The Deep
Blue Good-By
by
John D. MacDonald
Gold
Medal Books (1964)
144
pages
Gin-soaked
philosophy is fine--in moderation--but it can wear a little thin
after a while. The hero of John D. MacDonald's invention, Travis
McGee, lives aboard a houseboat that he won in a card game. He's a
vagabond with a vigilante's heart and a propensity for spouting his
worldview at nearly every turn. Some just plainspoken common sense,
the rest is an embittered cynicism that leaves a bad taste in your
mouth. But, hey, everyone has their faults.
I
scrounged up this novel while on a sixties pulp kick earlier in the
year, and considering the author is the man behind Cape Fear,
I figured this would be a good one to pick up. Heck, this is the
first of twenty-one Travis McGee novels for crying out loud, so
MacDonald must have been doing something right.
Turns
out Travis gets by hiring out his services to people who have lost
one thing or another and want it back. Travis finds what they want
and keeps a cut for himself. I think it's referred to as "salvage
consulting" in the novel. In The Deep Blue Good-By",
Travis is coaxed by one of his lovely lady friends, a dancer with
nothing better to do than luxuriate aboard his cozy houseboat between
gigs, to help out a gal she knows who's been done wrong by one mean
hombre named Junior Allen. Travis isn't terribly convinced, even with
the promise of a payday, but when he meets the utterly pathetic
creature for himself, he's drawn to find the bastard who ruined her
and reclaim what he can of the money Junior stole.
The
story has its share of twists and turns along the way, but it never
felt terribly suspenseful and ultimately very predictable. Travis had
a mission and a gameplan, and then he did it. No big surprises that
he couldn't really handle and no real peril that wasn't overcome in
quick fashion. Now, I haven't read a Jack Reacher novel--yet--but
I wouldn't be surprised to find out Travis McGee served as a bit of a
template or inspiration for Lee Child's own iconic ass-kicker. But,
while I may have found Jack Reacher to be a likable enough character
in the movie adaptation I saw, Travis McGee can be detestable at
times in his attitude towards the world, and especially the women who
pass through his life. He's got a meanstreak underneath all his
too-cool-for-school bravado, and might even be a sociopath by today's
standards.
The Deep
Blue Good-By wound up a fun
distraction for an evening, but if the other twenty novels in the
series are just like it, I'm not so sure I'll be able to endure more
than a couple more of them before I grow weary of Travis McGee.
Great post, Gef. I've read three Travis books and so far they're all similar. If you haven't read any of his standalone novels give them a chance. APRIL EVIL, ONE MONDAY WE KILLED THEM ALL, and THE DAMNED. The last one is more of a character study, not much on suspense, but it's a neat book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lee. I believe I have a couple of those on my Goodreads watch list.
ReplyDeleteI figure I'll probably delve into Jim Thompson's work next before revisiting MacDonald.
Cool. I've only read THE NOTHING MAN by Thompson, and it was okay, but I've heard it's a lot different than most of his work. I'm going to grab THE KILLER INSIDE ME, and POPULATION 1280 soon. Look forward to hearing what you think of his work, man.
ReplyDelete