Rating: 
Summary: Extreme McGee
Review: "A Deadly Shade of Gold," the 5th in the Travis McGee series is bawdy and brutal; a bloody chase novel taking McGee from Florida to Mexico to LA. MacDonald has a wondrous sense of place and you can feel the sensuous breezes and see the spectacular sunsets he creates for you. There are a few creaky spots: Nora, Travis's love interest, is so `50's lady-like, you expect her to be white gloved and hatted even in the shower; -- all characters are super sun worshippers while the reader uneasily thinks about skin cancer. Be that as it may, it's a fine rousing tale with careful characterizations and Travis's philosophies served up painlessly.Old buddy Sam Taggart, a three-year missing person, contacts Travis in dire need of his services as a salvage consultant. The deal sounds shady at best as Sam claims he is the rightful owner of 28 crude golden idols dating from pre-Colombian times. The hitch is 27 of the 28 have been stolen from him, and he wants them back. Sam is down on his luck and appears to be on the run. When he took off three years ago without a word, he left the beauteous Nora high and dry. Now he is back to redeem himself. Before Trav can get Sam and Nora together, or even decide whether he wants to accept Sam's offer, Sam is brutally murdered. Nora hires Trav to find the killer, but insists on accompanying him (natch) when the trail leads to Mexico. The action is fierce, retribution is swift and oh-so-well-described, and Trav and Nora find something more in common than Sam. "A Deadly Shade of Gold" at 434 pages is long for a Travis McGee novel, but moves swiftly. MacDonald takes great care in setting up his locales, which makes for lovely reading. Though Sam exits early, he is with us throughout the book, and gradually an entirely different Sam emerges posthumously. This is handled cleverly by friend's ruminations, and we are allowed to derive our own conclusions. Travis is not yet fully formed; he's still pretty rough around the edges, but this novel sets the course for the future.
Rating:
Summary: Extreme McGee
Review: "A Deadly Shade of Gold," the 5th in the Travis McGee series is bawdy and brutal; a bloody chase novel taking McGee from Florida to Mexico to LA. MacDonald has a wondrous sense of place and you can feel the sensuous breezes and see the spectacular sunsets he creates for you. There are a few creaky spots: Nora, Travis's love interest, is so '50's lady-like, you expect her to be white gloved and hatted even in the shower; -- all characters are super sun worshippers while the reader uneasily thinks about skin cancer. Be that as it may, it's a fine rousing tale with careful characterizations and Travis's philosophies served up painlessly. Old buddy Sam Taggart, a three-year missing person, contacts Travis in dire need of his services as a salvage consultant. The deal sounds shady at best as Sam claims he is the rightful owner of 28 crude golden idols dating from pre-Colombian times. The hitch is 27 of the 28 have been stolen from him, and he wants them back. Sam is down on his luck and appears to be on the run. When he took off three years ago without a word, he left the beauteous Nora high and dry. Now he is back to redeem himself. Before Trav can get Sam and Nora together, or even decide whether he wants to accept Sam's offer, Sam is brutally murdered. Nora hires Trav to find the killer, but insists on accompanying him (natch) when the trail leads to Mexico. The action is fierce, retribution is swift and oh-so-well-described, and Trav and Nora find something more in common than Sam. "A Deadly Shade of Gold" at 434 pages is long for a Travis McGee novel, but moves swiftly. MacDonald takes great care in setting up his locales, which makes for lovely reading. Though Sam exits early, he is with us throughout the book, and gradually an entirely different Sam emerges posthumously. This is handled cleverly by friend's ruminations, and we are allowed to derive our own conclusions. Travis is not yet fully formed; he's still pretty rough around the edges, but this novel sets the course for the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Thrilled to Find Travis McGee!
Review: "A Deadly Shade of Gold" is my first John D. MacDonald, and it won't be my last. I love the tough-as-nails-and-oh-so-smart Travis McGee. I love MacDonald's funny philosophical rants about society and the environment. And I love the 60's flavor of this book. I can't believe a movie hasn't been made of this yet, because it certainly is a visual tale. (And not a bad mystery, either!)
Rating: 
Summary: Growing pains...
Review: A Deadly Shade of Gold is the 5th book in John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series. In number 5, the gold in question is actually 28 ancient gold idols. An old friend from McGee's murky past gives McGee a call asking for help. Sam Taggart has disappeared for three years, and has been in some trouble. Taggart also has in his possession 28 gold idols from various ancient civilizations including Incan and Aztec cultures. But before McGee can render any assistance, Taggart is brutally murdered and all but one of the idols goes missing.
McGee goes on a quest to discover not only who killed his friend, but also to unearth the mystery of Taggart's 3 missing years. He also looks for the stolen idols. He gets assistance from Taggart's former fiancée, Nora, and this case takes him from Florida to Mexico and then to Los Angeles.
While I really enjoyed MacDonald's first four books, I found A Deadly Shade of Gold harder to read. This novel is double the length of his first four books and I wonder if MacDonald was experiencing some growing pains in trying to expand on this series. I found the plot extremely cumbersome in spots. It definitely lost momentum about two thirds of the way through. Also, it was hard to keep track of the many characters, and I found the Cuban connection a little confusing. Still, I would not discount MacDonald and will continue to read the rest of this series (21 books in all). His mastery of observation is nothing short of brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: A bit dated
Review: A Deadly Shade of Gold was my first John MacDonald novel. It was written in the mid - 1960's, and read like it. The dialogue, metaphors and characters were terribly dated - think Sam Spade meets Jimmy Buffet in 1965 Ft Lauderdale and you've got the picture: the chauvinism, the Hemingwayesque machismo, the budding "youth culture" and of course the tropical south Florida sunshine. With that said, however, the book was a remarkably entertaining read. The plot twists kept me rivited to the story line (in spite of the by-now cliched characters). The occasional diatibes against the development of south Florida and the damage to the eco-system also made for entertaining asides - as well as a haunting foreshadowing of what was to come. But I think this will be my last John MacDonald novel. For my money, Randy Wayne White's south Florida sleuth "Doc Ford" is better. If you enjoy John MacDonald, you are sure to love Randy Wayne White.
Rating:
Summary: THE Definitive Travis McGee Novel
Review: It's curious to read some of the other opinions written about this incredible yarn. Obviously most other reviewers enjoy MacDonald and the McGee series. But the concerns posited by others represent some of the nuance and fabric of MacDonald's genius which yield his works of fiction, and the McGee series in particular, for what they are: GREAT LITERATURE. I believe MacDonald is the best novelist of the twentieth century.
The Deep Blue Goodbye, the first of the series, is typical of the first efforts of genius. The next books leading up to Gold are shorter stories with less convoluted, though quite satisfying story lines. Gold is my favorite (along with The Green Ripper for totally different reasons) because of its detailed and deeply diverse story line.
As in the entire McGee series Trav is narrating the adventure from his first person perspective with wit, self-certain insight and all-knowing and sometimes humble introspection. Yet overlaying his views is his basic flaw; the 60's existential man's man. Travis believes in himself, his abilities and the basic correctness of his philosophy for living. He lives and dies by them and they serve him well personally, though the dying always rubs off on those around him.
In one book he states he is 'wary of all earnestness'. That is a theme of his early and mid years. Later in the series he becomes more open to examinng his shortcomings, his mortality and wonders about his own self-serving motives in a way that suggests change is ultimately on the way, if he lives that long. His buddy Meyer is instrumental in moving Trav toward a more realistic and longer view of living and reality. The story of Travis ends aptly in the Lonely Silver Rain with real change unavoidable and much life still looming ahead. Of course at this point we lost the genius that was MacDonald in his early death, and left the real McGee fans to speculate about Travis' future.
But Gold is the story where Travis peaks in his physical strength and intellectual ingenuity. He is bullet proof and invisible when necessary. He is the great savior of shattered women, and deftly justifies himself in that role (as he does throghout the series, and is never adequately called on that self-delusion except by Jean in Silver Rain). In Gold the woman in need of saving is Nora. Of course like all the true "keepers", (which are legion in Travis' life), her lifespan is shortened tragically though Travis justifies his inocence in her fluke death.
As usual Travis makes his recovery of the treasure in an incomplete way at a cost that leaves him pondering the worth of the project. But also as usual his lack of insight into things other than the tangibilities of having life his own way cause depression and regret but no sense of repentance, loving more the dance to the drum-beat of his personal demon's rhythm. His belief only in the here and now and his professed agnosticisms help him justify the real mess his lifestyle and actions inflict upon him and his numerous true loves one book at a time. The result is periodic self-medication for his bouts with depression in alcohol overuse and intentional whoredoggery; the ying and yang of his beach bum life choice.
One of the fascinating aspects of Gold and the early books is the dialog in the vernacular of the era of the early 60s. MacDonald did us a great service in preserving the way people really talked in those days. Just as Shakespeare wrote in the language of his time, so did MacDonald. This is a strength of the series, seeing the changing American zeitgeist as Trav adventures through the early 60s to mid 80s.
One last interesting point of Gold (and there are many more; a lengthy dissertation could be written on the joys and convolutions of this brilliant novel) is the perspective we get of Travis' flawed yet upflappable morality. In the prologue chapters of Gold we learn that Sam and Nora were the real deal; for Travis a picture of what a life-mate connection should be. Trav's honey at the time was one Nikki, with whom he tried to immitate the passion and potential permanence that he saw in Sam and Nora's relationship. Later in Mexico Trav finds that he is heading the same way with Nora, and indeed she was a keeper. But Travis' fatal flaw (always fatal to the keepers) rears it's ugly head. Of course to Travis it is just the on-going poker game of life, playing the hands he is dealt and sometimes overbetting a hand he should have folded. But to Trav life just never stops being poker. And as in all games of chance, eventually the good run runs out.
Read this book. I do about once a year. I never tire of the brilliant mystery, the heart-racing action, the incredible characters, the just-like-you-are-there sense of place. Gold is the perfect vacation read at the beach or the book to study and understand the philosophy that lead us to the culture clash we see even today in 2004.
Rating:
Summary: MacDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece.
Review: McDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece. I was cleaning out some bookshelves not long ago and came across this book. It's been years since I'd read a Travis McGee novel so I decided to reread this one. That proved to be one of the best decisions I've made so far this year reading-wise. Back in the 1960's John D. MacDonald wrote 21 Travis McGee books (along with a large number of stand alone books as well). They were among the most successful thriller/suspense books of the times and remain, in my opinion, one of the very best thriller suspense series of all time. MacDonald utilized a very Hemingway-esque writing style-terse, to the point, very abrasive and macho. His characters were first rate across the board, whether they be a series regular or a bit player. Even inanimate objects came to e serious characters, as in Travis' car and houseboat. Also the series is easily distinguishable as all McGee novels titles use the name of a color in the title. The books are dated in the sense that they use language and mannerisms common to the time. This is an observation, not a criticism. They are authentic to their time in every way and therefore are, essentially, timeless. A Deadly Shade of Gold is a pretty standard McGee thriller. The story involves McGee's dual purpose of finding and avenging the killer's of an old friend who suddenly reappears in South Florida asking McGee for help while trying to recover a hoard of pre-Columbian gold figurines his friend says were stolen from him. The action moves from Florida to Mexico to LA and involves the usual MacDonald elements-exotic locales, unique, dangerous characters, unleavened greed, lots of action, romance and lots of explicit violence. If you're tired of the run-of-the-mill, politically correct factory produced mysteries that seem to proliferate these days and want an authentic suspense/thriller experience, give Travis McGee a try-you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: MacDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece.
Review: McDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece. I was cleaning out some bookshelves not long ago and came across this book. It's been years since I'd read a Travis McGee novel so I decided to reread this one. That proved to be one of the best decisions I've made so far this year reading-wise. Back in the 1960's John D. MacDonald wrote 21 Travis McGee books (along with a large number of stand alone books as well). They were among the most successful thriller/suspense books of the times and remain, in my opinion, one of the very best thriller suspense series of all time. MacDonald utilized a very Hemingway-esque writing style-terse, to the point, very abrasive and macho. His characters were first rate across the board, whether they be a series regular or a bit player. Even inanimate objects came to e serious characters, as in Travis' car and houseboat. Also the series is easily distinguishable as all McGee novels titles use the name of a color in the title. The books are dated in the sense that they use language and mannerisms common to the time. This is an observation, not a criticism. They are authentic to their time in every way and therefore are, essentially, timeless. A Deadly Shade of Gold is a pretty standard McGee thriller. The story involves McGee's dual purpose of finding and avenging the killer's of an old friend who suddenly reappears in South Florida asking McGee for help while trying to recover a hoard of pre-Columbian gold figurines his friend says were stolen from him. The action moves from Florida to Mexico to LA and involves the usual MacDonald elements-exotic locales, unique, dangerous characters, unleavened greed, lots of action, romance and lots of explicit violence. If you're tired of the run-of-the-mill, politically correct factory produced mysteries that seem to proliferate these days and want an authentic suspense/thriller experience, give Travis McGee a try-you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: MacDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece.
Review: McDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece. I was cleaning out some bookshelves not long ago and came across this book. It's been years since I'd read a Travis McGee novel so I decided to reread this one. That proved to be one of the best decisions I've made so far this year reading-wise. Back in the 1960's John D. MacDonald wrote 21 Travis McGee books (along with a large number of stand alone books as well). They were among the most successful thriller/suspense books of the times and remain, in my opinion, one of the very best thriller suspense series of all time. MacDonald utilized a very Hemingway-esque writing style-terse, to the point, very abrasive and macho. His characters were first rate across the board, whether they be a series regular or a bit player. Even inanimate objects came to e serious characters, as in Travis' car and houseboat. Also the series is easily distinguishable as all McGee novels titles use the name of a color in the title. The books are dated in the sense that they use language and mannerisms common to the time. This is an observation, not a criticism. They are authentic to their time in every way and therefore are, essentially, timeless. A Deadly Shade of Gold is a pretty standard McGee thriller. The story involves McGee's dual purpose of finding and avenging the killer's of an old friend who suddenly reappears in South Florida asking McGee for help while trying to recover a hoard of pre-Columbian gold figurines his friend says were stolen from him. The action moves from Florida to Mexico to LA and involves the usual MacDonald elements-exotic locales, unique, dangerous characters, unleavened greed, lots of action, romance and lots of explicit violence. If you're tired of the run-of-the-mill, politically correct factory produced mysteries that seem to proliferate these days and want an authentic suspense/thriller experience, give Travis McGee a try-you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The quintessential Travis McGee
Review: McDonald's fifth McGee novel delivers all of the usual entertainment. McGee travels from Fort Lauderdale to Mexico and Los Angeles to seek the killers of an old friend. Plenty of action and self-righteous commentary. Travis McGee is thoroughly readable. A great book series that should live well beside Chandler and Stout.
| 
