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jeffmauch's review
3.0
Even a not so great Travis McGee novel is still entertaining and interesting. This wasn't my favorite, mainly because McGee wasn't in the drivers seat for a large portion of the novel and instead the plot was driven forward by secondary characters. This isn't the first time this has been done in the series, but it might be the least entertaining way it's been done. In this one McGee gets roped into a local murder investigation by being in the wrong place at the wrong time after attending a wedding with his ever present partner in crime, Meyer. I recently saw the best description of the McGee series and MacDonald's writing in it that I've come across: McGee is a true philosopher detective, witty and clever, the sort of character you can't help but enjoy reading about. As for MacDonald, when he's at his best he's very entertaining and covers all sorts of relevant side topics that still ring true today. When he's not at the top of his game, his novels read like had spy thrillers, almost James Bond-esque, which in it self is still entertaining. I love the snapshot in this these novels create, an archetypal 60's man using the language and opinions of the time period. It's like getting lost in a very entertaining past with a adventurous tour guide that's always in the thick of things.
genej101's review against another edition
5.0
Good book, filled with John's prescient insights that hold true 50 years later.
yaj's review against another edition
2.0
Had a great opening scene as the protagonist is in a car accident, then accused of murder... but the charges are quickly cleared and Travis's motivations for sticking around are pretty thin. There's quite an intricate web of terrible people doing terrible things to each other that gradually gets untangled as the body count increases, but I felt the ending was ultimately unsatisfying.
darwin8u's review against another edition
4.0
"The delusion of total freedom of will is the worst cage of all. And it gets cold in there."
- John D. MacDonald, The Long Lavender Look
It is always nice to return to a solid McGee novel. None are Shakespeare and the worst are like bad James Bond novels, but when MacDonald is on his game, he writes great narrative with interesting sidebars on economics, relationships, and people. This is the 12th of his Travis McGee novels and probably the 16th McGee I've read (I've got about 5 left). I've also read other MacDonald novels that I've liked about equally well. I return to them because they are fast, entertaining, and don't require much. They are desert.
This one centers on a small Florida town with a complicated Sheriff, several sub-optimal deputies, and many many troubled ladies. Probably, the least welcome part of this book is MacDonald's exposition on hookers. It is a bit too cyncial, even for John D. MacDonald fans.
- John D. MacDonald, The Long Lavender Look
It is always nice to return to a solid McGee novel. None are Shakespeare and the worst are like bad James Bond novels, but when MacDonald is on his game, he writes great narrative with interesting sidebars on economics, relationships, and people. This is the 12th of his Travis McGee novels and probably the 16th McGee I've read (I've got about 5 left). I've also read other MacDonald novels that I've liked about equally well. I return to them because they are fast, entertaining, and don't require much. They are desert.
This one centers on a small Florida town with a complicated Sheriff, several sub-optimal deputies, and many many troubled ladies. Probably, the least welcome part of this book is MacDonald's exposition on hookers. It is a bit too cyncial, even for John D. MacDonald fans.
shakesfear's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Money, women, corruption, women, well, you get the point. A Travis Magee book. Enjoy!
gengelcox's review against another edition
3.0
I'm constantly amazed at the hold that MacDonald asserts over me as a reader, certainly with this character Travis McGee. The beginnings always seem to jump right off, even when they also seem to ramble, like in this one (McGee talking of late night rides, fishing, his old Rolls Royce truck) or the McGee novel that starts with McGee and Meyer fishing by the bridge. There's hook there, yes--a bit of action occurs within the first three pages that starts the novel rolling--but it isn't the immediate hook of the short story or the long rambling set ups of most novels (I'm thinking of the info dumps that start most SF/F/H novels).
The hook isn't the only thing going for MacDonald, though. The sentences and chapters seem to flow, to beg to be read. Since I was reading this novel on breaks, at lunch, and other different odd times, I tended to read only a chapter or two at a time. Rarely did I end a chapter when I didn't find myself unconsciously moving on the beginning of the next. Part of this is due to the standard technique of cliff-hanging chapters, which MacDonald has down well. But MacDonald's cliff-hangers aren't just situations, it seems to me, but the words themselves. I need to examine the chapter endings to see if I can identify what he is doing. Since I'm reading the McGee novels in chronological order, I'll try to do it with the next.
The hook isn't the only thing going for MacDonald, though. The sentences and chapters seem to flow, to beg to be read. Since I was reading this novel on breaks, at lunch, and other different odd times, I tended to read only a chapter or two at a time. Rarely did I end a chapter when I didn't find myself unconsciously moving on the beginning of the next. Part of this is due to the standard technique of cliff-hanging chapters, which MacDonald has down well. But MacDonald's cliff-hangers aren't just situations, it seems to me, but the words themselves. I need to examine the chapter endings to see if I can identify what he is doing. Since I'm reading the McGee novels in chronological order, I'll try to do it with the next.
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