David,
By coincidence, 'The Green Ripper' is one of a trio of books by John D. MacDonald which I came across by lucky chance in a Dublin bookshop recently. I read all three back-to-back - not advisable when reading MacDonald's Travis McGee series for fear of blurring and confusion in the memory, which duly arrived for me.
However, 'The Green Ripper' does stand out a bit for me inasmuch as it was a little more hardboiled than stories featuring the philosophising beach bum tend to be. In fact, the action was almost Ramboesque as McGee goes on a mission of vengeance against a terrorist group who have been responsible for the death of his current seriously significant other. You'd imagine by this time that the women in the McGee stories would know better than to become seriously involved with him...
Anyway, I found it enjoyable, even though it departed from the usual plot device of this series in not having McGee trying to recover anything on behalf of anybody - other than himself, that is.
Patrick
________________________________
From: davidcorbett622 <davidcorbettauthor@gmail.com>
To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 10 May, 2010 16:11:45
Subject: RARA-AVIS: Query for the Choir: Ed McBain, John D. MacDonald, Lawrence Block, Others
I've been leading a reading group at my local indie books store for the past few years named "High Crimes," dedicated to reading crime fiction with literary merit or literary fiction that deals with crime. Wwe just read Tana French's IN THE WOODS for example, and are now reading Dan Fesperman's THE PRISONER OF GUANTANAMO, and have read everyone from Kate Atkinson to Charles Willeford to Richard Price to James Lee Burke etc. For a complete list, go here: http://www.davidcor bett.com/ booklist. php
Here's my question for the group: I now want to turn my attention to a few classic writers in the genre who are not just long-standing favorites but who have contributed particular books that rightly can be called masterpieces.
I'm starting with McBain, MacDonald and Block for selfish reasons -- I am woefully under-read on each of them and would like to "catch up." I've provisionally picked the following three books, but I'd like input on choices members of the group might make.
THE GREEN RIPPER, John D. MacDonald
HARK!, by Ed McBain
WHEN THE SACRED GINMILL CLOSES, Lawrence Block
Thanks a million in advance,
David Corbett
Thought for the Day: What a friend we have in cheeses.
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