Deadly Shade of Gold (Travis McGee Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

by John D. MacDonald (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
MacDonald, whose 21 Travis McGee novels represent arguably the best U.S. mystery series of the past 50 years, died in 1986, leaving behind a legion of fans. Sadly, Travis McGee seems lost amid today's hip, violent, and politically correct private eyes and series detectives, so much so that most of today's younger mystery readers may never experience this National Book Award-winning series. Yet audio producers seem committed to keeping the series alive for a new generation of readers and audiobook fans, as this example proves. Bright Orange for the Shroud tells of a dangerous confidence scheme that traps one of McGee's friends. Soon, McGee infiltrates the group and takes on its sexy operative, with explosive results. In A Deadly Shade of Gold, McGee comes into possession of an evil-looking, solid gold Aztec icon that leads to a perilous fortune. Reader Darren McGavin, who narrates the entire series for Random Audio, employs a world-weary, laid-back voice that is perfect for the enigmatic McGee. Recommended wherever good mysteries circulate. Random Audio offers the entire Travis McGee line in abridged format; libraries seeking unabridged versions should look to Books on TapeR.?Mark Annichiarico, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Here's another bestselling novel featuring P.I. Travis McGee. According to Publishers Weekly, 20th Century Fox, "with an outlay of six figures, has cleared the way for Ruben/Robinson Productions to launch their own Travis McGee series." And according to Larry King's USA Today column, Harrison Ford has said, "I am interested in doing Travis McGee, the great detective character. Previously published.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (February 20, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449224422
• ISBN-13: 978-0449224427
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,379 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 5 in The Travis McGee Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extreme McGee, April 11, 2002

By	sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"A Deadly Shade of Gold," the 5th in the Travis McGee series is bawdy and brutal; a bloody chase novel taking McGee from Florida to Mexico to LA. MacDonald has a wondrous sense of place and you can feel the sensuous breezes and see the spectacular sunsets he creates for you. There are a few creaky spots: Nora, Travis's love interest, is so `50's lady-like, you expect her to be white gloved and hatted even in the shower; -- all characters are super sun worshippers while the reader uneasily thinks about skin cancer. Be that as it may, it's a fine rousing tale with careful characterizations and Travis's philosophies served up painlessly.

Old buddy Sam Taggart, a three-year missing person, contacts Travis in dire need of his services as a salvage consultant. The deal sounds shady at best as Sam claims he is the rightful owner of 28 crude golden idols dating from pre-Colombian times. The hitch is 27 of the 28 have been stolen from him, and he wants them back. Sam is down on his luck and appears to be on the run. When he took off three years ago without a word, he left the beauteous Nora high and dry. Now he is back to redeem himself. Before Trav can get Sam and Nora together, or even decide whether he wants to accept Sam's offer, Sam is brutally murdered. Nora hires Trav to find the killer, but insists on accompanying him (natch) when the trail leads to Mexico. The action is fierce, retribution is swift and oh-so-well-described, and Trav and Nora find something more in common than Sam.

"A Deadly Shade of Gold" at 434 pages is long for a Travis McGee novel, but moves swiftly. MacDonald takes great care in setting up his locales, which makes for lovely reading. Though Sam exits early, he is with us throughout the book, and gradually an entirely different Sam emerges posthumously. This is handled cleverly by friend's ruminations, and we are allowed to derive our own conclusions. Travis is not yet fully formed; he's still pretty rough around the edges, but this novel sets the course for the future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilled to Find Travis McGee!, September 28, 2000

By	"fleajuice" (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

"A Deadly Shade of Gold" is my first John D. MacDonald, and it won't be my last. I love the tough-as-nails-and-oh-so-smart Travis McGee. I love MacDonald's funny philosophical rants about society and the environment. And I love the 60's flavor of this book. I can't believe a movie hasn't been made of this yet, because it certainly is a visual tale. (And not a bad mystery, either!)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The quintessential Travis McGee, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This one is, without a doubt, my favorite in the series. From Florida to Mexico to LA, Travis is at his finest. If you haven't read a McGee novel yet, this is a great place to start. One of the best written novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading.