I think th
is
is the first novel, other than those in the Travis McGee series that I have
read in many years by John D. MacDonald. I had truly forgotten what a
great writer he was. There is not a page of this book when things don't
happen, when the story isn't speeding along, when you will want to put
it down. It is truly a manual for how to write a crime story. Three men, one newly out of jail, and a woman converge on Flamingo, a Florida town. Their plan is to rob an old man who keeps all of his money in a safe in his house. There are at least a dozen other players who make things hard for this trio for various reasons. This story has three critical female characters. And a kid who noses around too much. It is vicious in spots, but also tender, observant, and clever. The atmosphere is excellent. I can't think of one good reason not to read this book.
Oh, I haven't read this one, Patti, but I do like his Travis McGee novels. This one really sounds worth the read.
ReplyDeleteI thought it excellent. A good primer for how to do it.
ReplyDeleteBy coincidence, I've been reading the huge BEST OF MANHUNT collection, and one story that stood out was John D. MacDonald's "The Killer," set off the Florida Keys. I probably read APRIL EVIL years ago, but can't remember for sure.
ReplyDeleteAPRIL EVIL is one of my favorite John D. MacDonald novels. Excellent, indeed!
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of MacDonald as a teenager so I probably read this then. I have a whole stack of his books. Just haven't gotten around to them.
ReplyDeleteI read all of the Travis but few of the rest.
ReplyDeleteThe "ok" of the last sentence was cut off in your review...is anything else missing?
ReplyDeleteTHE EXECUTIONERS is still my favorite JDM novel for a variety of reasons; the McGees were nearly his worst work, while still worth reading.
Like you, I read the McGee books but none, or only one or two, of the others. I need to remedy that!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, only the McGees, and a long time from them. This sounds interesting.
ReplyDelete