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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lucky 13th for Travis, August 8, 2002
This review is from: The Dreadful Lemon Sky (Travis McGee Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
"Dreadful Lemon Sky," MacDonald's 13th in the Travis McGee series, is vintage McGee. I would put it right up there with the best of them, "Green Ripper" and "Bright Orange Shroud." It boggles my mind that MacDonald could write the abominable loser "Turquoise Lament" in 1973, and turn around and write this sparkling gem in 1974. Carrie, a blast from the past, pays McGee a surprise visit aboard the Busted Flush with a suitcase full of suspicious money. She asks him to keep it safe for her, keep a $10,000 "fee," and if she does not return for it in two weeks, send it to her sister. Two weeks later and no Carrie; McGee goes out to earn his fee. Carrie has died in a car "accident." McGee mounts his white horse and vows vengeance for the lady. He finds drugs, danger, more action than even he bargained for, and meets a load of fascinating (if not righteous) characters. He discovers an all too happy singles only apartment complex apparently fueled by marijuana and presided over by a Big Daddy who is the benevolent landlord. A mysterious newly widowed Cindy Birdsong plays his Bond girl role, if somewhat diffidently. The locale is all Florida, purely Florida. "Dreadful Lemon Sky" is superbly plotted with a surprising number of twists and turns for a MacDonald book. The character vignettes are sharp and right on the money. This is a Travis McGee not to be missed.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great introduction to the legendary Travis McGee series., September 5, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Dreadful Lemon Sky (Travis McGee Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
This happened to be the first novel of the Travis McGee series I read, back in the 80's, and I was instantly hooked. I grew up in Florida, and McDonald, as every reader familiar with Florida notices, knew the state intimately and paints that strange place with a master's touch. Travis McGee is probably the most perfectly realized character in series fiction, but what really grabbed me about this novel was the ultra-frightening villain. In fact, I think McDonald's greatest talent was the invention and development of his horrifying bad guys.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This Lemon is not Sour, September 6, 2011
This review is from: The Dreadful Lemon Sky (Travis McGee Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)
This was not one of the best McGee novels but it's still a good one. McGee goes off to investigate the death of a friend. The plot isn't really tied up in this novel but the strength of a MacDonald novel isn't always the plot but the writing, the characters, the flavor of Florida. This is full of McGee's and Meyer's insights into the human condition, which are always interesting to read. One of the bad guys comes to a particularly bad end. It's a unique and very uncomfortable way to die.
Not a five star novel but four stars isn't bad,
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