of heavy guns too far away to be heard."
That's from a mystery called The Underground Man. It's by Kenneth Millar, a.k.a. Ross Macdonald, and he's writing about his ...