Rating:  Summary: Travis: No Fear Review: Even though I still find "Flash of Green" to be my favorite MacDonald book, there's something so appealing about the Travis McGee series that keeps me coming back to them. And "One Fearful Yellow Eye" has such a quick pace, that you cannot put this mystery down. And Travis, well, he's just Travis--you gotta love this guy! I just hope that MacDonald continues to gain in popularity, as I feel he is horribly overlooked.
Rating:  Summary: Travis: No Fear Review: Even though I still find "Flash of Green" to be my favorite MacDonald book, there's something so appealing about the Travis McGee series that keeps me coming back to them. And "One Fearful Yellow Eye" has such a quick pace, that you cannot put this mystery down. And Travis, well, he's just Travis--you gotta love this guy! I just hope that MacDonald continues to gain in popularity, as I feel he is horribly overlooked.
Rating:  Summary: McGee is always a pleasure Review: I really enjoy the Travis McGee series and especially like this book. Much as I enjoy reading about his exploits in Florida, the change of scene to Chicago is an interesting change of pace. Perhaps more than average number of twists and turns in this plot, and a little more "cringe factor" from the violence than some of the other McGee books. As the title of my review indicates, I really like this series as a whole. They're among the books I go back to again and again when I'm restless and want something fun to read. I always learn something, whether it be about how to maintain a houseboat or how to kick someone's hide in a fight. :-)And I have some laughs doing it.
Rating:  Summary: Middling MacDonald is Better than the Best Modern Mystery. Review: I'm new to the Travis McGee series- this is my second-- and I enjoyed it for MacDonald's style, McGee's machismo, and the overall mystery. However, there's lot of exposition in "One Fearful Yellow Eye" and MacDonald is better at showing rather than telling. It wasn't as good as "Deadly Shade of Gold" and I'm sure there are others that are better also. It's worth the time just for the rant on why Americans should carry their own paper towels and toilet paper. A good read, way better than any Kellerman, Grafton or Jance.
Rating:  Summary: Ice Cold McGee Review: Like a fine local wine, Travis doesn't travel well. His lack of enthusiasm for the Windy City is boundless, and willy-nilly, this is where he must be to assist his latest lady in distress. The architecture, politics, and citizenry are bad enough, but my God, the weather is freezing! "One Fearful Yellow Eye" is an intricate tale of "where's the money?". Brilliant, kind, and wealthy neurosurgeon Dr. Fortner Geis had converted all his assets into cash before his death, and left his young wife Glory in a precarious situation. The cash was not to be found and Glory not only faced the prospect of being poor, but heavy suspicion as well. This is an intricate tale with an excellent whodunit complement. MacDonald is sure enough of his Travis creation by this time to let Trav display a fine self-deprecating sense of humor as well as the usual speed, strength and purity of purpose. The many threads to the story are all kept well in hand and dovetail neatly into a grand finalé. The two stereotyped ungrateful stepchildren turn out to be not so typical after all. The leading ladies have a hard time in this book, emotionally and physically. My only complaint is that widow Glory was a bit much with her oh-so philosophical bravery and fawning adoration of Trav. This is superior McGee-good pace, characterizations and a very twisty story.
Rating:  Summary: Ice Cold McGee Review: Like a fine local wine, Travis doesn't travel well. His lack of enthusiasm for the Windy City is boundless, and willy-nilly, this is where he must be to assist his latest lady in distress. The architecture, politics, and citizenry are bad enough, but my God, the weather is freezing! "One Fearful Yellow Eye" is an intricate tale of "where's the money?". Brilliant, kind, and wealthy neurosurgeon Dr. Fortner Geis had converted all his assets into cash before his death, and left his young wife Glory in a precarious situation. The cash was not to be found and Glory not only faced the prospect of being poor, but heavy suspicion as well. This is an intricate tale with an excellent whodunit complement. MacDonald is sure enough of his Travis creation by this time to let Trav display a fine self-deprecating sense of humor as well as the usual speed, strength and purity of purpose. The many threads to the story are all kept well in hand and dovetail neatly into a grand finalé. The two stereotyped ungrateful stepchildren turn out to be not so typical after all. The leading ladies have a hard time in this book, emotionally and physically. My only complaint is that widow Glory was a bit much with her oh-so philosophical bravery and fawning adoration of Trav. This is superior McGee-good pace, characterizations and a very twisty story.
Rating:  Summary: Show Me the Money! Review: McGee and LSD became popular about the same time, but the typical bright-eyed MacDonald sense of humor stops there, for One Fearful Yellow Eye is probably too sad a story for all but the most serious fans of the series. Fearful Yellow Eye's plot revolves around a certain 600 grand bequeathed to survivors of Dr. Fortner Geis, a generally well-liked and well-respected Chicago doctor. But when the 600 grand does not turn up following the good doctor's death, McGee is hired onto the case. His investigations lead him to Chicago, Glory Geis, and then the twisted tale of Glory's daughter/love-rival Heidi Geis. Remarkably, McGee finds himself attracted to the broken-winged Heidi, and ultimately the novel is hers. Because it is she that must get past her family's dark secret, and it is she that comes through at the novel's end as a much stronger character. There are moments of poignancy in One Fearful Yellow Eye, and McGee's approach to Heidi's disturbing LSD overdose may be worth the price of the ticket alone, but generally I'd have to recommend several other McGee novel's before One Fearful Yellow Eye. Cinnamon Skin, thusfar, is my favorite. Yours, Stacey
Rating:  Summary: Not one of the ones that holds up the best Review: This is one of the McGees that I end up not rereading as much, because for me it doesn't hold up quite as well. I realize that in this decade, LSD was a completely different thing than what we know it to be now, but it still throws me off guard; plus I am a little harsher on the perfect Dr. Fort Geis than the book would like me to be. If you're a T. McGee fan, read it and it may hold up better for you, but if you're new to the series, it probably won't make the best starting point.
Rating:  Summary: Not one of the ones that holds up the best Review: This is one of the McGees that I end up not rereading as much, because for me it doesn't hold up quite as well. I realize that in this decade, LSD was a completely different thing than what we know it to be now, but it still throws me off guard; plus I am a little harsher on the perfect Dr. Fort Geis than the book would like me to be. If you're a T. McGee fan, read it and it may hold up better for you, but if you're new to the series, it probably won't make the best starting point.
Rating:  Summary: McGee & the windy city Review: Travis McGee leaves Florida to help a friend in wintry Chicago in this brisk, economic adventure that's no shorter than the other installments but still feels more compact. The classic MacDonald asides are all here: McGee offers up commentaries on Christmas, modeling, art, homosexuality, toilet paper and sex, among other things. And there are some really good scenes -- Trav's extremely unsettling visit to the Farley farm, an ominous encounter in a windstorm, a creepy moment in which mysterious figures get the better of McGee (though MacDonald fumbles this by underplaying it afterward), and one seriously wacked-out climax in a retirement community. This isn't great McGee -- it just doesn't have the complexity, level of menace or vivid characters of yarns like "Bright Orange," "Amber," "Pink" or "Lavender." But if you're looking for a quick MacDonald snack, "Yellow" is where it's at.
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