Customer Reviews (1)

Early John D. MacDonald.
(From Chapter 17)
"....I'd shake her until her teeth rattled.I'd cuff her until she was too dazed to cry, and then I'd make love to her and comfort her, and let her know that the next time she turned mean, the very same thing would happen."

This is advice on how to best handle a disagreeable wife and amazingly it comes from the lips of The Neon Jungle's female protagonist.When John D. MacDonald wrote this paperback original quite early in his career, the misogynistic writing of Mickey Spillane was all the rage.It could be (and has been) argued that MacDonald made a conscious decision to incorporate brutality toward and degradation of women into some of his fiction in an attempt to replicate Spillane's remarkable commercial success.

In any event, if it were longer, The Neon Jungle would probably qualify as a potboiler of a novel.As it is, I believe the term literary soap opera best describes the story contained within its covers.There are multiple characters each with his or her own conflict to be resolved.Much of the narrative concerns itself with juvenile delinquency and illicit drugs.MacDonald manages to weave together multiple storylines with reasonable dexterity and provides an explosive ending most readers will find gripping.

This is early John D. MacDonald.The author was still working to perfect his narrative voice.Later books like Last One Left and One More Sunday show what fantastic things MacDonald could do with multiple storylines once his technique had been honed. ... Read more

Product Description
Joachim Schmid began his career as a critic, arguing passionately against prevailing notions of "art photography" and in favor of a broad, encompassing view of the medium as a form of cultural practice. In the late 80s, he shifted his focus to making those arguments in his own art, which is based primarily on found photography. At the time, Schmid lived near one of the largest flea markets in Berlin, and his broad collection of vernacular photography formed the raw material for many of the works included here. His oeuvre reflects a close observation of photographic history and a fascination with the images themselves, in all their bizarre and conventionalized aspects, but its fundamental richness--along with the sardonic wit he so often displays--derails any attempt to read it as academic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Laborious stuff
I'm a huge fan of MacDonald so I was surprised and disappointed by No Deadly Drug. I've read many true crime books and thus had many to compare to this one. I realize Macdonald was trying to be the first to present a high-profile court case totally from start to finish, but was it worth it? I believe the answer is no. Everyone knows how in a complex crime case, the witnesses are questioned ad infinitum on every conceivable detail, relevant or not, and then some. MacDonald records everything but largely leaves out all the fascinating stuff about the backgrounds of the victims and the accused, the plotting of the crime, the physical injuries and cold-hearted act itself. Actually, much of this didn't even exist since the alleged victims had few marks and the insipid case may not even have been murder. If you're into endless lawyer interrogations andsterile "murder" scenes, then maybe you will find the book interesting. I could only read the first fifty pages or so, and flipped to the back for the lackluster, open-ended close.
It is interesting that a writer who writes surprisingly brief, succinct novels would find it necessary to write a laborious true crime book of about 650 pages.

Best True Crime Ever!
I first read "No Deadly Drug" by John D. MacDonald when it came out in paperback in 1985. I have never read a better true crime book during the last 30 years; nor have I read any courtroom trial book, fiction or non-fiction, that comes close.

The book focuses on the murder trials of Dr. Carl Coppolino for the killing of his anestheologist wife, Dr. Carmen Coppolino. His lawyer is F. Lee Bailey at his most brilliant. Most of Bailey's examinations and arguments are completely reproduced.

The twists and turns of the case leave the reader changing his orher mind about Coppoino's guilt and there is extensive information on crime scene investigation and undetectable deadly poisons for CSI fans.

You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough! ... Read more

Product Description
This is one of the earlier Lew Archer novels and one of the harder to find titles.From Introduction Page: "The Galton Case" is perhaps Macdonald's most brilliantly plotted book to date, and certainly his most deeply felt one. Archer, a detective who thinks and feels as well as acts, is hired to find Mrs. Galton's lost son. He presses his search across the continent, and back through a generation of time, to one of the most dramatic conclusions in modern crime fiction....For the first time Archer discovers love and hope at the heart of the the human tragedy. We feel that this book achieves a new maturity. It speaks to people of all sorts, powerfully and imaginatively, about the basic hopes and dreads of life. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of the works of Donald John MacDonald's Gaelic poetry with English translation, notes, and an introduction. The poet was brought up in a poor community but within a heavily Gaelic tradition and culture. He was a crofter for most of his life, and spent much of his time collecting folklore. Much of his inspiration came while working in the fields of his farm, and he wrote about love in many forms: the love of a woman, of the land and its history, and of God. ... Read more

Product Description
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC (Can), (January 11, 1815- June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada and the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation. Macdonald's tenure in office spanned 18 years, making him the second longest serving Prime Minister of Canada. He is the only Canadian Prime Minister to win six majority governments. He was the major proponent of a national railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway, completed in 1885, linking Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He won praise for having helped forge a nation of sprawling geographic size, with two diverse European colonial origins, numerous Aboriginal nations, and a multiplicity of cultural backgrounds and political views. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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First published in 1927. John Macdonald (1741-96) was born, and died, a Scottish Highlander. First published at the time of the French Revolution, these memoirs of his days in service provide a rich panorama of life in the company of blind fiddlers, maid-servants, the Scottish aristocracy, soldiers, historians, Oriental Princes, servants of the East India Company and men of great wealth, including James Coutts the banker. In 1768 - as the result of an errand - it fell to Macdonald to witness the death of Laurence Sterne.
'Simply packed with interest' Sunday Times
'..a model of genuine writing' Evening Standard
'Deserves a high place among autobiographies.' Nation
... Read more