The Last One Left [Mass Market Paperback]

John D MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1967

This novel almost certainly started out as a Travis McGee story. Then, somewhere along the line, I'm guessing that it started to come alive in ways that demanded a more omniscient narrator. Just a guess, but MacDonald's dedication of the book to McGee himself is suggestive. It's also worth noting that in this novel, McGee's runabout *Munequita* figures prominently..McGee acquired the boat after the events related in the novel--the sort of sly integration McDonald indulged from time to time. So, for those of you who love the McGee stories, but haven't read this one yet, you're in for what may be the best Travis McGee story of them all, although McGee is nowhere to be found, at least, not directly. Besides the usual MacDonald qualities of a wonderfully complex plot that unfolds in an entirely organic way; every character pretty much straight out of life; and all kinds of memorable local color, there is an elaborate portrait of one of the more frightening human beings to ever inhabit a crime novel. This character is straight out of Kraft-Ebbing's worst nightmares, and the way in which MacDonald gets inside her head is downright spooky. The novel is worth your time just for this character alone. But there is so much more. The novel ranges over a vast swath of human experience. MacDonald's deep insight into the human condition is in full flower here, and makes for some of the most gratifying storytelling of the last 50 years. The little framing story that opens and closes the book is itself a small masterpiece. You'll be glued to this novel until you finish it. In short, this is another one of MacDonald's deeply literary novels that masquerades as crime fiction. I've often thought that it's his best novel, and I've read them all, most more than once. I've never been able to figure out why no-one has made this into a movie. Done right, this would be a very impressive flick.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett Gold Meda (1967)
• ASIN: B0012GDZMG
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,398,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe MacDonald's best novel?, September 6, 2005

By 

anonymous (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last One Left (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel almost certainly started out as a Travis McGee story. Then, somewhere along the line, I'm guessing that it started to come alive in ways that demanded a more omniscient narrator. Just a guess, but MacDonald's dedication of the book to McGee himself is suggestive.

It's also worth noting that in this novel, McGee's runabout *Munequita* figures prominently..McGee acquired the boat after the events related in the novel--the sort of sly integration McDonald indulged from time to time.

So, for those of you who love the McGee stories, but haven't read this one yet, you're in for what may be the best Travis McGee story of them all, although McGee is nowhere to be found, at least, not directly.

Besides the usual MacDonald qualities of a wonderfully complex plot that unfolds in an entirely organic way; every character pretty much straight out of life; and all kinds of memorable local color, there is an elaborate portrait of one of the more frightening human beings to ever inhabit a crime novel. This character is straight out of Kraft-Ebbing's worst nightmares, and the way in which MacDonald gets inside her head is downright spooky. The novel is worth your time just for this character alone.

But there is so much more. The novel ranges over a vast swath of human experience. MacDonald's deep insight into the human condition is in full flower here, and makes for some of the most gratifying storytelling of the last 50 years. The little framing story that opens and closes the book is itself a small masterpiece. You'll be glued to this novel until you finish it.

In short, this is another one of MacDonald's deeply literary novels that masquerades as crime fiction. I've often thought that it's his best novel, and I've read them all, most more than once.

I've never been able to figure out why no-one has made this into a movie. Done right, this would be a very impressive flick.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder at Sea..., March 11, 2004

By 

Judy Smith "judylynnsbooks" (jamestown, ky United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last One Left (Mass Market Paperback)

Murder at sea. No survivors. No evidence. No reason not to be $800,000 richer. Crissy Harkinson knew all about the cash that had left the Gold Coast of Florida, headed for the Bahams on board a pleasure boat. It was Texas money...unrecorded, intended as a bribe. And then there was enough of it to change a dozen lives. Or end them...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars no title, January 3, 2006

By 

C. L Wilson (Elmhurst, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The last one left (Hardcover)

This was quite a plot - murder, greed, money, lust, love, soul searching - the whole nine yards. And a murder at the core, with a persona just made for Sharon Stone to play on the big screen. Very carefully plotted and intrically woven, lots of detail, solid, thorough read. Not fast moving at all. Characters well drawn and complete. Kind of story where you basically know what is going on at all times, you're just reading to see how all the characters come to know what you know and so resolve the issues. Make a great film. Lots of sex and talk about it. Written in 1967. And lots of different characters. Each so sharply drawn I think that's what made the book so good. All the visuals very well described also.