Book Review: The Deep Blue Good-By (1964)

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Brian Wright

by John D. MacDonald
Classic Travis McGee tale with language for the ages

1964 (renewal 1992) , Ballantine Books, 273 pages

For some reason there’s a gap in my reading history for John D. MacDonald’s fine fiction, especially the hugely popular Travis McGee mystery crime novels. So you can’t call me an expert witness in this case, but a friendly one on this his first in the Travis McGee series.

I had read something in the series before—I think it was the Pale Gray one (the Travis McGee titles always contain a color)—but did not remember what an astute judge of character ol’ Trav is… and how he teeters so on the edge of cynicism when it comes to sociological observations.

For example, in the Deep Blue Good-By, after Travis assesses his soon-to-be client—”The world had done its best to subdue and humble her, but the edge of her good tough spirit showed through.”—he launches into a broad internal diatribe on the world as he knows it: Continue reading →

Book Review: A Tan and Sandy Silence (1971)

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Brian Wright

Middle of the pack, lesser Travis, but good enuf
by John D. MacDonald

Frankly I don’t remember the plot too well on this one. Travis does reflect quite a bit on life and love, but these philosophical passages did not seem central as in so many others in the series. The plot involves a search for a missing person, a woman with whom Travis has had a relationship long ago… which ended amiably.

I would have to say this novel, which I believe is number 13 out of 21, reveals the beginnings of Travis’s anxiety over slowing down with age. As a salvage expert, McGee has made a career from helping people in distress. But in so doing—and not being a man of conventional methods—he runs into considerable danger and damage. Indeed it’s somewhat of a conventional ending to witness McGee suffering broken bones, cuts, gunshot wounds, knife stabbings, and even beatings. His adversaries are practically as physical as he is and sleazy cunning. Continue reading →

Book Review: Free Fall in Crimson (1981)

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Brian Wright

by John D. MacDonald
1981, Ballantine Books , 284 pages

“Meyer taught me this. What you should be doing from now on, Travis, is to make sure you get into as many computers as possible. Lots of tiny bank accounts, lots of credit cards, lots of memberships. Have your attorney set up some partnerships and little corporations and get you some additional tax numbers. Move bits of money around often. Buy and sell odd lots of this and that. Feed all the information you can into their computers.”

“And spend my life keeping track of what the hell I’m doing?”

“Who said anything about keeping track? If you get so complicated you confuse yourself, imagine how confused the poor computers [the government] are going to be.”

“Is she putting me on, Meyer?” Continue reading →

Book Review: The Quick Red Fox (1964), et al

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Brian Wright

… and four others from the master of detective genre
John D. MacDonald

If you’re going to have a reading addiction, you can do a lot worse than the works of Mr. MacDonald. Here are four more earlier Travis McGee books I’m sneaking into my program:

MacDonald is one of the most prolific writers of quality detective thrillers in history. The Travis McGee Series consists of 21 books; with these I’m reviewing I’ve read a total of seven. Like some of my favorite authors—especially Larry McMurtry, Elmore Leonard, or Tony Hillerman—or favorite extended stories in cinema—Lonesome Dove, the TV series Friday Night Lights, or the miniseries John Adams—it’s going to be really tough for me to reach the end of the road and read the final John MacDonald Travis McGee book. Fortunately, there are several more to come.

The Quick Red Fox

1964, Fawcett Publications, 160 pages

In this installment of the McGee series, a well-known actress is being blackmailed with photographs for once having participated in a sex and drug bacchanalia several years earlier. Travis is retained by the actress under direction of a beautiful young personal assistant, Dana, who starts off with him like an ice queen, but eventually comes around. They travel together to track down each individual who was present at the incident, doing the detective work to find the blackmailers and put them out of business.

As with virtually all of his works, MacDonald has Travis speak out against and in favor of various cultural realities (these will occupy much of my reviews on this page). The following two segments occur close to each other, as Travis and Dana home in on one of the suspects in Southern California. This first hits home with virtually anyone of the freedom persuasion: Continue reading →

Book Review: Nightmare in Pink (1964)

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Brian Wright

By John D. MacDonald 1964, Fawcett Publications , 143 pages

Some of my friends tell me it’s time to lighten up again. (Well, they tell me to lighten up all the time.) So, for the book review, I’ve decided to continue to explore more of the subtleties and insights of Travis McGee in this his second incarnation, Nightmare in Pink, by literary GrandMaster MacDonald.

What amazes me for all the books I’ve read—including a McGee novel by MacDonald perhaps a decade ago—that I’ve only just now “discovered” John D’s immense talent. Seriously. In his first of the Travis McGee series, The Deep Blue Good-By, I saw his penchant for biting social commentary. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Lonely Silver Rain (1984)

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Brian Wright

A later episode, Travis McGee no longer prime time
by John D. MacDonald

But still great writing as Travis deals more with his mortality

Of all the John D. MacDonald Travis McGee novels I’ve read to this point (I think I’ve done approximately half of the 21), I’m giving this one—the final one, published in 1984, in the series—my ‘least favorite’ assessment… for a couple of reasons: Continue reading →