Customer Reviews (1)

BEFORE TRAVIS MCGEE & COLORIZED TITLES, THERE WAS PULP FICTION.
Five Stars!! John D. Macdonald could have gone in several directions in life (Wharton School of Finance and Harvard MBA graduate) and in literature ("Ballroom of the Skies" was great SciFi). But he followed up on this mystery direction, writing many "noir"-ish stories that became pulp fiction (Dime Detective magazine, Night Watch magazine, Detective Tales..) to hone his already considerable skills as shown in this 1985 paperbook. These 13 murder/mystery stories are excellent and not dated very much. And they are riveting because we can see elements of Travis McGee all over the place. Not a one refers to any colors in it's title, but the titles are grand: "Death Writes The Answer", "Breathe No More", "From Some Hidden Grave". But not as grand as the original titles "The Lady is a Corpse" and "This One Will Kill You". Noir all the way. But JDM acknowledges that he got a break that his pulp fiction brethren didn't get.Thank Goodness!!

My personal copy of this paperback is dog-eared to the extent that no dog would chew on it, but it's readable with a good spine. And I keep it around like a fine old wine, reading and re-reading a few stories at a time over long periods and putting it back on the shelf for another time, usually following a great, brisk Travis McGee novel. My favorite, "Murder in Mind", with not one but two McGee prototypes in the same story. I love this stuff and that's why I bought it and keep it. Five Big "Tarantino" Stars for the JDM version of Pulp Fiction!

(Note: there is another anthology called "More Good Old Stuff". Also there are over 20 Travis McGee novels with colorized titles like my favorite title, "The Dreadful Lemon Sky," and some really nifty ladies conjured up by JDM, but they really need to bring back the unusual pre-McGee novel "On The Run" with some truly memorable characters and situations.) ... Read more

Book Description
In what is nearly his final adventure, Travis McGee falls deeply in love with Gretel, his live-aboard boatmate.Then Gretel is horribly and impersonally murdered.

Desperate and half-demented, McGee sets out to find the killers. The trail leads him to the Church of Apocrypha, an eerily familiar religious cult whose converts are given terrorist training.

THE GREEN RIPPER is the most brutal and suspenseful outing of McGee's career, and we find a different kind of "knight errant" emerging from its savagery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

An all time great
John D. MacDonald is arguably one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, and the Travis McGee series certainly proves why.His ability to transport the reader to another time and place with just a few short lines is uncanny, and isn't that what escapism fiction is all about? Green Ripper is one of my personal favorites, and I have purchased many different editions over the years as I always seem to be loaning out copies that never make their way back home to me.MacDonaldis superb, McGee is immortal, and the Green Ripper is one of the best.

McGee as Bond
Not my familiar McGee guy.ButI did like his honest assessment of what a tackiness the dated Busted Flush seemed to be taking on as time was marching on and the lessened fulfillment of the lifestyle he was living as he was growing older.However one distressing aspect of the later MacDonald books is that he was becoming affected by the toehold that "political correctness"(though not the stranglehold of nowadays) was starting to have on the times and unconsciously reflected in all thought, word and deed.The appeal of the MacDonald books was the astonishing lack of political correctness to get a real picture of what was what instead of what should be what according to who lately is demanding it be so.

Just McGee's luck that in the late 70's women were coming into their career minded age and the house husband and Mr. Mom were getting to be the thing.Perhaps McGee could have lived in retirement with his new glamourous, successful, determined wife eventually pulling down some serious K for the rent and groceries and then he could ride off into the sunset as a permanent adolescent that would be fun for the kids he would be staying home taking care of.All except that she gets killed and then the plans change again and after settling that score he gets to return to his former lifestyle after that silly moment of thinking about moving on.

I'm not sure why McDonald didn't make this a separate book with new central character.It doesn't really fit the series and I wouldn't have bought this book had I known how far removed it was from the other books both in geography and appeal of the story.I much prefer the McGee who was in the small stakes salvage business and not trying to save the world.

An Interesting Idea
At one point towards the beginning of this novel one of the characters draws a pointed contrast: one the one hand we have so-called ordinary murders, committed by individuals against other individuals for the usual motives of greed, lust, and jealousy; on the other hand there are political assassinations, the byproduct of larger forces which transcend individual lives. How can the private-eye genre, which is rooted in the world of individual guilt and responsibility, come to terms with political murder? The Green Ripper works through this problem in mostly gripping fashion. For another take on the same theme, see any novel written by Mickey Spillane between 1950 and 1970.

Not Typical of the Series, But One of the Best
The Travis McGees are jewels of economical writing (with some forgivable moralizing and preaching from the hero from time to time that judicious readers will learn to skip after a few books), and I've read and enjoyed them all.This episode is out of the ordinary.Usually, as Travis takes on one of his "salvage" operations, he's mostly a private eye poking into a mystery that demands, once or twice, that he face a violent confrontation.

"The Green Ripper" is instead a novel of revenge and combat, and a very satisfying one.McGee functions more as the violent hero of a thriller in this one, and he makes an estimable hero.The book is one of his final exploits, and the McGee of this novel (and of the final book, "The Lonely Silver Rain"), is more melancholy and brooding than the more upbeat Travis of the early novels.Here, it fits: McGee wants nothing but revenge, and finds it.

My recommendation is to read the McGee books in order.They're worth savoring, one every few months.By the time you reach "The Green Ripper," you'll appreciate the contrast of this novel's plot.

MacDonald on Terrorism
The Green Ripper stands alone. If you are new to the McGee series, start with The Deep Blue Goodbye.

I grew up in the 60's in Ft Lauderdale and knew Bahia Mar well. But I also grew up in Fayetteville NY where John D lived and sold insurance after graduating from Syracuse -- or was it Harvard. Yet somehow I never read him until the 90's. What a treat it has been!

The Green Ripper may be the most important McGee book because of September 11th. Here John D gives us his ideas on terrorism. He gives it a religious basis. He explores its financing and organizational management structure. He gives it an international reach. He explains the psychology of the participants and their training mehtods. He shows the inability of law enforcement to prevent it. Written in 1979, he makes some predictions regarding the future -- that is, now.

Of course, it is a McGee book. Therefore we have a McGee-solution, which he called a Dissat-solution in "A Tan and Sandy Silence", heh. When McGee infiltrates a terrorist training camp, mayhem ensues, putting it mildly.

The book stands alone because of the effect it all has on McGee. Get to know him; read the earlier titles first. Then come to The Green Ripper. The epilogue will be particularly moving. ... Read more

Book Description
Read by Darren McGavin
Six Cassettes, 9 hours

Includes: THE DEEP BLUE GOODBYE, THE LONELY SILVER RAIN & ONE FEARFUL YELLOW EYE

THE DEEP BLUE GOODBYE
Travis McGee: He's a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He's also a knight errant who's wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out and his rule is simple: he'll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half....

THE LONELY SILVER RAIN
Keeping himself alive is something detective Travis McGee has always taken for granted -- until his search for a wealthy friend's missing yacht places him square in the center of the international cocaine trade. Following a trail that leads him from Miami's lavish penthouse suites to a remote village in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Travis finds himself the target of some of the most ruthless villains he"s ever met.

ONE FEARFUL YELLOW EYE
Travis McGee arrives in Chicago to investigate the theft of thousands of dollars during Glory Doyle's husband's last painful year and comes across a particularly sadistic blackmailer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Darren McGavin is Travis McGee, I guar-on-tee!
The impact of this trilogy of "colorful" books on tape by John MacDonald is a tribute to the gravelly voice of Darren McGavin. To be sure, McGavin has been an actor for decades, so it should be no surprise that he continually gives so much life to the text that it sounds just like you're listening to Travis McGee and his characters in person.

You are right there with them. McGavin breathes, chuckles, pauses, clears his throat, sighs, yells, whispers, wheezes, and indeed acts out all the parts. You can just about feel it when he gets slugged! Doesn't matter that you can't see him, because in your mind's eye you really can.

The three mysteries boxed together are all good mysteries, and the enjoyment of them comes from the fact that MacDonald has created a character who is so human that he is completely believable. The guy talks to himself, he wonders what he's getting into, why he got into it, and how he's hoping to get out of it! He wonders continually about relationships, and why it is that he can't seem to build a permanent one for himself. He is self-enlightened, he knows about his shortcomings and his strengths. Yet he is also genuinely concerned about the others who come into and out of his life.

I don't even have to tell you about the three mysteries, they are all very good, and a little heartwrenching. Read or listen to these and you will go back for more. Luckily there are numerous other Travis McGee mysteries to tackle later, some even read by McGavin!

Travis McGee scores with Darren McGavin's winning narration
I had read the complete Travis McGee series many years ago, and had recently decided to revisit my "beach bum turned knight in slightlytarnished armor" hero once again. Faced also with an interminabledaily commute and inane radio chatter, I decided to kill two birds with onestone and order the audio package.Bravo!Propelled predominately by JohnD. MacDonald's elegant yet wistful prose and bolstered significantly byDarren McGavin's at times powerfully emotional narration, through my radioTravis McGee came to life as he never had before.The earliest fable,"The Deep Blue Good-by", written some thirty-plus years ago,suffers slightly from minor out-dated references, but rarely."TheLonely Silver Rain", the last in the series, is completely relevant,perhaps more today than when written.Highly recommended and it's a surething that all the books in the series that have been rendered to audiowill find themselves in my collection. ... Read more

Book Description
A PURPLE PLACE FOR DYING finds Travis McGee witness to a murder he can't prove and a kidnapping nobody wants to believe.McGee becomes a pawn between a wealthy Southwestern patriarch, the law, and a mysterious gang bent on insurance fraud.Just the kind of thing McGee revels in! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent Detective Story
A Purple Place of Dying is the second novel by John D. MacDonald featuring Travis McGee.McGee has been summoned to the country by Mona Yeoman to try and force a divorce and financial settlement from her tycoon husband.McGee is not inclined to go for it but before the meeting ends, Yeoman takes a bullet to the spine and falls to the ground dead.Before long, the body has disappeared and Travis learns that everyone assumes the woman has run off with a college professor she's been having an affair with.Away from his home turf and not sure who he can trust, McGee digs in to try and find out who killed Mona Yeoman.

John MacDonald knew how to tell a story and tell it well.His use of language is clear and concise.The dialogue is crisp and intelligent and includes the snappy patter that any self-respecting detective series must have.At just under 300 pages, A Purple Place for Dying is certainly not padded, the story moves along well and keeps the reader guessing at a solution to the mystery until the reveal.The characters were well developed and interesting.Mona's husband was particularly enjoyable and Travis McGee manages to be both tough without becoming a caricature of a hard-boiled detective.He's decent, honest for the most part, and the kind of guy you'd want on your side when in trouble.

In any review, I try to point out the good along with the bad.In this case, I can't really find any flaws or weaknesses in the book.It's well written, the story is interesting, and the characters were strong.This was the first novel of MacDonald's that I have read but I can see why he was recognized as a master of the craft of writing.If you're looking for a good detective novel, this one is an excellent choice.

Entertaining Mystery
Travis McGee does it again, with attitude.These books are loads of fun and this one is no exception.I had it sort of figured out pretty early on, but enjoyed watching the whole thing unfold.These books are so funny with their 1960s male perspective, and I love the little details that MacDonald includes.Suspenseful, funny and a good read.

Great title, good book...
A Purple Place for Dying is the third book in John MacDonald's Travis McGee series, and McGee comes upon his most troubling case yet.McGee is brought to the Midwest by a big, brassy, bossy Blonde who needs help.Mona Yeoman suspects that her husband has pilfered her trust fund, and she wants a divorce.McGee's job is to find out what happened to the money.McGee doesn't particularly like Yeoman, but is tempted to take the case because he needs the money.But before he even has a chance to say yes, Mona is murdered right in front of his eyes, and this changes everything.What makes things even more mysterious is that her body disappears when the police are called to the scene of the crime.

McGee could simply take his return plane ticket and fly home to his native Florida.But for whatever reasons, he decides to stick around and do some snooping.There are many twists and turns and also a few more mysterious murders.As usual, McGee finds himself in danger the closer he comes to the truth.And the truth comes as a complete surprise.

Each MacDonald book gets better than the previous one.We also get to see McGee become more fleshed out as a character.Still, it seems that the early books in this series are more of a novella length, but MacDonald corrects this with later books.

Overall, the McGee series is a true gem, and I'm glad to have discovered these wonderful mysteries.

Not one of my favorites, but still great.
Even though I still find "Flash of Green" to be my favorite MacDonald book, there's something so appealing about the Travis McGee series that keeps me coming back to them. But "Purple Place for Dying" just doesn't have that quick pace that some of the others have. The secondary characters just are not as interesting. This is all a presonal reaction, so don't take it too serious. At least Travis is Travis. You gotta love this guy!

I just hope that MacDonald continues to gain in popularity, as I feel he is horribly overlooked.

The Color of Truth
When a friend recommends Travis McGee as the perfect man to solve a problem, Travis McGee finds himself employed by Mono Yeoman - a woman who is as tough, and as hard, as nails.McGee leaves his Florida houseboat for the Nevada desert, where he expects to to help Mono untangle her estate from the greedy fingers of her estranged husband.But he barly gets his bags unpacked when a sniper does away with his employer.

Any fan knows that nothing is more calculated to upset McGee than murdering someone right under his nose.The detective/troubleshooter has very little patience under the best of circumstances and he takes that kind of interference very personally.So client or no, McGee dives in to find the killer.And uncover a complex land and money scheme at the same time.In short order it becomes obvious that nothing is ever as obvious as it first seems and McGee is on his way to a showdown that might bring an unexpectedly swift end to John MacDonald's series.

McGee is the classic not-quite-noir hero, mad of the same cloth as Nero Wolfe's Archie.Tough, a dash sarcastic, but basically a defender of the underdog, his solutions to problems combines subtlety and violence in just the right mix.By now generations of mystery lovers have come to see McGee as their man in Lauderdale.A solution up to the toughest challenge.This is one of the earliest McGee's (The Deep Blue Good-by was first) and remains one of the best after nearly 40 years . ... Read more

Product Description
Great book for Travis McGee fans. Contains, "A Tan and Sandy Silence","The Long Lavender Look" and "Bright Orange For the Shroud". All under one cover.This book is available only in Book Club edition. ... Read more

Book Description
"McGee has become part of our national fabric."

SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER

This time out, McGee came close to losing his status as a living legend when he agreed to track down the killers who brutally murdered an ailing millionaire. For starters, he renewed an unfinished adventure with a famous--and oversexed--Hollywood actress, who led him into a very nasty nest of murderers involving a motorcycle gang, pornographic movies, and mad balloonists. And Mcgee relearned the old lesson--that only when he came close to the edge of death was he completely alive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Master of the genre, MacDonald gives Travis all he can handle
In this one, Travis has matured, been through some true loves found and lost for one reason or another, but still lives in his houseboat The Busted Flush in Lauderdale, Florida, and tries to work odd cases as an unofficial private investigator taking half of whatever is recovered. Between the early 1960s of his first appearance and this one in the early 1980s, Travis has become friends with a man named simply Meyer, who is as unconventional as Travis but travels in more elevated financial circles and knows the money game. No ages are given but the author gives the impression that Travis is the younger man, possibly in his 30s yet, while Meyer is the old pro in his late 40s or mid-50s. At the beginning of the story, Meyer is trying to convince Travis to take a case for a would-be heir who wants to find out how and why his father was killed.

...

For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
reviews, please visit my site [...]

Brian Wright
Copyright 2007

Worst Travis MsGee
I agree with the other two star reviewer for this book. Nothing seems real or convincing in this work. If this had been the first MacDonald book I read I would not have read another.

The plot read like the cheap 60's motorcycle themed movies the book kept discussing. I didn't believe any of it. Travis reluctant to grieve over a woman he knew that was brutally murdered because he couldn't focus in on her personality just amazed me.

Even if you're addicted to the series as I am; don't read this one!

A great McGee novel
This was a very good addition to the Travis McGee series. A quick read, but very rewarding. Nobody can write so well about the seedy underbelly of society quite like John D. MacDonald.

In this installment, our gallant beach bum hero takes on a case for an artist named Ron Esterland, who wants McGee to find out who murdered his dying millionaire father. The mystery pits McGee up against an array of possible suspects along with a brutal and sadistic outlaw biker.

If you're a fan of the mystery/noir genre, John D. MacDonald will not disappoint with this chapter of the Travis McGee series.

My new numero uno McGee novel
I'm running out of room on my bookshelf--MacDonald's Travis McGee series is eating up all the space. And now I've just added "Free Fall in Crimson" to that shelf. \

One of the other reviewers remarked that this was the 19th installment of this series. Amazing! And I really wish I had read these great thrillers in the order in which they had been written. No matter. "Free Fall in Crimson" holds as prominent a spot among its tribe as any of the other ones. As I have mentioned in other reviews, MacDonald's "A Flash of Green" had always ranked at the top of my list. "Free Fall in Crimson" has now taken over that spot.

Free Fallin'
One of the things I like about the McGee series is the strange authority MacDonald brings to it.He had a very strict, intelligent mind and a disdain for shoddy work that rivaled Hemingway's, which often gave his descriptions and depictions a shrewd authority.Even when you may not fully buy what's going on on the page, you can buy that the author and the characters believe it, which is often enough to go on.

But with "Free Fall in Crimson," the authority is a little flimsy.The book, published in the early 80s, is the first McGee that just does not convince on several key levels.

Most of that has to do with McGee's brief dip into California outlaw biker culture in his attempts to track down a murderous Hell's Angel named Dirty Bob.Nothing about the scenario -- not the crime McGee investigates, not the people he meets along the way, not the stilted dialogue he engages in, not the situations he encounters -- feels convincing.

A millionaire goes to buy a little hash and takes gold Krugerrands to purchase the drugs? McGee is made an honorary member of a bike tribe ("The Fantasies") and given a special pin to use... if he ever needs it?A character on the run who needs to hide his identity suddenly gets a terminal illness that allows him to drop 100 pounds in two months?

The second half of the book -- McGee's visit to a debauched, coked-out 80s-era film set, where a Dennis Hopper-esque auteur is having a big budget meltdown as he tries to make an existential thriller (about balloon pilots?) -- is a little more convincing than the biker stuff, but the dialogue still smells too much like exposition, the film crew's lines sound transposed from research.

I did enjoy the nightmarish riot that begins the last act; and I liked the creepy section in which McGee slowly, gradually figures out that his prey has turned around and is coming after him; and, oddly, I was completely convinced that McGee could survive a leap from a runaway balloon hovering 50 feet off the ground (just remember: land on the balls of your feet, tuck your chin, roll forward with your right shoulder out and down, hit the ground running....)

But as far as the series as a whole goes, this is probably one of the weaker entires I've read.But, should I ever fall or jump out of a hot air balloon, I seriously think I'll know what to do. ... Read more

Book Description
From the author of A Purple Place for Dying and The Deep Blue Good-by comes the republication of the bestseller starring Travis McGee, a real American hero. Reissue.


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Saving not-so-maidenly damsels in distress

"Suddenly I knew what she reminded me of. A vixen. A quick red fox. I had seen one in heat long ago on an Adirondack morning in spring, pacing along well in front of the dog fox with a very alert and springy movement, tail curled high, turning to see if he still followed, tongue lolling from between her doggy grin."
- McGee's first impression of red-haired sex symbol Lysa Dean

A mutual screenwriter friend in San Francisco, one of two real male friends Lysa has, recommends Travis to her to resolve a very sordid blackmail problem: after wrapping a movie a year and a half before, she'd taken three weeks holiday with a now-departed boyfriend who, apparently out of spontaneous boredom, brought in several casual acquaintances of both sexes for fun and games, which a month later turned up in a series of very candid anonymous photographs.

Lysa paid off the anonymous photographer at the time, her reputation for professional reliability being a little too precarious and her conservative fiancee being *far* too rich for her to risk either by sending hired muscle after the blackmailer. But now a set of copies of the photos have begun turning up in Lysa's mail with threats that suggest a potential sexual predator has gotten hold of a set of prints and created new negatives, and that Lysa's life as well as her reputation may be at stake this time.

Travis' job is to find the blackmailer and account for all the photographs and negatives rather than to protect Lysa, who is *not* the female lead this time out. (Travis has a streak of the prude in him.) Instead, Lysa's confidential secretary/personal assistant, Dana Holtzer, is assigned to accompany Travis, assist, and monitor the situation. Travis misreads Dana at first as a repressed prude not worth his respect and is set firmly straight to his great embarrassment; she knows a *lot* more about some kinds of tragedy than he does.

Yet another fine example of Travis' adventures as a knight in tarnished armour; not only is Ms. Dean a far-from-innocent lady fair, but Dana has some very complicated issues herself, though of a more wholesome variety. Travis comes to respect Dana as being worth at least ten of her employer.

The story is a kind of morality tale, in a way, as Travis tracks down the other players in that orgy in the land of eternal summer and finds a trail of broken relationships and torn-apart lives, each tragedy apparently unrelated to the rest save that the kind of people who'd be involved in that sordid holiday might be expected to come to grief. Each is an interesting and individual problem, apart from the puzzle of how the blackmailer happened upon Lysa's indiscretion and why a second set of photos has now turned up.

Points of interest:
- Lysa turns up years later in FREE FALL IN CRIMSON with a separate problem and further information about how certain events played out.
- MacDonald does *not* turn Travis' cynical insight loose upon the Hollywood culture in general, but there's plenty of philosophical musing along the way.
- Meyer is mentioned in passing, but doesn't actually appear in a book until DARKER THAN AMBER, to the best of my recollection.
- Interesting photographer friend of Travis' is introduced in passing as a consultant.
- Rather negative portrayal of some female homosexual/bisexual characters herein may offend some readers.

Possibly the weakest of the Travis McGee novels.
It's still a fairly good read, lively, suspenseful, generally worthwhile. But there are two major flaws that bring its rating down considerably. One is that the main romantic interest is NOT the "damsel in distress"; that position is occupied by a thoroughly unsympathetic character, one who McGee is manipulated by in ways that we rarely see. The other is that, while it isn't uncommon for some aspect of this series to seem rather outdated these days, generally, the main character's attitudes seem remarkably reasonable if a bit old-fashioned; in one scene in this book, he is demonstrated to be completely clueless and utterly unsympathetic towards lesbians. While I wouldn't have been surprised or offended had he proved somewhat clueless and condescending, his attitude in that scene (and clearly, that of the author) were neolithic and downright hostile enough to really grate on my nerves. Really ruined what otherwise would have been a pretty fair to middling book.

Classic Travis
Even though I still find "Flash of Green" to be my favorite MacDonald book, there's something so appealing about the Travis McGee series that keeps me coming back to them. The "Quick Red Fox" is a perfect example is why. It is well-paced and the central mystery is engrossing. The minor charactersare all well-drawn and memorable. And, of course, it's Travis!

I hope that MacDonald continues to gain in popularity, as I feel he is horribly overlooked.

Like eating potato chips...
Reading John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series is like eating potato chips:you can't eat just one.But unlike potato chips, each book tastes better than the last.In The Quick Red Fox, the 4th book in this series, MacDonald really hits his stride.

Film-star Lysa Dean calls in McGee on a top secret and very sensitive job.Dean was at a party with nine other people when some compromising pictures were taken.The actress has been blackmailed once over these photos, and a year after the original blackmail scheme, she receives more photos and a threatening letter.Afraid that the release of these pictures will jeopardize her film career and interfere with her planned marriage to husband number five, she asks McGee to investigate.She also gives McGee her young, beautiful and efficient, but very frosty personal assistant, Dana Holtzer.

McGee and Holtzer crisscross the country trying to interview the other members from that fateful party.Some are scarred, some are missing and some are mysteriously murdered.But despite all the odds and lots of dead ends, McGee is able to assemble the pieces of this intriguing puzzle.

The Travis McGee series continues to get better and this was the best one yet. I can't wait to start number five.

Cinematic McGee
Maybe it's because of the Hollywood commentary in this mcGee outing (Trav helps a vain movie star track down photos of her, taken during a drunken beach house sex party) but this jaunt seems like one of the most vivid, cinematic of the books.

Carefully detailed, pleasantly sordid and joltingly violent, "Quick Red Fox" is easy to imagine, on my mental movie screen, as directed by a period late noir helmsman like Robert Rossen ("The Hustler") or Robert Aldrich ("Kiss Me Deadly"), in crisp black-and-white Cinemascope with Paul Newman or Steve McQueen in the lead.

It's not as big in scale as some of the books, but it bobs and weaves in odd directions.Trav's confrontations with a prissy ski instructor; a pair of menacing, trailer park lesbians; and a spookily rendered German trophy wife may not be politically correct but they typify what's best and occasionally worst about MacDonald's style.McGee's warnings about women who kick for the crotch chafe against political correctness but make for one hilarious scene.

The first time I read it, I was pleased at how aburptly MacDonald wraps this one up.On a second reading, I thought perhaps it was a little anticlimactic but, in re-evaluating it, "Fox" ends economically and with a surpirsing level of sad tenderness.A good starting point for the uninitiated. ... Read more

Book Description
Sam Taggart drops in from the past--and then drops dead. He leaves McGee with an ancient Aztec idol and a woman who leads him on a wild chase. Reissued with new cover art. 2 cassettes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

THE Definitive Travis McGee Novel
It's curious to read some of the other opinions written about this incredible yarn.Obviously most other reviewers enjoy MacDonald and the McGee series. But the concerns posited by others represent some of the nuance and fabric of MacDonald's genius which yield his works of fiction, and the McGee series in particular, for what they are: GREAT LITERATURE.I believe MacDonald is the best novelist of the twentieth century.

The Deep Blue Goodbye, the first of the series, is typical of the first efforts of genius.The next books leading up to Gold are shorter stories with less convoluted, though quite satisfying story lines.Gold is my favorite (along with The Green Ripper for totally different reasons) because of its detailed and deeply diverse story line.

As in the entire McGee series Trav is narrating the adventure from his first person perspective with wit, self-certain insight and all-knowing and sometimes humble introspection. Yet overlaying his views is his basic flaw; the 60's existential man's man.Travis believes in himself, his abilities and the basic correctness of his philosophy for living. He lives and dies by them and they serve him well personally, though the dying always rubs off on those around him.

In one book he states he is 'wary of all earnestness'.That is a theme of his early and mid years.Later in the series he becomes more open to examinng his shortcomings, his mortality and wonders about his own self-serving motives in a way that suggests change is ultimately on the way, if he lives that long.His buddy Meyer is instrumental in moving Trav toward a more realistic and longer view of living and reality.The story of Travis ends aptly in the Lonely Silver Rain with real change unavoidable and much life still looming ahead.Of course at this point we lost the genius that was MacDonald in his early death, and left the real McGee fans to speculate about Travis' future.

But Gold is the story where Travis peaks in his physical strength and intellectual ingenuity. He is bullet proof and invisible when necessary.He is the great savior of shattered women, and deftly justifies himself in that role (as he does throghout the series, and is never adequately called on that self-delusion except by Jean in Silver Rain).In Gold the woman in need of saving is Nora.Of course like all the true "keepers", (which are legion in Travis' life), her lifespan is shortened tragically though Travis justifies his inocence in her fluke death.

As usual Travis makes his recovery of the treasure in an incomplete way at a cost that leaves him pondering the worth of the project.But also as usual his lack of insight into things other than the tangibilities of having life his own way cause depression and regret but no sense of repentance, loving more the dance to the drum-beat of his personal demon's rhythm.His belief only in the here and now and his professed agnosticisms help him justify the real mess his lifestyle and actions inflict upon him and his numerous true loves one book at a time.The result is periodic self-medication for his bouts with depression in alcohol overuse and intentional whoredoggery; the ying and yang of his beach bum life choice.

One of the fascinating aspects of Gold and the early books is the dialog in the vernacular of the era of the early 60s.MacDonald did us a great service in preserving the way people really talked in those days. Just as Shakespeare wrote in the language of his time, so did MacDonald.This is a strength of the series, seeing the changing American zeitgeist as Trav adventures through the early 60s to mid 80s.

One last interesting point of Gold (and there are many more; a lengthy dissertation could be written on the joys and convolutions of this brilliant novel) is the perspective we get of Travis' flawed yet upflappable morality.In the prologue chapters of Gold we learn that Sam and Nora were the real deal; for Travis a picture of what a life-mate connection should be.Trav's honey at the time was one Nikki, with whom he tried to immitate the passion and potential permanence that he saw in Sam and Nora's relationship.Later in Mexico Trav finds that he is heading the same way with Nora, and indeed she was a keeper. But Travis' fatal flaw (always fatal to the keepers) rears it's ugly head.Of course to Travis it is just the on-going poker game of life, playing the hands he is dealt and sometimes overbetting a hand he should have folded.But to Trav life just never stops being poker.And as in all games of chance, eventually the good run runs out.

Read this book.I do about once a year.I never tire of the brilliant mystery, the heart-racing action, the incredible characters, the just-like-you-are-there sense of place.Gold is the perfect vacation read at the beach or the book to study and understand the philosophy that lead us to the culture clash we see even today in 2004.

Growing pains...
A Deadly Shade of Gold is the 5th book in John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series.In number 5, the gold in question is actually 28 ancient gold idols.An old friend from McGee's murky past gives McGee a call asking for help.Sam Taggart has disappeared for three years, and has been in some trouble. Taggart also has in his possession 28 gold idols from various ancient civilizations including Incan and Aztec cultures.But before McGee can render any assistance, Taggart is brutally murdered and all but one of the idols goes missing.

McGee goes on a quest to discover not only who killed his friend, but also to unearth the mystery of Taggart's 3 missing years.He also looks for the stolen idols.He gets assistance from Taggart's former fiancée, Nora, and this case takes him from Florida to Mexico and then to Los Angeles.

While I really enjoyed MacDonald's first four books, I found A Deadly Shade of Gold harder to read.This novel is double the length of his first four books and I wonder if MacDonald was experiencing some growing pains in trying to expand on this series.I found the plot extremely cumbersome in spots.It definitely lost momentum about two thirds of the way through.Also, it was hard to keep track of the many characters, and I found the Cuban connection a little confusing.Still, I would not discount MacDonald and will continue to read the rest of this series (21 books in all).His mastery of observation is nothing short of brilliant.

MacDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece.
McDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece.

I was cleaning out some bookshelves not long ago and came across this book.It's been years since I'd read a Travis McGee novel so I decided to reread this one.That proved to be one of the best decisions I've made so far this year reading-wise.

Back in the 1960's John D. MacDonald wrote 21 Travis McGee books (along with a large number of stand alone books as well).They were among the most successful thriller/suspense books of the times and remain, in my opinion, one of the very best thriller suspense series of all time.

MacDonald utilized a very Hemingway-esque writing style-terse, to the point, very abrasive and macho.His characters were first rate across the board, whether they be a series regular or a bit player.Even inanimate objects came to e serious characters, as in Travis' car and houseboat.Also the series is easily distinguishable as all McGee novels titles use the name of a color in the title.

The books are dated in the sense that they use language and mannerisms common to the time.This is an observation, not a criticism.They are authentic to their time in every way and therefore are, essentially, timeless.

A Deadly Shade of Gold is a pretty standard McGee thriller.The story involves McGee's dual purpose of finding and avenging the killer's of an old friend who suddenly reappears in South Florida asking McGee for help while trying to recover a hoard of pre-Columbian gold figurines his friend says were stolen from him.The action moves from Florida to Mexico to LA and involves the usual MacDonald elements-exotic locales, unique, dangerous characters, unleavened greed, lots of action, romance and lots of explicit violence.

If you're tired of the run-of-the-mill, politically correct factory produced mysteries that seem to proliferate these days and want an authentic suspense/thriller experience, give Travis McGee a try-you won't be disappointed.

Extreme McGee
"A Deadly Shade of Gold," the 5th in the Travis McGee series is bawdy and brutal; a bloody chase novel taking McGee from Florida to Mexico to LA.MacDonald has a wondrous sense of place and you can feel the sensuous breezes and see the spectacular sunsets he creates for you.There are a few creaky spots:Nora, Travis's love interest, is so `50's lady-like, you expect her to be white gloved and hatted even in the shower; -- all characters are super sun worshippers while the reader uneasily thinks about skin cancer.Be that as it may, it's a fine rousing tale with careful characterizations and Travis's philosophies served up painlessly.

Old buddy Sam Taggart, a three-year missing person, contacts Travis in dire need of his services as a salvage consultant.The deal sounds shady at best as Sam claims he is the rightful owner of 28 crude golden idols dating from pre-Colombian times.The hitch is 27 of the 28 have been stolen from him, and he wants them back.Sam is down on his luck and appears to be on the run.When he took off three years ago without a word, he left the beauteous Nora high and dry.Now he is back to redeem himself.Before Trav can get Sam and Nora together, or even decide whether he wants to accept Sam's offer, Sam is brutally murdered.Nora hires Trav to find the killer, but insists on accompanying him (natch) when the trail leads to Mexico.The action is fierce, retribution is swift and oh-so-well-described, and Trav and Nora find something more in common than Sam.

"A Deadly Shade of Gold" at 434 pages is long for a Travis McGee novel, but moves swiftly.MacDonald takes great care in setting up his locales, which makes for lovely reading.Though Sam exits early, he is with us throughout the book, and gradually an entirely different Sam emerges posthumously.This is handled cleverly by friend's ruminations, and we are allowed to derive our own conclusions.Travis is not yet fully formed; he's still pretty rough around the edges, but this novel sets the course for the future.

A bit dated
A Deadly Shade of Gold was my first John MacDonald novel. It was written in the mid - 1960's, and read like it. The dialogue, metaphors and characters were terribly dated - think Sam Spade meets Jimmy Buffet in 1965 Ft Lauderdale and you've got the picture: the chauvinism, the Hemingwayesque machismo, the budding "youth culture" and of course the tropical south Florida sunshine. With that said, however, the book was a remarkably entertaining read. The plot twists kept me rivited to the story line (in spite of the by-now cliched characters). The occasional diatibes against the development of south Florida and the damage to the eco-system also made for entertaining asides - as well as a haunting foreshadowing of what was to come. But I think this will be my last John MacDonald novel. For my money, Randy Wayne White's south Florida sleuth "Doc Ford" is better. If you enjoy John MacDonald, you are sure to love Randy Wayne White. ... Read more

Book Description
While making good his promise to prevent a young girl from committing suicide, Travis McGee encounters an entirely new string of problems of his own. Attempting to salvage someone else's troubled life, McGee soon finds it is enough just to keep his own neck out of the noose!As with all of John D. MacDonald's books, THE GIRL IN THE PLAIN BROWN WRAPPER is filled with the special insights into human fears and desires that millions of readers have come to expect from him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper
Travis really has his work cut out for him this time. Happily, he finally handles the dangerous situation perfectly.

Like meeting an old friend
I do not even remember when I first read this book, it is only that I like Mr.McGee's style of meetig the world face-on so much that I bought the book again. I liked it like before. It was like joining the gang on the Busted Flush for an easy evening of music and laughter.

Poor Nurse Penny
A bit overplotted and maybe resolved just a little too neatly, "The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper" nevertheless transcends its dated, Spillane-esque title and serves as a entertaining, mid-level McGee adventure.

After two excellent introductory sections (a cool short section about Trav *actually* working in his supposed field -- salvage consulting; and a amusing backstory about his affair with an older woman), we gear into the breadth of the plot which involves a beautiful, unhinged blonde with a bottomless trust fund and her husband, a monied sociopath who's both more and less dangerous than he seems.

Somewhere along the way, we find Trav actually experiencing genuine feelings for a woman (and the *wrong* woman, no less; this is one instance in which most readers can finally say *they* know better than MacDonald's endlessly shrewd, canny protagonist).

The final third is a little too much Q&A, with Trav extracting exactly the information he needs from relative strangers; the fairly obvious examination of race-relations may be accurate but hasn't aged too well; and the ending -- in which MacDonald actually has to step back and explain the twists step-by-step to the reader through a deposition -- feels like a writer tip-toeing out of the corner he's painted himself into.

But nevertheless, this is a vivid little page-turner with some nicely rendered characters (Pike, Biddy, Nurse Penny, screwed-up lawyer Holton and his alluring wife and especially Detective Stanger) and an apt air of melacholy, regret and loss.

A Thinking Man's Mystery Novel
Travis McGee gets a check for $25,000 (a lot of dough for 1969) and the dying wish of an old friend, to look after her suicidal daughter.So McGee goes to Fort Courtney to observe the daughter, her sister and her husband.What McGee encounters is a series of unusual circumstances, including dead bodies, cheating spouses, and the evidence that somebody is spying on him.Could all of these things be connected? Sure - but only McGee could figure out the complicated connection.True to most McGee novels, justice is served in the end, although in a form the reader does not expect.

This is my 11th McGee novel.Clearly MacDonald writes in a more sophisticated style than 98% of the mystery writers today.A new reader may find it annoying that one must suffer through a good 100 pages before the action really begins, but this is typical MacDonald style.Not only do you get a complex mystery, but you get a lot of philosophy along the way.

My first McGee novel.A very good start!
Well, I'll keep this short & sweet.I'm not much of a mystery reader but this series was recommended to me by several people.I picked this one randomly to start the series.I liked it...the story was quick-moving, had good character development, some humor, a lot of action, and tied up nicely at the end.At 250 pages it's a quick read, perfect for an airplane ride. If you like Dick Francis, Robert Parker, et al, then you'll like this series. ... Read more

Book Description
"To diggers a thousand yeasrs from now...the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen."

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

How to you extort $600,000 from a dying man? Someone had done it very quietly and skilfully to the husband of Travis McGee's ex-girlfriend. McGee flies to Chicago to help untangle the mess and discovers that although Dr. Fortner Geis had led an exemplary life, there were those who'd take advantage of one "indiscretion" and bring down the whole family. McGee also discovers he likes a few members of the family far too much to let that happen.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Blunderer McGee
I'm a huge fan of the Travis McGee series, but I urge you to be careful with this one.For the first 250 pages, McGee makes solid choices and dodges all the bullets.However, he makes a fatal blunder at the end that any reader could see coming a mile away.I was powerless to stop it, solely at the mercy of MacDonald's writing.McGee's blunder gets the main girl hurt really bad.I suffered from borderline post-traumatic stress for the rest of the evening after finishing this book.Be careful, and know what you're getting into before investing time in this book.

Hated this one
I have liked the other McGee books, but this one was sickening.The novel suffers from the ponderous exposition, as other reviewers noted.And the ending--without spoilers, I can say that it was so over-the-top violent and deliberately disturbing that I wonder about the author's mental health.And the solution came on what was a clumbsily-written deus ex machina.Get another McGee book--any other McGee book--but not this one.This is one of the few books I've wished I could un-read.

Not Up To Par For JDM
This entry of the T. McGee series was not up to plot or craftsmanship found in most of John D. MacDonald's work. To me, it seemed at times to be almost a parody of the usual McGee...too much TALK of broken birds, and just not enough of the rough and tumble action we have come to expect from Ol' Trav.But don't worry, things are back on track in the next one, PALE GRAY FOR GUILT.I've wondered if there wasn't something going on in JDM's personal life to make this entry seem so lacking?

MacDonald does it again...
Travis McGee, sometimes modern Robin Hood and most-times beach bum, can't resist a pretty face or an old friend.So when an old flame calls and needs some help, McGee quickly leaves balmy Ft. Lauderdale for the colder climes of Chicago in John D. MacDonald's One Fearful Yellow Eye.

Glory Geis is the widow of renowned neurosurgeon, Fortner Geis.When Geis dies after a long illness, Glory discovers that his $600,000 inheritance (much bigger money in the 1960's) has gone missing.It turns out that Dr. Geis liquidated all his assets over the course of the last year of his life.Glory is left without very much money and her stepchildren accuse her of foul play.So Glory begs McGee to find out what happened to the inheritance.Of course, Travis discovers that the good doctor has more than a few skeletons in his closet, and there are a number of suspects.

The plot in this 8th book is a little thin, and I figured out fairly early who the blackmailer was.But I still gave One Fearful Yellow Eye four stars as the writing is sharp and crisp and as good as any previous McGee.Two favorites include:

"Take her home.Boat her, beach her, bake her, brown her, and bunk her.You too are a sucker for busted birds, starving kittens, broody broads."
or
"There was no color in the world.Gray sand, gray water, gray beach, gray sky.I was trapped in one of those arty salon photographs of nature in the raw, the kind retired colonels enter in photography contests."

In terms of philosophizing, this book is MacDonald at his best.Also, while I tend to like McGee better in his native Florida, Chicago is rather a good setting for him.

This is my 8th Travis McGee and I'm a long way from being tired of him.I'm anxious to start number nine-Pale Gray for Guilt.

Travis: No Fear
Even though I still find "Flash of Green" to be my favorite MacDonald book, there's something so appealing about the Travis McGee series that keeps me coming back to them. And "One Fearful Yellow Eye" has such a quick pace, that you cannot put this mystery down. And Travis, well, he's just Travis--you gotta love this guy! I just hope that MacDonald continues to gain in popularity, as I feel he is horribly overlooked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating look at "advice sharing" between famous friends
Even the famous need a sounding board..a friend who will listen and sometimes advise. Rowan, the popular straight-man of the 60's hit TV show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In"finds his attentive "ear" via correspondence with novelist John D. Macdonald. Their letters, gathered by MacDonald, aptly describe Rowan's fight with fame, his partner, and success. True Travis McGee followers will want this volume in their collection simply because, on occassion, MacDonald quotes Meyer--McGee's intellectual friend--when offering advice and wisdom to Rowan. A hard to find book, but one worth looking for. ... Read more

Book Description
McGee was too busy with his beloved houseboat, the Busted Flush, to pay attention to the little old man with his missing postage stamps.Except that they weren't ordinary stamps.No indeed. They were rare stamps, $400,000 worth.

Even that amount doesn't ignite McGee.What does is a generously endowed Amazon named Mary Alice McDermit.

And right behind her came a syndicate killer who wanted to cancel McGee...permanently.A killer who knew something about stamps--and even more about McGee. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The Scarlet Ruse
I love all of the Travers Mcgee novels and now own all of them, this one is as good as the rest.
I guess collecting all of the series speaks for itself, but here in Australia it's dificult to find them. Over the years I have looked for them whilst on holidays, but was able to get the remaining books from AMAZON and that has pleased me no end.

A rare MacDonald miss
I think this was the 20th book I've read in the Travis McGee series, but it's the first one I didn't like that much. There were the usual profound nuggets of McGee wisdom and philosophy ("Today, my friends, we each have one day less, every one of us. And joy is the only thing that slows the clock.") But MacDonald belabors the intricacies of the plot and declaws the tension when McGee starts asking far too many "What if...?" questions.

The Scarlett Ruse
Well, as usual with John D.'s Travis books, there is a twisting and winding story that creates enough intrigue to entice a reader. Yes, it's now a bit outdated, but who cares? Those of us that love and relate to Travis and Meyer can be quite forgiving, can't we? Even if we're trying desperately to find our own local and friendly marinas. The developers are just about to make us anchor out in the big pond.

Good, regular Travis-think
The Busted Flush is the place to be. It's John D. MacDonald's gift to mankind.

Complex
This is a Travis McGee mystery.McGee is lured off his boat by a friend whose stamp dealer friend is in trouble.The dealer constructs stamp collections as investments for rich clients.One day, the dealer noticed that the stamps in one of his client's collections had been switched with low grade specimens, significantly downgrading the value of the collection.He's terrified that the client will ask to cash in the collection, leaving him with an overwhelming financial liability.He asks McGee to help him figure out how the stamps were switched, and who did it.Complicating the matter is the dealer's secretary, who McGee finds himself mysteriously attracted to.

This story is rich with detail, and it can be hard at times to keep it all straight.The plot goes over the edge of plausibility in places, and the ending has an odd twist that I still can't figure out.Nevertheless, the story remains engaging throughout, and can provide a bit of entertainment or distraction for a little while. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

One of the Old Sci-Fi Greats!
John D. MacDonald, along with those other great sci-fi writers of old -- Heinlein, Asimov, Budrys, Gunn, and others -- wrote what I consider to be the last of the greats. These writers and others like them wrote science fiction that was "science based." They also wrote powerful and thought- provoking science fiction which challenged the reader to think seriously about humanity and its moral progress. Their brand of classy sci-fi isn't popular anymore. No, what one finds in the sci-fi section in bookstores nowadays is science fiction polluted with crippling doses of fantasy. It isn't science fiction anymore. It contains today little science and no relevance. All you readers and reviewers who complain about a few out-of-date ideas presented by those wonderful old sci-fi novels need to consider the real reasons why you approve of today's "sci-fi." Are interplanetary swash-bucklings and dragon/evil wizard killings that present little or no moral dilemmas truly science fiction? Are poorly-written "sci-fi"literature containing poorer character development and dumb dialogue really the future of science fiction? After an entire summer wasted on magic spells, scantily-clad, telepathic warrior virgins with wings, and black hole-less universes, I was ready for those fine old inspirational novels -- like Wine of the Dreamers.

Wine of the Dreamers is one of the finest science fiction novels I've ever read. The characters of Lane, Inly, Raul, and Leesa are well-rounded and believable. Their personalities are vivid and unpredictable. Their language is thought-provoking and intelligent. The theme, especially, taps into a hidden desire of the human race -- to find intelligent life in other parts of the universe. The idea of mind control by a superior species was a fantastically original fictional explanation for humanity's violent compulsion. I only hope that others like me who accidentally discover this treasure realize what a gem this novel actually is. Read it!

Good ideas, but poorly executed sf novel.
This early novel by MacDonald is chock full of great sf ideas, as much as any sf book of the early 50's.Unfortunately it is a real let-down when compared to MacDonald's great suspense novels of the same period, like"The Brass Cupcake" and "Judge Me Not".With those twonovels MacDonald burst forth on the paperback original market in 1950,after his apprenticeship in the pulp magazines, as a fully developedtalent, fully as great a writer from the get-go as he ever would be. Unfortunately, "Wine of the Dreamers", while it succeeds for itsideas, is a dud with respect to execution.It is telegraphed, some of thekey scenes happen off stage, it reads like an outline for a novel thatnever actually got written.Read "Judge Me Not" if you wantgreat early MacDonald, and read "Bright Orange for the Shroud" ifyou want MacDonald the greatest he ever got.

Amazingly original science fiction from a NON-SciFi author
This book along with his other SF book "Ballroom of the Skies"gives two entirely different reasons for all the violence anddestructiveness we face in the world. Both were written over 30 years agoand are still very original ideas. Readers of these two will also like hisbook "The Girl, the Goldwatch and Everything"If you are a loverof Science fiction you will most certainly appreciate these books. If youare a lover of John D. MacDonald material (like me) then these books justmay draw you into the world of SF.

Very interesting attempt to explain turmoil in the world.
Tries to account for the things most would ordinarily attribute to the devil.Fun reading.One of only a couple science fiction works of John D. McDonald.Also see Ballroom of the Skies. ... Read more