I got interested in hb fiction through the Travis McGee
series -- the very first book I ever read in the genre, in
fact, was THE DEEP BLUE GOODBYE. So John D. will always have
a special place in my heart. I think the McGee series is the
textbook example of how to do such a thing well -- it's too
bad that many current hb writers aren't willing to take the
chances Macdonald did.
His non-McGee stuff varies in quality -- some of his very
early books sound preachy to me, while a few of the later
ones (CONDOMINIUM) are bloated. But the best of them are
masterful in their insight into American life and mores. I
think he understood his time and age better than any of his
peers.
Yeah, you could go on and on and on talking about John D. --
he's that rich of a writer. I'll just end this by
recommending A FLASH OF GREEN, one of his better later
novels. It incorporates a lot of his themes: environmental
issues, shady business dealings, an interest in moral
corruption and the ways it can occur. Very depressing in
spots, but that's a tribute to John D.'s unblinking clarity
of vision. Worth picking up if you see it.
doug
--- James Rogers <
jetan@ionet.net> wrote:
> I really mean all this crap, and I don't think
I
> am just puffing the
> guy. Don't we have any stone-cold MacDonald fans
on
> the list? And does
> anyone know how a Harvard grad came to crank
out
> cheap paperback originals?
>
>
>
===== Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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