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Title: A Purple Place for Dying (Travis McGee, No. 3)
ISBN: 0449224384
Author:
John D. MacDonald
Publicate Date: 1995-05-27
Publish: 1995-05-27
List Price: $7.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $4.18
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.74
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: A purple place for dying
Received this item in excellent conditions and in a very timely matter.
Thank you
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2: Far from the sea, its the southwest for McGee
I admire all of John D. MacDonald's work, and certainly the Travis McGee series was his most powerful creation. Few, if any, popular mysteries are of such high quality.
Though this book is entertaining, and well crafted, it is not my favorite McGee. There are perhaps three reasons for this:
1) It follows the pattern of a standard mystery from the fifties or early sixties, and hence seems a bit derivative. I think MacDonald was experimenting with moving McGee away from his native habitat, perhaps to make use of a plot he had invented in other circumstances. I'm not sure the experiment was successful.
2) McGee is far from the water, and I think the sense of warmth and good will found in many of the other books in this series comes from MacDonald's love of the water in general, and Florida in particular. McGee was out of his habitat, and seemed a bit strained and depressed as a result.
3) McGee (and MacDonald) really don't like the female lead in the book very much, and one of the things that holds MacDonald's books together is the main character's and the author's obvious attraction and sympathy for women. Here the lead is prissy, overly intellectual, and distasteful to MacDonald and McGee. As a result, the book feels a bit sour, and lacking the good will and sense of joy found in the best of the other McGees.
Nevertheless, this is a Travis McGee book from the early sixties, a time when MacDonald was at the height of his remarkable powers. As such, it is not to be missed. I, however, will confess to having missed the Busted Flush, the sandy rumped sun bunnies, and the sleazy streets of Florida. A good book, but not at the top of my list of McGees. (I've read them all several times, a few of them many times.)
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3: Excellent Detective Story
A Purple Place of Dying is the second novel by John D. MacDonald featuring Travis McGee. McGee has been summoned to the country by Mona Yeoman to try and force a divorce and financial settlement from her tycoon husband. McGee is not inclined to go for it but before the meeting ends, Yeoman takes a bullet to the spine and falls to the ground dead. Before long, the body has disappeared and Travis learns that everyone assumes the woman has run off with a college professor she's been having an affair with. Away from his home turf and not sure who he can trust, McGee digs in to try and find out who killed Mona Yeoman.
John MacDonald knew how to tell a story and tell it well. His use of language is clear and concise. The dialogue is crisp and intelligent and includes the snappy patter that any self-respecting detective series must have. At just under 300 pages, A Purple Place for Dying is certainly not padded, the story moves along well and keeps the reader guessing at a solution to the mystery until the reveal. The characters were well developed and interesting. Mona's husband was particularly enjoyable and Travis McGee manages to be both tough without becoming a caricature of a hard-boiled detective. He's decent, honest for the most part, and the kind of guy you'd want on your side when in trouble.
In any review, I try to point out the good along with the bad. In this case, I can't really find any flaws or weaknesses in the book. It's well written, the story is interesting, and the characters were strong. This was the first novel of MacDonald's that I have read but I can see why he was recognized as a master of the craft of writing. If you're looking for a good detective novel, this one is an excellent choice.
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4: Entertaining Mystery
Travis McGee does it again, with attitude. These books are loads of fun and this one is no exception. I had it sort of figured out pretty early on, but enjoyed watching the whole thing unfold. These books are so funny with their 1960s male perspective, and I love the little details that MacDonald includes. Suspenseful, funny and a good read.
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5: Great title, good book...
A Purple Place for Dying is the third book in John MacDonald's Travis McGee series, and McGee comes upon his most troubling case yet. McGee is brought to the Midwest by a big, brassy, bossy Blonde who needs help. Mona Yeoman suspects that her husband has pilfered her trust fund, and she wants a divorce. McGee's job is to find out what happened to the money. McGee doesn't particularly like Yeoman, but is tempted to take the case because he needs the money. But before he even has a chance to say yes, Mona is murdered right in front of his eyes, and this changes everything. What makes things even more mysterious is that her body disappears when the police are called to the scene of the crime.
McGee could simply take his return plane ticket and fly home to his native Florida. But for whatever reasons, he decides to stick around and do some snooping. There are many twists and turns and also a few more mysterious murders. As usual, McGee finds himself in danger the closer he comes to the truth. And the truth comes as a complete surprise.
Each MacDonald book gets better than the previous one. We also get to see McGee become more fleshed out as a character. Still, it seems that the early books in this series are more of a novella length, but MacDonald corrects this with later books.
Overall, the McGee series is a true gem, and I'm glad to have discovered these wonderful mysteries.
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