I mentioned in my notes on “Find the Woman” that it felt like a speedy trial run. It had, apparently, been written alongside this story in a single day, with the name of the detective in both stories being Joe Rogers. For the republication of “Find the Woman” Macdonald had changed the name to Lew Archer, a switch that editor Tom Nolan also performed for the first publication of this story in 2001.
“Death by Water” feels a bit different from Macdonald’s other Archer stories, though again the character of a wicked and damaged mother takes center stage. It’s more a traditional mystery, dealing with the drowning of a likeable lush in a hotel swimming pool. The plot is tight and there’s a neat little clue that its solution hinges on. I’d say William Goldman borrowed the idea when he wrote the screenplay for Chinatown, but seeing as “Death by Water” hadn’t been published at the time he couldn’t have known about it.
The age gap between the drunk and his wife is something nobody makes anything of, but I think even Miss Marple might have raised an eyebrow at it. He is 73 and she is in her “early forties.” So thirty years, and it’s something nobody found remarkable. Those were the days.
Alex Good 
Well, once you hit your 40’s, you’ve experienced a lot of life, so I’d think it would be easier to get a long with someone in their 70’s.
Not that I’m saying I’m all for that kind of thing, mind you.
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Life does shatter some illusions, that’s for sure.
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but also, by that point both of those people have experienced at least 20+ years of shared culture. Even if it’s changing fast, there is that foundation.
I don’t have such an issue once that basis is established. It is why I am against the age gap when one of the people is under 20 though.
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That’s a fair point. It was more common a while back and it seemed to work, at least some of the time.
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I found this:
“Macdonald fans will hail Strangers in Town: Three Newly Discovered Mysteries by Ross Macdonald, edited by his biographer, Tom Nolan. The first story, Death by Water, stars Macdonald’s first detective, Joe Rogers, while two novelettes, Strangers in Town and The Anger Man, feature Lew Archer…”
which doesn’t sound like the name was changed. The whole name-change thing is disgusting. Personally I wouldn’t count either one as an Archer story.
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Both Find the Woman and Death by Water were written with Joe Rogers as the name of the detective. When Macdonald republished Find the Woman he changed Rogers’ name himself to Lew Archer. Death by Water was never published in his lifetime but Nolan did check with the estate and they agreed that changing Rogers to Archer in that story made sense and would have been what Macdonald wanted. I think it’s OK. Plus Joe Rogers is a pretty lousy name for a detective (apologies to any detectives named Joe Rogers out there).
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I don’t know what your source is. Here’s a reader review on Amazon for Strangers in Town:
“…Strangers in Town, and story #3, The Angry Man, both star Lew Archer, the fictional PI most identified with Macdonald. Story #1, Death by Water, on the other hand features an investigator named Joe Rogers….”
I also found a note concerning an adaptation of “Death by Water” that MacDonald insisted on using the name Joe Rogers.
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Source is from an editorial note in The Archer Files: The Complete Short Stories of Lew Archer, Private Investigator. Edited by Tom Nolan, who wrote a 2001 biography of Macdonald and who edited the Archer novels for the Library of America editions. From the note:
“‘Find the Woman’ found its way into The Name Is Archer, Ross Macdonald’s premier 1955 collection of short stories, with Joe Rogers changed to (or revealed as) Lew Archer. Similarly, The Name is Archer also included a revised version of the 1948 novelette ‘The Bearded Lady,’ with Sam Drake becoming Lew Archer.
In the spirit of those earlier author-approved revisions, and with the permission of Keith Millar’s trustee, ‘Death by Water’ is published here as a Lew Archer case.”
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What a mess. Nolan also edited Strangers in Town from 2001 where he didn’t change the name. Later, for yet another book, he changes it. Nope, not for me. Well, at least I know “The Bearded Lady” coming up in your reviews (I presume) is not, by my lights, an Archer story. : -)
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You’re quite the originalist!
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It’s called history. I think it should be preserved.
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