The Scarlet Ruse [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

John D. MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 1990

Travis McGee is too busy with his houseboat to pay attention to the little old man with the missing postage stamps. Except these are no ordinary stamps. They are rare stamps. Four hundred thousand dollars worth of rare. And if McGee doesn't recognize their value, perhaps Mary Alice McDermit does, a six-foot knockout who knows all the ways to a boat bum's heart. Only it's not McGee's heart that's in danger. Because a syndicate killer has put a contract on McGee. A killer who knows something about stamps . . . and even more about McGee.


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

6 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an alternate Audio Cassette edition.

From the Inside Flap

Travis McGee is too busy with his houseboat to pay attention to the little old man with the missing postage stamps. Except these are no ordinary stamps. They are rare stamps. Four hundred thousand dollars worth of rare. And if McGee doesn't recognize their value, perhaps Mary Alice McDermit does, a six-foot knockout who knows all the ways to a boat bum's heart. Only it's not McGee's heart that's in danger. Because a syndicate killer has put a contract on McGee. A killer who knows something about stamps . . . and even more about McGee.


From the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audio (May 26, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394559843
• ISBN-13: 978-0394559841
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,134,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars After the Fall, April 8, 2000

By 

Rolfe Windward (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scarlet Ruse (Mass Market Paperback)

A more pessimistic MacDonald (and McGee) emerges after a writing hiatus of some years. The difference between earlier McGee stories and the 'new' series beginning with Scarlet Ruse is palpable to the devoted fan but not necessarily objectionable: McGee is growing older and so are we; not simply closer to the bone now (McDonald could always take us there) but closer to the end. Yet McDonald's exploration of a free life amidst its war with self and the criminal mind still entertains and instructs. We are not through yet and neither is our favorite beach-bum. See you in Lauderdale.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Complex, May 31, 2005

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scarlet Ruse (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a Travis McGee mystery. McGee is lured off his boat by a friend whose stamp dealer friend is in trouble. The dealer constructs stamp collections as investments for rich clients. One day, the dealer noticed that the stamps in one of his client's collections had been switched with low grade specimens, significantly downgrading the value of the collection. He's terrified that the client will ask to cash in the collection, leaving him with an overwhelming financial liability. He asks McGee to help him figure out how the stamps were switched, and who did it. Complicating the matter is the dealer's secretary, who McGee finds himself mysteriously attracted to.

This story is rich with detail, and it can be hard at times to keep it all straight. The plot goes over the edge of plausibility in places, and the ending has an odd twist that I still can't figure out. Nevertheless, the story remains engaging throughout, and can provide a bit of entertainment or distraction for a little while.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Of stamps, women, and introspection., July 2, 2001

By 

Robert S. Clay Jr. (St. Louis, MO., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scarlet Ruse (Mass Market Paperback)

Travis McGee embarks on another of his trademark "salvage" missions involving a fortune in missing rare stamps. McGee's ruminations on people, relationships, human aspirations, money, politics, etc. are amusing social commentary, albeit thirty years later. Some of the observations of life in the '70s seem dated, but not enough to matter. Beyond this slight quibble, there is the vicious killer, and the complex mystery of the missing stamps. In addition, we have Mary Alice McDermit, a dark-haired giant of a woman with a healthy sex-drive and a troubled past. The lovable Meyer is present, still pontificating on economics and human foibles. As mystery-suspense novels go, the Travis McGee series is a perennial favorite. John D. MacDonald stresses introspection and character development rather than blood and thunder action. The typical Florida setting is exotic. Altogether, good lightweight reading material for summer vacations or anytime. ;-)