Customer Reviews

The Scarlet Ruse

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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. ;-)

I wasn't sure about Darren McGavin reading these books. I thought he was too different from who I thought Travis McGee was. Jimmy Buffett maybe, but Darren McGavin? I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed Mr. McGavin's interpretation of my favorite beach bum sailor. And any book by John D. is miles above the rest, so I had to give it FIVE stars, even if it isn't my favorite MrGee novel!

I love all of the Travers Mcgee novels and now own all of them, this one is as good as the rest.
I guess collecting all of the series speaks for itself, but here in Australia it's dificult to find them. Over the years I have looked for them whilst on holidays, but was able to get the remaining books from AMAZON and that has pleased me no end.

After "A Tan and Sandy Silence," MacDonald took some time off from the T. McGee series, and I think it helped recharge his batteries. Whereas "Tan and Sandy" was not a good effort, "Scarlet Ruse" is one of the better books in this series.

McGee's best buddy, the economist Meyer, has a friend named Hirsch Fedderman, who is a dealer in collectible stamps, and also purchases rare and valuable stamps for client/investors. The portfolios of high value stamps that Fedderman puts together for a given client/investor are kept in a collection book in a bank safe deposit box that can only be accessed when both Fedderman and the client are present. After one such client meeting at the bank, Fedderman notices that the high value stamps in the collection book seem to have been replaced with lesser value look-alikes. Travis is called in to figure out how this could have happened and who did it. The plot is not very complex, and you'll figure out who did it long before Travis does, but the journey is all the fun. This book also features one of the most interesting female characters in the entire series, one Mary Alice McDermit. She is multi-faceted and more complex than most of the female characters in the series.

With Hirsch Fedderman, McGee pretends to know nothing about high value stamps. "Go slow because I don't know a thing about stamps and coins," he says. But close students of the Travis McGee series may remember that, in "Pale Gray for Guilt," Travis told his female friend Puss Killian about a salvage job in which he found a story in the paper of a local restauranteur pulling his stamp collection from exhibition. Travis calls the Philatelic Society and finds out who insures the collections. Posing as an insurance agent from the company insuring the collection, Travis goes to the restauranteur and eventually finds out that the man has had his collection stolen by his much younger wife (who, Travis later discovers, has a boyfriend on the side who is fencing the stamps). Travis gets the collection back and the collector gave him $30,000, or half the value of the collection. So, it wasn't completely accurate that Travis knew nothing about high value stamps. I would guess that when JDM wrote "Pale Gray," stamps were just a passing interest, whereas he later become more closely interested in them.

this book completes our travis mcgee series. i paid extra for the fast shipping and it did arrive before christmas. the book was new. the smile my husband had when he opened the package was well worth the extra postage!

It starts off not unlike a Sherlock Holmes type mystery. How is it possible to steal a valuable and substantial stamp collection from a secure safe deposit box while substituting similar stamps of much lesser quality? But the reader soon learns that the brain teaser aspect of The Scarlet Ruse represents only a small portion of what the book has to offer.
In this, the 14th installment in the Travis McGee series, author John D. MacDonald describes a number of frightening events which pit McGee against both a member of Miami's mob and a sociopathic murderer. What makes this novel stand out from others in the Travis McGee series is the fact that, for once, the all knowing, all prescient McGee's instincts fail him miserably. Only belatedly does he realize that he himself has been expertly conned.
The Scarlet Ruse is a fast, compelling read which showcases the usually superhuman McGee in a different incarnation. MacDonald has rather surprisingly given him imperfections and vulnerabilities which in turn make him a much more likable protagonist.
One of the better Travis McGee offerings.

I think this was the 20th book I've read in the Travis McGee series, but it's the first one I didn't like that much. There were the usual profound nuggets of McGee wisdom and philosophy ("Today, my friends, we each have one day less, every one of us. And joy is the only thing that slows the clock.") But MacDonald belabors the intricacies of the plot and declaws the tension when McGee starts asking far too many "What if...?" questions.

Well, as usual with John D.'s Travis books, there is a twisting and winding story that creates enough intrigue to entice a reader. Yes, it's now a bit outdated, but who cares? Those of us that love and relate to Travis and Meyer can be quite forgiving, can't we? Even if we're trying desperately to find our own local and friendly marinas. The developers are just about to make us anchor out in the big pond.