Nightmare in Pink [Mass Market Paperback]

John D. MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1983

"A knight in slightly tarnished armor, " "the thinking man's Robin Hood, " McGee lives alone on his boat, the Busted Flush. Rejecting the modern world, adhering to a timeless sense of honor and obligation, he is more and less than a private eye. From the author of The Deep Blue Good-by. Original.


From the Paperback edition.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

6 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

"A knight in slightly tarnished armor, " "the thinking man's Robin Hood, " McGee lives alone on his boat, the Busted Flush. Rejecting the modern world, adhering to a timeless sense of honor and obligation, he is more and less than a private eye. From the author of The Deep Blue Good-by. Original.


From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (April 12, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449125645
• ISBN-13: 978-0449125649
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,725,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top Notch, November 22, 2005

By 

Traven (New York, NY, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightmare in Pink (Travis McGee, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second in the Travis McGee series, though it doesn't place itself chronologically -- ie, it doesn't refer to the events of the first book, and it does refer to other adventures, as if it's just another in McGee's long life. However, the next book in the series, "A Purple Place for Dying," does take place right after this one, so there is an advantage to reading them in order.

In "Nightmare" Travis goes to New York. If you can't deal with that, then this one's not for you, but otherwise it's a knockout. The suspense is great, the philosophizing feels amazingly current, and MacDonald clearly knows New York. The book is great mix of retro setting and modern-feeling plotting and characterization. If anything, it's smoother than "The Deep Blue Good-By," since it doesn't need to introduce anything.

The Travis McGee series is terrific. I'm still reading my way through it, but I haven't found any reason not to go in order. "Nightmare in Pink" is great.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Edge of your seat riveting..., July 24, 2004

By 

Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nightmare in Pink (Travis McGee, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Nightmare in Pink is my second Travis McGee (and the second in the series), and it is even more riveting than the first.

McGee gets a call from an old war buddy who is in a VA hospital. Mike Gibson is blind and disabled, and when he asks McGee to check something out for him, McGee acquiesces-mostly out of guilt. Mike's beautiful and younger sister, Nina, is engaged to be married when her fiancé is mysteriously killed in a mugging. While cleaning out his things, Nina discovered $10,000 (we're talking 1960's here) and thinks he was in on something shady. The police haven't been able to solve the mugging and they haven't been told about the money, so McGee agrees to snoop around. Unfortunately, the case is in New York City and this Florida boat-bum is literally a fish out of water.

Mike and Nina quickly join forces (in more ways than one) and uncover a complicated financial scam to rob the fiancé's former boss of millions. Of course, the closer they get to solving the crime, the more they expose themselves to danger. At one point, McGee is even drugged, kidnapped, and held against his will in a mental hospital, where he is subjected to experimental hallucinogens. How he escapes will have you on the edge of your seat.

McGee again continues with many profound observations. One that I especially liked is "A good listener is far more rare than an adequate lover."

Nightmare in Pink had only two drawbacks that I could see. As with The Deep Blue Good-By, this book is a bit light at 143 pages. Also, while the plot was riveting, it was also unbelievable in spots. But John D. MacDonald has a new fan, and I have A Purple Place for Dying up next.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mcgee has a Nightmare in Pink., April 30, 2005

By 

Russell Fanelli (Longmeadow, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nightmare in Pink (Travis McGee, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Unlike the first Travis McGee novel, The Deep Blue Goodbye, which is set in Fort Lauderdale, McGee's stomping grounds and the place he likes to call home, Nightmare in Pink takes him to the Big Apple, where he is a sailor away from the sea and not altogether comfortable. His mission is to help the sister of a friend who finds herself with a dead boyfriend and ten thousand dollars she thinks are ill gotten gains.

With some shrewd detective work McGee determines that the boyfriend stumbled on to the scheme of a lawyer who is bilking his rich client of millions of dollars. McGee makes connections with the client's family, who commission him to find out what is happening and protect the family and estate. Easier said than done.

McGee thinks he has the case well in hand only to find he has been careless. His carelessness almost kills him. From the moment McGee finds himself trapped in his Nightmare in Pink to the exciting conclusion, the action is fast and furious with many innocent dead bodies along the way.

As is typical of a McGee mystery, loose ends are not always neatly secured. Sometimes bad things happen to the good guys. McGee is nothing is not a realist and he accepts what he must and has the scars to show for it. He is a survivor who will live to fight another day.

All the Travis McGee novels are quick reads and page turners. Once a reader has been initiated into the McGee philosophy and lifestyle with The Deep Blue Goodbye and Nightmare in Pink, the rest of the series is sure to be an attractive alternative to watching tv for diversion and entertainment.