A couple of years ago I was working my way through the Travis McGee series by John D. before getting side-tracked after maybe the 5 or 6th book, or was it number 4?Hopefully in the next year or two I will get back to it, or maybe these good looking stand-alones, acquired recently in a charity shop. How could I resist?
MacDonald wrote 21 Travis McGee novels and maybe 50 other novels as well as short stories. Either of these or Cape Fear which I know I have somewhere will probably be my first non-Travis MacDonald book.
I've only taken notice of John D. MacDonald in the past four or five years, foolishly disregarding him for many years on the basis of ..... his books were old, how could they be any good?
What a fool, am I?
Border town Girl (1956)
Border Town Girl, a two-novella anthology from crime writer
John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series,
is now available as an eBook.
BORDER TOWN GIRL
In a different life, Lane Sanson was a famous war
correspondent and a bestselling author. He had been somebody. Now he's a
nobody, bumming around Mexico, lost, lonely, hungry for hope, a pushover for a
border town B-girl . . . and the perfect fall guy for a lethal frame-up.
LINDA
As beautiful, as inviting, as treacherous as the sea around
her, Linda is a woman who is used to getting her way. And if she doesn't get
what she wants, she has no qualms using force to take it. But this time, her
betrayals have gone too far for her husband - or the law - to ignore.
Praise for John D. MacDonald
"The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing
storyteller." - Stephen King
"My favorite novelist of all time." - Dean Koontz
A Key to the Suite
(1962)
A master of the thriller turns his talent for riveting
suspense to the world of business. In this bold novel, John D. MacDonald
exposes the backstabbing and betrayals, sordid deeds and savage maneuverings
that take place behind closed doors.
Floyd Hubbard arrives at a convention at a busy beach-town
hotel with a mission from the top brass: ax a long-time manager in the sales
team who has been slacking off for too long. Hubbard's a loyal company man, but
his background is engineering, not cold-blooded corporate warfare. Little does
Hubbard realize that the first grenade has already been lobbed - and he's the
target.
Cory Barlund has heard more than her fair share of odd
requests in her years as a high-class call girl, so this one's right up her
alley: pose as a journalist, seduce a visiting executive, and embarrass him in
front of his colleagues. But after a night with Hubbard, Cory's having second
thoughts. Hubbard's a good man. She might be falling for him. And the real
hustlers are the ones on the convention floor.
Praise for John D. MacDonald
"My favorite novelist of all time . . . No price could
be placed on the enormous pleasure that his books have given me." - Dean Koontz
"To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of
John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen." - Kurt Vonnegut
"John D. MacDonald remains one of my idols." - Donald Westlake
Col - I really like the Travis McGee series, but I confess I'm not nearly as familiar with MacDonald's other work. I'll be keen to know what you think of these.
ReplyDeleteMe too Margot - hence my impulse purchase. It would have been a crime to leave them on the shelf in the shop!
DeleteCol, I'm sitting on a bunch of JDMs that I have yet to read and it may include either one of these. I'll have to see. JDM rarely disappoints though I find myself on edge while reading his novels.
ReplyDeleteDon't sit on them too long......advise I ought to take on board myself! I'm interested to see what ones you have,
DeleteI read some of these years ago and don't remember much about them. I'll be interested to see what you say about them.
ReplyDeleteI might delay them until one of Rich's years fits, or perhaps a weekend afternoon when I'm at a loose end. I reckon they'll read quick.
DeleteSince the last book sale, I now have about 6 standalone books by John D. MacDonald and 12 of the Travis McGee series. Many of the McGee books will probably be rereads, but I don't think I have ever tried a standalone book by him. I found a great blog featuring reviews of his books, I will find the link for you.
ReplyDeleteTracy thanks - the link would be great. I hope you try him again soon - we'll see who gets there first!
DeleteThe blog is here: http://thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.com/
DeleteAnd a post on Border Town Girl:
http://thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.com/2010/11/linda.html
Wish I had more time to spend there.
Tracy, thanks - I haven't seen this blog before! I'll check it out.
DeleteDon't know if I'd consider him my favorite novelist of all time but he's up there. Love how he creates characters. I've read almost everything he's done. I have 5 or 6 left and just dole them out to myself slowly
ReplyDeleteWow, I don't think I would be able to hold back on them if I had read everything else. I wonder what merits releasing one and reducing to four then three...... Christmas, holiday, birthday....
DeleteElizabeth, thanks for the informed comment. I'll check your essay out.
ReplyDeleteIn studying the Lew Archer novels of Ross Macdonald I’ve tried to identify certain characteristics, themes, motifs, images – call them what you like – that crop up frequently throughout the various books. I don’t claim that the following are particularly important or have any special significance or meaning; nor do I say this is a comprehensive list. They are simply some things I’ve noticed in more than one of the novels. Some of these appear in quite a few of the Archers. In time I hope to post the results of reading through each of the books individually while searching for these ‘repeaters’.
ReplyDeletehttp://postmoderndeconstructionmadhouse.blogspot.com/2014/12/ross-macdonald-characteristics-of.html#.VPJ31tKUc7V
Not tried Ross or his Lew books yet. Long overdue a read I think.
DeleteCheers
ReplyDelete