A Deadly Shade of Gold

A Deadly Shade of Gold, installment number 5 in the Travis McGee series, is a sensational example of mystery writing. The narrative, despite its complexity, flows smoothly as MacDonald takes McGee and the reader from one intriguing situation to the next. McGee travels to New York, Mexico and Los Angeles in what would appear to be a foolhardy attempt to locate 28 missing gold statuettes and find out who killed his old friend Sam Taggart. First published about 6 years after Fidel Castro rose to power, A Deadly Shade of Gold features a number of characters who are Cuban expatriots. John D. MacDonald was at the top of his game when he wrote this book. The storyline contains enough interesting and sometimes shocking plot twists for two novels the size of this one. The descriptive passages are quite evocative and highly original. And the characters are masterfully fleshed out and believable. At times, McGee's actions make him less than likable. For example, at one point he menacingly threatens to kill a young woman just to teach her a lesson. That McGee's behavior can arouse such negative emotion in the reader is in itself a tribute to author MacDonald's ability to bring realism to the page. Don't miss A Deadly Shade of Gold. It's an artfully written work of fiction that passes the test of time and does so with flying colors.

McDonald was a master & McGee was his masterpiece.I was cleaning out some bookshelves not long ago and came across this book. It's been years since I'd read a Travis McGee novel so I decided to reread this one. That proved to be one of the best decisions I've made so far this year reading-wise.Back in the 1960's John D. MacDonald wrote 21 Travis McGee books (along with a large number of stand alone books as well). They were among the most successful thriller/suspense books of the times and remain, in my opinion, one of the very best thriller suspense series of all time.MacDonald utilized a very Hemingway-esque writing style-terse, to the point, very abrasive and macho. His characters were first rate across the board, whether they be a series regular or a bit player. Even inanimate objects came to e serious characters, as in Travis' car and houseboat. Also the series is easily distinguishable as all McGee novels titles use the name of a color in the title.The books are dated in the sense that they use language and mannerisms common to the time. This is an observation, not a criticism. They are authentic to their time in every way and therefore are, essentially, timeless.A Deadly Shade of Gold is a pretty standard McGee thriller. The story involves McGee's dual purpose of finding and avenging the killer's of an old friend who suddenly reappears in South Florida asking McGee for help while trying to recover a hoard of pre-Columbian gold figurines his friend says were stolen from him. The action moves from Florida to Mexico to LA and involves the usual MacDonald elements-exotic locales, unique, dangerous characters, unleavened greed, lots of action, romance and lots of explicit violence.If you're tired of the run-of-the-mill, politically correct factory produced mysteries that seem to proliferate these days and want an authentic suspense/thriller experience, give Travis McGee a try-you won't be disappointed.

"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!)

This one is, without a doubt, my favorite in the series. From Florida to Mexico to LA, Travis is at his finest. If you haven't read a McGee novel yet, this is a great place to start. One of the best written novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading.