Customer Reviews

The green ripper

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a book of vengeance and revenge. Travis has finally found true love, and she is snatched from him by death. At first it appears to be a lethal illness, then horrifyingly a random sophisticated killing. Trav is almost mad with a desire to find one face to batter and then to execute the killer. To face the fact that the murder appears to be an organizational hit with no single one-of-a-kind killer seems obscenely unfair. Travis follows some paper-thin leads, discards his identity, and infiltrates a terrorist camp sponsored by a cult religious group.

This is a fast paced book, one of my all-time favorite McGees. I was struck by MacDonald's uncanny accuracy in depicting the terrorist personality way back in 1979. The healthy young American soldiers in superb shape confidently believed their next lives would be vastly improved by destroying the civilization in this one. They disdained, even looked forward to death. One character tells McGee that the terrorists will not "waste" their rockets on military vessels. Blowing up a planeload of civilians containing women and children was far more "productive."

The finale is a fine display of McGee's sniperly abilities, derring-do and just plain luck. (Rambo has nothing on him!) The only thing that dated "The Green Ripper" was McGee's reluctance to treat the female terrorists as anything but "ladies" no matter how fearsome they were. Today no such chivalry (even if misguided) would be allowed.

John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee seems timeless. This "knight in tarnished armor," as Time magazine called him, is as pertinent today as when "The Green Ripper" was published in 1979.

Travis, once again, is confronted with his own mortality when Gretel, the woman he feels he is truly in love with, is murdered. McGee, as in episodes past (and this is the18th) feels that retribution, or justice, whichever comes first, is something that he, personally, must pursue. The "game is afoot," as it were, and the chase leads us through the forces of a religious cult (quite the topic in 1979), the Church of the Apocrypha. Travis "joins" to gain their confidence and little does he know the far-reaching ramifications of this group. The author cites George Santayana in a preface statement: "Fanaticism is described as redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim." And when you have finished "The Green Ripper," fanaticism is spelled with a capital "F"!

Probably, "The Green Ripper" is the most suspenseful of the McGee series (always characterized by a color in the title). MacDonald is methodical in his plot developments and while suspense is naturally a necessary ingredient, in this book it becomes perhaps the most important aspect. But the author stays true to McGee, probably Florida's most famous literary character, and readers will not be disappointed. As in the other books, vivid description, poignant characterization, and a top-drawer storyline, marked by sparks of good humor, are MacDonald's trademark. It's a worthy read!

(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Travis McGee is one of those characters that is just so charismatic and irresistible. And while I still find "Flash of Green" to be my favorite John D. MacDonald book, there's something so appealing about the Travis McGee series that it keeps me coming back to them. "Green Ripper" is just another addition to the spectrum of colors that his great novels get their titles from. Also "Green Ripper" has such a gripping opening sequence of events, and such an array of fascinating characters, that you cannot put this mystery down. And while I found some of the middle sections unusually plodding (for MacDonald), this still ranks as one of the best.

As always, I must add:
I know that MacDonald enjoyed popularity in his time, but it seems that his popularity is running out of gas. I hope I am wrong because he is horribly overlooked.

In this entry in the series, McGee has found a True Love, a woman seemingly compatible with all facets of his existence, who is able to give meaning to his life, and then she is cruelly killed by a seemingly random process. In earlier books, other lovers have been killed, but never one he sees such a future with. Her murder jolts McGee notably more than any prior tragedy, into a depressed and narrow focus on revenge; he breaks off from Meyer (who articulates equally nihilistic views), and his usual cynicism becomes total negativism. He takes on a simpler identity, and follows a series of clues and lucky breaks to a terrorist boot camp for the organization that ordered his lover's execution. He (justifiably and unavoidably, it seems) massacres all the group's members, in a spree that sickens but in the end also partly redeems him. There is a certain class of mysteries that is fulfilling to read when you feel depressed, disgusted, and generally grungy. Quite a bit of Chandler, and some of Lawrence Block, falls into this class. This is the only book in the McGee series that really fits into the class, but it's almost perfect of its kind. See also Block's "Such Men Are Dangerous."

This was the first Travis McGee book I read -- it's recommended as one of the best 100 mysteries by Keating -- and it really turned me off. McGee comes across as bloodthirsty and hyperviolent; not at all the sympathetic character he is in the other books. Luckily I read another McGee book and found out that The Green Ripper is not representative of the series. If, like me, you pick this book up because of Keating's recommendation, all I can say is I haven't a clue why Keating selected this as one as the best. He also choose The Blue Hammer as one of Ross Macdonald's best, when it was definitely his worst.

Wow - where do I start? This is about the 10th McGee book I've read, and like the others, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like so many others, it starts out with our hero's newest girlfriend, who you know will not live to the end of the story. Travis must avenge her wrongful death, which leads him to the strangest adventure he's ever had. Mysterious government agents enlist his help (who are those guys?). He stumbles into Camp Weirdo, a cross between Jonestown and Usama Bin-Laden's training center, where he isn't supposed to escape. Since the camp's residents are little more than automatons, I had little sympathy for what Travis had to do. You know Travis will be resourceful, since he has several more colorful adventures ahead. I would have given this the full 5 stars, except there were too many loose ends left unanswered. I almost thought (though I know better) that MacDonald left them on purpose to support a future McGee story.

John D. MacDonald was one of the finest American writers of the 20th century and Travis McGee is now embedded as a mythic hero in literature. I think MacDonald said he wanted to "shake up" his hero and this novel does it. McGee's love is slain and he goes after the killers, who are part of a terrorist group. That line doesn't do the novel justice. This may be the finest McGee novel of the series and that's saying a lot.
The novel is "different" I suppose and some reviewers said it really doesn't belong in the series. Yes, it does. McGee is shaken by this experience but he is very much McGee, the same solitary and somewhat heroic character he has always been. The writing, as always, is first rate. There were some weaker novels in the series but "Green" is among the finest. Which is to say it is among the finest mystery novels in American fiction.

The Green Ripper stands alone. If you are new to the McGee series, start with The Deep Blue Goodbye.

I grew up in the 60's in Ft Lauderdale and knew Bahia Mar well. But I also grew up in Fayetteville NY where John D lived and sold insurance after graduating from Syracuse -- or was it Harvard. Yet somehow I never read him until the 90's. What a treat it has been!

The Green Ripper may be the most important McGee book because of September 11th. Here John D gives us his ideas on terrorism. He gives it a religious basis. He explores its financing and organizational management structure. He gives it an international reach. He explains the psychology of the participants and their training mehtods. He shows the inability of law enforcement to prevent it. Written in 1979, he makes some predictions regarding the future -- that is, now.

Of course, it is a McGee book. Therefore we have a McGee-solution, which he called a Dissat-solution in "A Tan and Sandy Silence", heh. When McGee infiltrates a terrorist training camp, mayhem ensues, putting it mildly.

The book stands alone because of the effect it all has on McGee. Get to know him; read the earlier titles first. Then come to The Green Ripper. The epilogue will be particularly moving.

This was one of the most enjoyable books of the McGee series for me, and I think the fact that I have read 7 or 8 other McGee titles first may have something to do with it. In just about every book, Travis McGee does more than just flirt with women -- he flirts with the idea of falling in love with them, but he never, ever does. And so this book begins with McGee certain that he's found The One, and then she's taken from him.
So if this is your first time reading about Travis McGee...well I'd like to persuade you not to, ironically! Read "One Fearful Yellow Eye" or "The Quick Red Fox" first. Otherwise, I fear that this book may read like just another revenge story.

One of the later books, and closing in on the end of the series, this is my favorite McGee sketch of all time. It is terribly tragic McGee, though, given the death of his beloved and the deepest depth of darkness into which McGee goes to find solace - even if it is the cold comfort of murderous revenge. I must confess to having a strong penchant for vengeance, if this is my favorite of the long line of McGees (oops, got me there). By the time the book is over, one has seen McGee at his absolutely most lethal - and rightly so. All along the way the eternal McGee reflections offer insight into the process of grief, revenge, and humanity - truly a wonderful read.