Even Better the Second Time Around

books:


	• Deep Blue Good-by John D. MacDonald Fawcett, 1995 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 35 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Good start to a good series

After consistently seeing John D. MacDonald plugged as an influence and inspiration by so many present-day authors (particularly one of my favorites, Randy Wayne White), I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. (Sidenote: I even caught an interview with Karl Rove of all people in which he said that both he and George W. Bush were big fans of the Travis McGee books.)

THE DEEP BLUE GOOD-BY is the first in MacDonald's extensive Travis McGee series. McGee is a war veteran and beach bum who lives in Ft. Lauderdale aboard a houseboat ('The Busted Flush') that he won in a poker game. When he needs money he takes on jobs helping people retrieve things that have been lost or stolen, and in return he takes a cut, sort of like a PI but a little less legal. (Kind of reminds me of F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack.) DEEP BLUE is a first-person narrative, tough-guy-with-a-good-heart-helping-damsels-in-distress story.

I particularly liked MacDonald's use of setting. I grew up in South Florida a little bit later than the time in which this book is set, so it was neat to read a story set there in the early Sixties and see how it has and hasn't changed. Also, I enjoyed McGee's internal monologues, particularly the ones about Florida and how it can be such a strange place.

On the down side, I found the story a bit on the formulaic and predictable side -- if you've read a lot of Spillane, Hammet, Chandler, Ross MacDonald, etc, you'll probably think so, too. Also, I thought the dialogue sounded dated (even taking into account this story was written forty years ago), like dialogue in 1930s and '40s movies. It just didn't sound natural, didn't sound like how real people talk, to my ears, and I read lots of old books and watch lots of old movies. The dialogue sometimes made the characters into caricatures.

Still and all, worth reading if you like crime thrillers, or if you like Florida fiction -- definitely any fan of Carl Hiaasen or Randy Wayne White needs to read some John D. MacDonald if they haven't already, if nothing else to see where these authors got some of their inspiration.

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Well written but flawed.

The Deep Blue Good-By is the very first of the highly successful and long running Travis McGee series by the late John D. MacDonald. This is a well written mystery and by that I mean the pacing is fast and it has a very smooth narrative flow. Furthermore, the ending is not what most readers will expect.
I do have to object to a couple of things, however. At one point, MacDonald has McGee torture a man, not because he is a miscreant deserving of torture, but simply because he may have information McGee thinks he might be able to use. The shocking ease with which McGee carries out this barbaric act greatly diminishes any admiration readers could be expected to have for him.
Secondly, it is fairly well known that the Travis McGee series has a streak of misogyny running through it. While that in itself does not make for bad writing, I believe the author took things a little too far in The Deep Blue Good-By. Two of the characters, who are otherwise smart resourceful women, are depicted as having a childlike malleability that make them easy prey for the novel's sociopathic villain. Not only is this aspect of the book a major insult to women, it detracts from the story's believability.
Bottom line: John D. MacDonald was a talented writer and that talent is very apparent within the pages of The Deep Blue Good-By. But, there are flaws, disturbing ones.

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Even Better the Second Time Around

I read this book for the first time back in December. Now, while waiting for "A Tan and Sandy Silence" to arrive, I went back and read it again. It was even better the second time around. The first read, I ripped right through just to see what happened. With MacDonald's writing this was easy to do. The second time, I slowed it down and really soaked it all up

What makes this book so good, I my eyes, is that there is so much packed into to the comparatively short work. First, and foremost, there's Travis McGee himself. He describes himself as a beach bum, but in truth he's more the "knight" that he so disparagingly calls himself. He doesn't like to get emotionally involved in his work, but he always does, and it take it's toll. Trav's reaction to the events at the end of the book really stuck with me. (Side note, (to all the claims of sexism): McGee may always be out "saving the weak-willed women of the world", but, at least in this book, Travis is saved/redeemed in the end by one of those women he set out to save.)

The other characters are spot on. I felt they all rang true, like somebody I could have known. I'll admit, that I have never known anyone like "Junior"(the villain). But because all the other characters seemed real, his nastiness was easily acceptable.

Second, I loved the philosophical ramblings. They seem almost thrown in at random, but they are never really distracting from the story. I enjoy these because, whether or not I agree with them, they do make me stop and think. That in itself, forty plus years later, lifts this book above the average "pulp" novel.

The last thing I really liked about this book was the simple descriptions of interesting things I'll never really know about. From the "Busted Flush"(McGee's houseboat) to the streets of Fort Lauderdale to fencing gemstones in NYC. All the little details drew me into the story and have kept me coming back for more.

All in all, I would say that this book, and some of the others in the series that follow, are some of the best books I have ever read. They made me feel, and hit on many levels. I just can't praise them highly enough.

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Not Free SF Reader

Fifty percent is better than nothing.

At least that is what you are desperate enough to take if you hire Travis McGee as a 'Salvage Consultant', to recover something lost that may just be of dubious legality. (Not sure what he will do if it is a racehorse, woman, or parrot, however).

Here, a friend asks him to help out another friend, both of whom are female dancers, and he reluctantly agrees, ending up in a sordid plot involving some treasure recovered in a now-jailed husband's army days, and a violent man (think rape and murder) trying to get his hands on it. Along the way, there is plenty of seedy Florida, broken women, and biffo.

If you like this sort of adventurer with booze and broads style of thing, not much doubt you will find this enjoyable. Good stuff.

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A new Travis McGee fan?

I recently overheard someone saying how much they enjoyed the Travis McGee books so I searched out the first-in-the-series at my local library. The copy I ended up reading was about the most worn out, dog-eared, common pocket book you can imagine. Some how it was quit fitting. The Travis McGee character is unique and appealing to probably both men and women readers. Kind of a Han Solo guy but wiser and more mellow. The author's writing style is more inventive and engaging than typical; the pace varies from silky-smooth to rapid Rainman word association. Creative with word combinations. Maybe not always grammatically correct (?) but the intended feeling and description shines through every paragraph. Interesting plot. A unique villain easy to despise... you can't wait for him to get his comeuppance. You'll have to read it to see how it unfolds.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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....
With an introduction by CARL HIAASEN
JOHN D. MACDONALD
"....the great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller."
--STEPHEN KING
"....a master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer."
--MARY HIGGINS CLARK
"....a dominant influence on writers crafting the continuing series character."
--SUE GRAFTON
"....my favorite novelist of all time."
--DEAN KOONTZ
"...the consummate pro, a master storyteller and witty observer."
--JONATHAN KELLERMAN
"...remains one of my idols."
--DONALD WESTLAKE
THE TRAVIS McGEE SERIES
"...one of the great sagas in American fiction."
--ROBERT B. PARKER
"...what a joy that these timeless and treasured novels are available again."
--ED McBAIN

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