Dishing out heavy doses of moral philosophy, McDonald always keeps the reader entertained and thought provoked. Not quite on par with some of the earlier McGee's, but never-the-less, vintage McDonald. 30+ years of reading his novels, one can only morn the loss that Travis, Meyer and the rest won't have a new tale to tell.

This is a great book if you're in the mood for a philosophy lesson on the meaning of life and how to maintain it. John D. MacDonald knows how to keep the action flowing, without hitting the reader over the head. It's nice to be treated as if you are an intelligent reader, which is why I keep coming back to the McGee series. Travis helps out a man whose father was killed, shortly before cancer would have taken him anyway. As Travis pokes around, he finds a web of dispicable characters hiding behind the entertainment industry. Justice is served to the guilty, as usual. Unfortunately, some of the innocent do not come out of this one, but only those who are not as careful as our houseboat hero. This is definitely one of the better entries in the McGee series, but one should read "A Quick Red Fox" first.

In "Free Fall in Crimson," the 19th Travis McGee episode, author John D. MacDonald refuses to be tied up with boundaries. In fact, this book seems a great deal like a geography lesson, as the plot takes him from Ft. Lauderdale, to other Florida parts, to Beverly Hills, and, finally, to Iowa for the climactic scene!

However, readers should not let that put them off another top-flight installment in the McGee series--this time involving, yes, a murder and other corruption, a hot

air balloon competition.

The plot is set aloft when Ron Esterland approaches Travis for help--seems he's been completely cut out of his inheritance when his father was murdered two years earlier (most of the estate has been left to his estranged wife and her filmmaker friend). Ron wants Travis to find the truth about the murder, suspecting that the wife and friend had much to do with it.

Travis' pursuit then takes him cross country, eventually landing in Roseland,

Iowa, where a film is being made about a hot-air balloon meet. As with the other McGee stories, MacDonald keeps us on the edge until the final pages. It is not that we don't know the guilty party; it is just that Travis must find a way to secure justice--usually his own brand--as many of the guilty are "out of bounds" to legal prosecution.

Readers will not be disappointed in either the story or McGee! While the series does not require a chronological reading, the earlier books establish the characters (especially McGee and economist friend Meyer). The first book is "The Deep Blue Goodby"--and it's a good place to get started, to "channel" the McGee interest. But regardless, "Free Fall in Crimson" merely adds to the charm of the series and of the character--it will leave you grasping for air!

(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

I bought this along with Neil Sperry's Texas Gardenining. This is a simple book with excellent pictures for planting in the DFW area. I wouldn't recommend this book as guide/reference, but it is a very nice accessory for deciding what to plant.

A must book for residents of the Dallas area. Has a good outline style with the high points on plants for Dallas. For a very detailed look this reference may come up short.

This will be the third time that I have purchased this book! I have loaned it out, and it never comes back. Probably the best resource book on gardening that I own. I love how Mr. Garrett recommends which plants to use.

What could be better than a beach book where a large chunk of the action takes place--you guessed it--on the Beach? Travis and pal Meyer endeavor to clear the name of ship captain, Van Harder. His client, Hub Lawless, was lost at sea and Harder was accused of being passed out drunk at the time of the accident. Van claims he was doped, not drunk, and now has lost his license and means of livelihood. Meyer engineers a neat scam whereby he and Trav get access to all the powers-that-be in Timber Bay, the town where the unfortunate Mr. Lawless was a king pin. His disappearance has left the town holding the bag and severely depressed. There is a serious question whether he engineered his own disappearance, and the insurance company is holding up the payment of a $2 million policy to the widow.

The book is fast paced with excellent dialogue, and if that isn't enough--Enter the Girls! First Trav hooks up with the lady piano player in a bar. He and MacDonald dance around for a few pages trying to absolve Trav of taking advantage of the dreaded, non-sensitive One Night Stand. Then come two good-time girls, Mishy & Licia who were on the boat at the time of the disappearance. Licia, though lovely, has a teeth problem. Much to her dismay one crude fellow told her "with teeth like that, you could eat a Big Mac through a venetian blind." (Not our Trav, of course). Then, saving the best until last, Gretel who brings Trav to his knees in instant adoration. I always get nervous when Trav finds true love; they seem to have a very short life span.

"The Empty Copper Sea" is vintage Travis McGee with more turns than a corkscrew and surprises to match. MacDonald sets up one of his trademark scenes of macabre horror right when you least expect it. He wipes that smile off your face, just in case you thought this was going to be only a lighthearted ramble. Recommended.

Over the years I've read hundreds of novels in a variety of genres, but for pure fun and enjoyment it's hard to beat Travis McGee. Some of the books are better than others, but they're nearly all worth a couple of lazy summer days. They are the ultimate summer time, quick-read beach books. At their core, they're good mysteries and this is one of the best. But Travis McGee is such a great character, with such a wry outlook on life, that often the mystery seems secondary to McGee's views on whatever topic author John D. McDonald has selected for his soap box. Most of them take place in Florida, (a Florida no one will ever see again given they were written mostly in the 60s and 70s) and all have a color in the title. Don't take them too seriously, just have fun in the sun.

The trouble with discovering John D. McDonald's Travis McGee series is that there will be no more. Mr. McDonald passed away several years ago. I find myself re-reading his books in order about every other year. They are still fresh, funny (at times) and insightful.

I like Empty Copper Sea best because Travis meets the main love of his life. Gretel Howard is all that Travis deserves and more. Meyer, the famous economist and chili maker extraordinaire plays a pretty big role in this installment as well. All the familiar elements of Travis' life are here in this book yet the presentation is still fresh. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

Travis McGee gets a check for $25,000 (a lot of dough for 1969) and the dying wish of an old friend, to look after her suicidal daughter. So McGee goes to Fort Courtney to observe the daughter, her sister and her husband. What McGee encounters is a series of unusual circumstances, including dead bodies, cheating spouses, and the evidence that somebody is spying on him. Could all of these things be connected? Sure - but only McGee could figure out the complicated connection. True to most McGee novels, justice is served in the end, although in a form the reader does not expect.

This is my 11th McGee novel. Clearly MacDonald writes in a more sophisticated style than 98% of the mystery writers today. A new reader may find it annoying that one must suffer through a good 100 pages before the action really begins, but this is typical MacDonald style. Not only do you get a complex mystery, but you get a lot of philosophy along the way.

Well, I'll keep this short & sweet. I'm not much of a mystery reader but this series was recommended to me by several people. I picked this one randomly to start the series. I liked it...the story was quick-moving, had good character development, some humor, a lot of action, and tied up nicely at the end. At 250 pages it's a quick read, perfect for an airplane ride. If you like Dick Francis, Robert Parker, et al, then you'll like this series.

This was my second John D. MacDonald book and my first Travis McGee book. I had heard that MacDonald could flat-out write, and I was not disappointed by this book. What I enjoyed the most was MacDonald's insight into the human condition; he really understood what motivated people. This helped his plotting and dialogue seem fresh and real even after 30 years.

I'm hooked. If you haven't read MacDonald you're missing out.

Over the years I've read hundreds of novels in a variety of genres, but for pure fun and enjoyment it's hard to beat Travis McGee. Some of the books are better than others, but they're nearly all worth a couple of lazy summer days. They are the ultimate summer time (or any other season for that matter), quick-read books. At their core, they're good mysteries. But Travis McGee is such a great character, with such a wry outlook on life, that often the mystery seems secondary to McGee's views on whatever topic author John D. McDonald has selected for his soap box. Most of them take place in Florida, (a Florida no one will ever see again given they were written mostly in the 60s and 70s) and all have a color in the title. Don't take them too seriously, just have fun in the sun.

Some years after his death, John D Macdonald remains much under-valued. The Travis McGee "colour" series parallels Macdonald's career and on re-reading can be seen to develop along with the maturity of the author. Travis observes things as John did. This blurring of the line between author and character is assisted by the use of the first person, and is fascinating in itself. However, it also reaches a new plane in 'Rain'. For twenty-odd years Travis represented the man who lived our dreams: unattached, entirely self-sufficient, a wolf among the sheep. In 'Rain', Macdonald courageously forces his hero to pay the price of those choices. I've read this book many times. The last chapter makes me cry every time (which is tough for a 41 year old Englishman). I don't weep for Travis, but for the end of all our dreams and the persistent treasure of family.

The Travis McGee series represents one of the greatest accomplishments of American fiction -- ever. Never mind the rumors of MacDonald working on another story (before he died) with the color "Black" in the title, this is the way a series should end. Travis has taken countless blows, physical and emotional, throughout his career. In this novel, however, we see Travis's rusty armour nearly falling off, his horse nearly crippled, and his enemies closing in on all sides for the kill. As he triumphs one last time over the insurmountable odds, he gains a new reason to continue being the white knight. While this book is superb, I wouldn't recommend reading it until you've read at least a few others in the series (especially "Pale Gray for Guilt"). Not only will you understand more about the plot and characters, you will have more invested in seeing Travis's ultimate redemption.

Here's a quick heads-up to anyone thinking of checking out this book: as per usual, MacDonald indulges his sexist attitudes towards women by having his hero, Travis McGee, meet up with a physically attractive, sexually repressed female whom he subsequently restores to mental good health by way of the bedroom. Anyone who's read this far in the series will not be surprised by that particular plot development. However, the book also indulges, in one brief but potently worded scene, some seriously homophobic sentiments. This, of course, fits in nicely with McGee's habit of handily pigeonholing virtually everyone he meets. Like the previous three McGee books (which are all I've yet read), the attitudes may be outdated, and to some degree offensive--but the writing's good stylistically, plot and pacing are tight. If you're looking for a light but suspensive read (or if you're sexist and homophobic), McGee's your man.

Travis McGee is quick to come to the rescue of damsels in distress and doesn't need much coaxing this time when actress Lysa Dean cries out for help. Lysa is being blackmailed over some photos that were taken during a 4 day drunken party, catching her in some pretty explicit scenes. She has already paid off the blackmailers once, but it would seem that the photos still exist and the blackmailers are coming back for another bite of the cherry. Travis is given a list of 10 people who knew about the party and so uses it to begin his investigation into which one of them organised to have the photos taken.

To help him during his investigation, Lysa supplies Travis with her own personal secretary Dana Holtzer, a highly organised, very professional and of course , strikingly beautiful woman. She also has some personal secrets that makes her cold and aloof, particularly when it comes to men. Travis, being the diligent investigator that he is, goes about unlocking the secrets to Dana's heart while he's unlocking the identity of the blackmailer.

This is a lively mystery which turns out to be more of a mystery than it appears at first glance. The solving of one part leads us onto the next, leading Travis and Dana across the country and forcing them closer and closer together. It's an entertaining entry in the Travis McGee series.

John MacDonald, a prolific mystery/terror novelist, created the Travis McGee series. The Quick Red Fox is one of the earlier ones, and the story is rather tacky. What is important about the Travis McGee series is that there is much philosophy about life which rings very true today, even though MacDonald died in 1996.

In this entry in the series, McGee has found a True Love, a woman seemingly compatible with all facets of his existence, who is able to give meaning to his life, and then she is cruelly killed by a seemingly random process. In earlier books, other lovers have been killed, but never one he sees such a future with. Her murder jolts McGee notably more than any prior tragedy, into a depressed and narrow focus on revenge; he breaks off from Meyer (who articulates equally nihilistic views), and his usual cynicism becomes total negativism. He takes on a simpler identity, and follows a series of clues and lucky breaks to a terrorist boot camp for the organization that ordered his lover's execution. He (justifiably and unavoidably, it seems) massacres all the group's members, in a spree that sickens but in the end also partly redeems him. There is a certain class of mysteries that is fulfilling to read when you feel depressed, disgusted, and generally grungy. Quite a bit of Chandler, and some of Lawrence Block, falls into this class. This is the only book in the McGee series that really fits into the class, but it's almost perfect of its kind. See also Block's "Such Men Are Dangerous."

This is a book of vengeance and revenge. Travis has finally found true love, and she is snatched from him by death. At first it appears to be a lethal illness, then horrifyingly a random sophisticated killing. Trav is almost mad with a desire to find one face to batter and then to execute the killer. To face the fact that the murder appears to be an organizational hit with no single one-of-a-kind killer seems obscenely unfair. Travis follows some paper-thin leads, discards his identity, and infiltrates a terrorist camp sponsored by a cult religious group.

This is a fast paced book, one of my all-time favorite McGees. I was struck by MacDonald's uncanny accuracy in depicting the terrorist personality way back in 1979. The healthy young American soldiers in superb shape confidently believed their next lives would be vastly improved by destroying the civilization in this one. They disdained, even looked forward to death. One character tells McGee that the terrorists will not "waste" their rockets on military vessels. Blowing up a planeload of civilians containing women and children was far more "productive."

The finale is a fine display of McGee's sniperly abilities, derring-do and just plain luck. (Rambo has nothing on him!) The only thing that dated "The Green Ripper" was McGee's reluctance to treat the female terrorists as anything but "ladies" no matter how fearsome they were. Today no such chivalry (even if misguided) would be allowed.

One of the later books, and closing in on the end of the series, this is my favorite McGee sketch of all time. It is terribly tragic McGee, though, given the death of his beloved and the deepest depth of darkness into which McGee goes to find solace - even if it is the cold comfort of murderous revenge. I must confess to having a strong penchant for vengeance, if this is my favorite of the long line of McGees (oops, got me there). By the time the book is over, one has seen McGee at his absolutely most lethal - and rightly so. All along the way the eternal McGee reflections offer insight into the process of grief, revenge, and humanity - truly a wonderful read.

Tush Bannon, friend of Travis, a good and gentle man is killed horrifically by an anvil crushing his face and chest. First declared suicide-admittedly a peculiar way to do the deed--- later changed to murder. Tush owned a small marina whose acreage was a valuable parcel to the big bad business interests, and he was being squeezed out. He left a shocked and bereft wife and three young sons. Gallant Knight Travis rides to the rescue.

"Pale Gray for Guilt" was the 8th novel in the Travis McGee series, and I judge it as medium-good McGee. Published in 1968, it has an excellent contemporary flavor about it that captures the late '60s very well. The major flaw in the novel is the extraordinarily complicated sting set up by Meyer and Travis as revenge for Tush's demise. The big businessmen are set up to take a financial bath, and there are pages and pages devoted to capital gains, covering margins, selling short, etc. This has the effect of confining John Wayne to Wall St., not a happy or even very interesting state of affairs. However, Travis does get to expound, and wow his usual lusty women. (this one named Puss Killian-would such a name even be allowed today?) MacDonald allows Travis his special brand of sentimentality, "-went into the master bedroom and slipped out of the robe and into the giant bed and wished I wasn't too old to cry myself to sleep." No other tough private eye would ever be permited to think that way in print.

By the time this book was written, MacDonald had found his groove, though it was too bad he had to foist his interest in the stock market on Travis who, as we all well know, cares nothing about such things. It never happened again.

...and whatever you do, read this one before reading "The Lonely Silver Rain". "Pale Gray" is vintage McGee, and a very fascinating exploration of the Big Con. There must be something more entertaining than these books, but I can't imagine what it would be.

John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series was one of the first truly successful "hard boiled detective" genre series to make it big at the mass market level of sales. Written mostly in the 1960's and early 1970's the books could come across as somewhat dated time period pieces except that MacDonald was a suspense writer of the highest order whose gritty, hard edged characters come to life on the page just as readily today as they did back when written.

In point of fact, these really aren't "detective" books at all; they are generally better classified as suspense novels. However, the formula utilized in the books, as well as the realistic, hard hitting writing style they displayed, set the stage for many a fictional detective series to follow.

McGee advertises himself as a "salvage" specialist. He's more a high-end repo man. If you've lost something of extraordinary value that you do not want the police involved in recovering, he'll do it for you-for 50% of the fair market value of the lost valuables. Once he's made a big score he reverts to being a beach Bum in ft. Lauderdale Florida where he lives on the beach in a houseboat won in a card game.

The Travis McGee novels break down basically into two types of story either (A) a "recovery" tale and (B) a revenge tale. The former is the far more common format.

Pale Gray for Guilt is one of the latter. Tush Bannon, one of Travis' old high school buddies, is killed by developers who want his land for a project, Travis swears revenge. Along with his sidekick, Dr. Meyer, a nationally known economist and fellow beach bum, McGee sets in motion a complicated and dangerous scam to entrap and bankrupt the killers.

On the whole I like the recovery novels better than the revenge novels, but this is one of the better of the latter sort. The plan is ingenious, the characters, as usual, well developed and the con victim so loathsome one is fully engaged in the effort to get the SOB.

This is probably not the best book to start out with McGee but, once hooked, this will make a very pleasant read.

A final note: MavDonald wrote many novels other than the McGee series-however, all McGee novels have a color in the title. If you're browsing for McGee, just select any novel with a color in the title, and there Travis will be.

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.

"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.

"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!)

It really doesn't matter which Travis McGee book you are reading because they are all so pleasureable that it is like slipping into a warm bath. They possess great narrative drive and a character that is at once bigger than life, self-deprecating, philosophical and all too human.

Travis Mcgee is a great figure in literature. Over the 20 years or so that MacDonald wrote these 21 novels(all with a color in the title and all with the title somewhere in the novel), McGee aged by about a year for every three that MacDonald wrote. His insights grew sharper, his cynicism and self loathing battled with his heroic life and his incredible pleasures. His reliance on his physical dexterity and strength diminished as his cunning increased.

The books were written between approximately 1964 to 1984. This particular book was written in 1969. Relatively early in the saga, and one of a handful taking place in Mexico. Most took place in South Florida where he lived on a houseboat. Where else could he live?

He went to Mexico to find out what happened to a friend's daughter. Traveling with his frequent companion, Meyer, he uncovers some sinister plot and we are introduced to some great memorable characters, and always fabulous women including Elena from Guadalahara and Becky, a sexual machine. Since it is the late 60's, you get to see the hippies in Mexico and McGee's relation to them.

The wonder and greatness of these books lies in the writing and the creation of a world and a being that you are lucky to tag along with during your time together.

A classic commentary on the 60s counterculture by John McD. A group of flower children are scattered across Mexico and have information concerning Bix Bowie's last days. As Meyer and McGee unravel the story, the gang starts dropping like flies. Several neat twists and a jawdropping finale. Reading this book brought back memories of old Dragnet and Adam-12 shows featuring the degenerate hippies. Trav gets more work in the bedroom than in any other I've read. Along the way he gets to pummel a homosexual AND a lesbian(not that there's anything OK with that, they just had it comin' to them).