Customer Reviews

A Bullet for Cinderella

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm working my way through all the works of J.D. MacDonald that I can find. Finished all but one of the Travis McGees-- putting that day off when I'll have no more ahead of me. Also, his short stories-- Good Old Stuff, End of the Tiger, More Good Old Stuff. And the amazing long list of other titles, no longer in print but easy to find in most used book stores. The best of this last category so far are: April Evil, The Empty Trap, On the Run. I've read that Dead, Low Tide is also one of his best. Just beneath this tier are the usual MacDonalds-- great, plot-driven "pulp fiction," in the best sense of the term. A Bullet For Cinderella is in this group. Great escapist reading from THE master of the '50s genre mentioned above. As far as what to avoid, the least interesting McGee was Free Fall in Crimson. (The best was The Green Ripper.) Some take off right away-- The Empty Trap, for instance-- and some take a while, setting up character depth and story background-- The Last One Left, for instance. I found Barrier Island took too long to get started. I prefer the more plot-driven ones. A Bullet For Cinderella is certainly one of the good ones.

This was a good story and a fast read. It is classic John D. MacDonald all the way. What I am really waiting for the Travis McGee series to be published for Kindle. I hope that's next.

I bought this book completely by accident, having never actually heard of John D. MacDonald. He wrote a preface for a book I had recently purchased so I did a search for him on the Kindle Store to see if I had heard of any of his works. But instead of pressing the 'more' link on the Kindle, I accidentally pressed 'Buy'. I did consider looking at returning it, but thought I'd hang the expense and read it anyway.

Boy am I glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, reading the book in one day. The thing I love about books of this era (1950's - I even had to look that up as I didn't even know when he wrote it) is that they flow well and just give good stories. Unlike some modern authors who take themselves way to seriously - the cleverness of the author seemingly taking a second place to the story - this book is without pretension nor arrogance.

Instead, what you get is a type of innocence - for want of a better term - that is refreshing. The plot isn't overly complex, and there are no great surprises, but it is wildly enjoyable. I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to anyone after a nice easy read.

I might have to make more mistakes in the future, because this one worked out for the better.

It's been a long time since I read this the first time. John D. is my favorite. A guy who showed me the talent of the lean spare style of writing. A master, who is missed. Always a pleasure to become reacquainted with the work. The talent doesn't get old. He set the bar for those who followed.

My husband is a big fan of John D. MacDonald. He was surprised when I gave this to him for Christmas. Very good and fast to read

Travis McGee fans, of which I am one, have usually gone on to read other books by John D. MacDonald. This is one of his earlier ones and, while the author is not as skilled as he was when he began his McGee books, this remains a fine pulp fiction novel.
Even in his early days, MacDonald's prose could grab the reader and not him go. This book illustrates some of that prose power. However, later books also show the author becoming more polished and even more powerful. The book doesn't have a complicated plot. But like almost every MacDonald's novel, there are scenes the reader will remember. For me, the book was also intriguing because it took place back in the fifties. MacDonald's books are time capsules. He catches the flavor and atmosphere of that period.

Tal Howard had a bad time of it in Korea. On his return home, he developes a case of what today would be called PTSD. Drawn to the hometown of one of his companions in arms who didn't make it, he unwillingly gets involved in a web of crime, shocking in its details.

A Bullet for Cinderella by the legendary John D. MacDonald is an example of 1950's pulp fiction at its pulpiest. MacDonald skillfully touches all the requisite bases as he spins this clever yarn of romance, unbridled greed and murder.

Recommended to fans of pulp fiction as well as readers interested in the earlier work of John D. MacDonald, a craftsman who could take any genre and make it his own.

Great noir is like jazz, it is it's own idiom, a uniquely American thing, and at its best, an art. John Macdonald is one of noir's finest practitioners. Like Chandler, Hammett, Ross MacDonald and others, John D. Macdonald is able to write prose with a punch that also gets at a much deeper and more satisfying dimension than most genre-writing. This book grabs you from the first sentence and never really lets you go. But as others have said, while the plotting is fine, it is Macdonald's characters that are so magnetic. He is able to throw in sentences about his characters that somehow get right to their pathos...and to the reader's emotions. Got this for my Kindle and read it in 2 or 3 days. What a joy!

I had never heard of John D. MacDonald before I downloaded this book. The title 'A Bullet for Cinderella' grabbed my attention. It was a really good read, far better than some of the stories I have read lately, and I read a lot. Good plot and character development, great style, kept my attention and interest. Do yourself a favor and download this one. You will be glad you did.

Well written by John at his best. He clearly draws his very real characters and you care about them. Not a Travis McGee but you can see him starting to form in this early work. I read it straight through. Lots of twists. Noir is right !