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Skylar #1
Skylar
Unabridged, 8 - 1 hour cassette tapes
Audio Cassette
First published August 28, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 16, 2018
At times the "southern"-ness of this book gets laid on a little thick, but I suppose that's meant to be part of the joke, and it didn't bother me much.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more work by McDonald. His style is plain, direct, almost Hemingway-lite with its utilitarian descriptive passages, combined with largely noirish/deadpan dialog. The noir style still seeps through in this book even though it's crossed with, as one reviewer put it, an overly "cornpone" dialect.
One of the nicest things about this book is that the mystery was a real mystery, at least to me. Skylar, the main character, was actively involved in solving it without it seeming out of character for an intelligent farm boy to make connections and find clues.
I also liked that the "villain" of the story, Sheriff Culpepper, was extremely sympathetic, even though you could definitely tell he wasn't quite competent as a sheriff. You genuinely cared about his marriage and life troubles, and I liked that McDonald tied what seemed like completely disparate threads together at the end of the book.
The final confrontation between the Sheriff and Skyler did come off a bit clichéd, however, and I was disappointed that such a likable character morphed into a more cookie-cutter villain during the climax.
I wish I could have found a picture of the hardback cover from the copy I read instead of the picture I used up there. The hardback cover uses a much cooler image, of a long-legged blonde lying on her back and making the letter "Y" of Skylar's name with her legs. The paperback makes it look like some kind of Confederate sex novel.
I don't know whether or not I'll read the sequel novel (if I can even find it). According to reviews on Amazon, he lays on the "southern" aspect a little too thick in "Skylar in Yankeeland".
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more work by McDonald. His style is plain, direct, almost Hemingway-lite with its utilitarian descriptive passages, combined with largely noirish/deadpan dialog. The noir style still seeps through in this book even though it's crossed with, as one reviewer put it, an overly "cornpone" dialect.
One of the nicest things about this book is that the mystery was a real mystery, at least to me. Skylar, the main character, was actively involved in solving it without it seeming out of character for an intelligent farm boy to make connections and find clues.
I also liked that the "villain" of the story, Sheriff Culpepper, was extremely sympathetic, even though you could definitely tell he wasn't quite competent as a sheriff. You genuinely cared about his marriage and life troubles, and I liked that McDonald tied what seemed like completely disparate threads together at the end of the book.
The final confrontation between the Sheriff and Skyler did come off a bit clichéd, however, and I was disappointed that such a likable character morphed into a more cookie-cutter villain during the climax.
I wish I could have found a picture of the hardback cover from the copy I read instead of the picture I used up there. The hardback cover uses a much cooler image, of a long-legged blonde lying on her back and making the letter "Y" of Skylar's name with her legs. The paperback makes it look like some kind of Confederate sex novel.
I don't know whether or not I'll read the sequel novel (if I can even find it). According to reviews on Amazon, he lays on the "southern" aspect a little too thick in "Skylar in Yankeeland".
July 12, 2014
Skylar is a new hero from the penmanship of Gregory McDonald, he wanted something else besides Fletch & Flynn, both favorites of mine!
The opening of the book where you meet Skylar and his main squeeze Tandy while they are doing something pleasurable does not come across as the usual McDonald writing and even when Skylar meets his cousin Jon from Yankeeland you are not yet quite as sympathetic towards the character of Skylar.
When Skylars apperent ladyfriend gets found being killed and he gets arrested for it you'll get to see the character in a more sympathetic light. He is no longer a bit unfriendly towards his cousin or the world but he gets into his stride where the local policeforce does not. The sheriff responsible for solving the crime is not convinced of Skylars guilt so when Skylar escapes he does not make a big deal out of it. Which changes when there are some more deaths in a similar way, and Skylar out of the jail has no alibi for these deeds.
This book about a southern bumpkin who is very smart and like all McDonald hero's a bit of a rebel against society takes some getting used to. His laidback nature, again similar to McDonalds other characters, makes this novel enjoyable. Even if I am not quite sure what the purpose of this book was, it added not anything new. And as for the folks from the South being different, that would be a cliche in most countries where the South and the north have a different style of live.
Not sure if I will read this again.
The opening of the book where you meet Skylar and his main squeeze Tandy while they are doing something pleasurable does not come across as the usual McDonald writing and even when Skylar meets his cousin Jon from Yankeeland you are not yet quite as sympathetic towards the character of Skylar.
When Skylars apperent ladyfriend gets found being killed and he gets arrested for it you'll get to see the character in a more sympathetic light. He is no longer a bit unfriendly towards his cousin or the world but he gets into his stride where the local policeforce does not. The sheriff responsible for solving the crime is not convinced of Skylars guilt so when Skylar escapes he does not make a big deal out of it. Which changes when there are some more deaths in a similar way, and Skylar out of the jail has no alibi for these deeds.
This book about a southern bumpkin who is very smart and like all McDonald hero's a bit of a rebel against society takes some getting used to. His laidback nature, again similar to McDonalds other characters, makes this novel enjoyable. Even if I am not quite sure what the purpose of this book was, it added not anything new. And as for the folks from the South being different, that would be a cliche in most countries where the South and the north have a different style of live.
Not sure if I will read this again.
August 16, 2014
McDonald created (at least) three quite memorable characters. Fletch, of course, rules the roost, but probably only because he never had to go up against Skylar. Lately when I pick up a mystery, I'm less interested in what was done and who actually done it (sic). What I want to see is who is caught up in the problem, how do they act or react, and what does that say about the characters. There is a strong through flow of plot, but we get to revel in McDonald's gift for dialogue (thick southern dialogue in this case) and we meet some comic and tragic characters along the way. There are some interesting twists in the end that give you space to think about the scenes that we don't see.
December 18, 2025
Gregory McDonald is best remembered for the Fletch novels, and for good reason. Those books established his reputation for sharp dialogue, fast pacing, and protagonists whose confidence often borders on absurdity. Skylar, published late in McDonald’s career, offers a useful counterpoint to that better-known work. While it retains many of his familiar strengths, it places them in a different setting and asks slightly different questions.
At the center of the novel is Skylar Whitfield, a charismatic Southern teenager whose life is built around charm, reputation, and pleasure. Skylar’s excessive swagger is instantly recognizable as a McDonald creation. He is funny, self-assured, and deeply convinced of his own appeal. What makes Skylar compelling is not that this confidence disappears, but that it is tested. When a local beauty queen is murdered and Skylar’s pocket knife turns up at the scene, the traits that once made him popular quickly become liabilities. McDonald is interested in how quickly a community can turn on someone once a convenient narrative takes hold.
The novel is structured as a murder mystery, but it is not especially concerned with procedural complexity. Instead, McDonald focuses on character, dialogue, and social dynamics. The tension between Skylar and his cousin Jonathan, a Harvard-educated Northerner visiting the South, provides both humor and contrast. Jonathan’s discomfort with Southern masculinity and Skylar’s resentment of Jonathan’s snobbery allow McDonald to explore class and regional stereotypes without flattening either side into caricature.
One of the book’s most interesting figures is Sheriff Culpepper, who leads the investigation. Culpepper is intelligent, athletic, and self-consciously polished, qualities that make him stand out in Greendown County rather than blend in. He struggles to fit into the town, is widely disliked, and is openly despised by his wife, whose hostility adds another layer of tension to the story. Culpepper’s certainty and impatience with ambiguity make him an effective critique of authority. He is not incompetent in a simple sense, but his confidence hardens into arrogance, and his desire for control ultimately narrows rather than expands his understanding of the case.
As in much of McDonald’s work, the dialogue is consistently strong. Conversations drive the plot forward and reveal character far more effectively than exposition. The humor is folksy and grounded in common sense, providing levity without undermining the seriousness of the central crime. There is also a frank treatment of sex, particularly notable given the age of the protagonists. This element is very much in line with McDonald’s broader style and will not surprise readers familiar with his work, though it may be uncomfortable for some.
Skylar does not attempt to reinvent the mystery genre, nor does it aim for the cultural prominence of the Fletch books. Instead, it offers an engaging, readable novel that showcases McDonald’s enduring strengths while applying them to a coming-of-age framework. For readers who appreciate character-driven crime fiction, sharp dialogue, and social observation, Skylar is a worthwhile and often enjoyable read, especially as a window into McDonald’s later career.
For more of my thoughts, check out my video:
https://youtu.be/Pb8yUjmGp34
For more reviews, check out my channel:
http://www.youtube.com/@SpencerReadsE...
At the center of the novel is Skylar Whitfield, a charismatic Southern teenager whose life is built around charm, reputation, and pleasure. Skylar’s excessive swagger is instantly recognizable as a McDonald creation. He is funny, self-assured, and deeply convinced of his own appeal. What makes Skylar compelling is not that this confidence disappears, but that it is tested. When a local beauty queen is murdered and Skylar’s pocket knife turns up at the scene, the traits that once made him popular quickly become liabilities. McDonald is interested in how quickly a community can turn on someone once a convenient narrative takes hold.
The novel is structured as a murder mystery, but it is not especially concerned with procedural complexity. Instead, McDonald focuses on character, dialogue, and social dynamics. The tension between Skylar and his cousin Jonathan, a Harvard-educated Northerner visiting the South, provides both humor and contrast. Jonathan’s discomfort with Southern masculinity and Skylar’s resentment of Jonathan’s snobbery allow McDonald to explore class and regional stereotypes without flattening either side into caricature.
One of the book’s most interesting figures is Sheriff Culpepper, who leads the investigation. Culpepper is intelligent, athletic, and self-consciously polished, qualities that make him stand out in Greendown County rather than blend in. He struggles to fit into the town, is widely disliked, and is openly despised by his wife, whose hostility adds another layer of tension to the story. Culpepper’s certainty and impatience with ambiguity make him an effective critique of authority. He is not incompetent in a simple sense, but his confidence hardens into arrogance, and his desire for control ultimately narrows rather than expands his understanding of the case.
As in much of McDonald’s work, the dialogue is consistently strong. Conversations drive the plot forward and reveal character far more effectively than exposition. The humor is folksy and grounded in common sense, providing levity without undermining the seriousness of the central crime. There is also a frank treatment of sex, particularly notable given the age of the protagonists. This element is very much in line with McDonald’s broader style and will not surprise readers familiar with his work, though it may be uncomfortable for some.
Skylar does not attempt to reinvent the mystery genre, nor does it aim for the cultural prominence of the Fletch books. Instead, it offers an engaging, readable novel that showcases McDonald’s enduring strengths while applying them to a coming-of-age framework. For readers who appreciate character-driven crime fiction, sharp dialogue, and social observation, Skylar is a worthwhile and often enjoyable read, especially as a window into McDonald’s later career.
For more of my thoughts, check out my video:
https://youtu.be/Pb8yUjmGp34
For more reviews, check out my channel:
http://www.youtube.com/@SpencerReadsE...
April 16, 2020
I originally started this book almost a year ago and didn't get all that far before abandoning it. I think this was partially just a timing issue. I'm a fan of Gregory McDonald (the Fletch series is a favorite), but this one just started off in a way that I wasn't interested in at the time. After a year of staring at it unfinished, I finally decided to come back to it and get it read.
Overall an enjoyable story, but it felt lacking to me. I think my main issue is that parts of it feel like their missing, like a movie broadcast on television that's been edited for time. The motivations of some major characters is left open-ended and the wrap-up feels lacking without them. The primary villains of the piece are just kind of there to cause problems for Skylar without any reason. This fits with the idea that he himself hasn't done anything and is just a scapegoat to blame, but when the second villain comes into the picture in the third act, it feels clunky somehow.
It's hard getting into my gripes about this one without spoilers, but I will say that the justifications for the second villain feel like they could have been explored a little more, as their reasoning for doing what they do is really only half there. That is my real issue with this one, I think. Most whodunits of this type wrap-up with a full and satisfactory explanation of motive (think of the psychologist's explanation of Norman's condition in Psycho) and we don't get that here, probably because Skylar isn't in a position to know as just a young civilian who just happens to be wrongly accused, but the lack of logical explanation of the second villain's illogical actions is a problem for me.
Overall an enjoyable story, but it felt lacking to me. I think my main issue is that parts of it feel like their missing, like a movie broadcast on television that's been edited for time. The motivations of some major characters is left open-ended and the wrap-up feels lacking without them. The primary villains of the piece are just kind of there to cause problems for Skylar without any reason. This fits with the idea that he himself hasn't done anything and is just a scapegoat to blame, but when the second villain comes into the picture in the third act, it feels clunky somehow.
It's hard getting into my gripes about this one without spoilers, but I will say that the justifications for the second villain feel like they could have been explored a little more, as their reasoning for doing what they do is really only half there. That is my real issue with this one, I think. Most whodunits of this type wrap-up with a full and satisfactory explanation of motive (think of the psychologist's explanation of Norman's condition in Psycho) and we don't get that here, probably because Skylar isn't in a position to know as just a young civilian who just happens to be wrongly accused, but the lack of logical explanation of the second villain's illogical actions is a problem for me.
January 27, 2024
The character of Skylar Whitfield was incredibly interesting, but completely under-developed. In fact, after about two-thirds of the way through the book, I wondered if it should have been called "Pepp," since most of the central part of the story is about Sherriff Culpepper. I had a feeling we were looking at another Flynn-type of character who would get his own spin-off series... until the end.
The theme of the book is that no one acts the way you expect. Jack Simes seems like an odd man who is just effected by the war, but ends up capable of killing his own grown children. Sherriff Culpepper seems like a man with the world against him... a murder he can't solve, a jail with a busted roof, a wife who hates him, and a daughter who is starting to believe the rumors... and he ends up murdering his wife. Dufus seems like an uneducated idiot, but ends up being one of the smartest people around.
Overall, it was good, but there were too many things left unresolved. Oh, and the gay mobsters at the end were just weird.
The theme of the book is that no one acts the way you expect. Jack Simes seems like an odd man who is just effected by the war, but ends up capable of killing his own grown children. Sherriff Culpepper seems like a man with the world against him... a murder he can't solve, a jail with a busted roof, a wife who hates him, and a daughter who is starting to believe the rumors... and he ends up murdering his wife. Dufus seems like an uneducated idiot, but ends up being one of the smartest people around.
Overall, it was good, but there were too many things left unresolved. Oh, and the gay mobsters at the end were just weird.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2018
Mr McDonald’s attempt on a third series falls a bit short, while I enjoy both fletch and Flynn, skylar is trying a bit to hard to appear southern.
It’s occasionally entertaining, but mostly forgettable.
It’s occasionally entertaining, but mostly forgettable.
May 7, 2018
Not as good as Fletch seris.It seems to me that Skylar wasn't even the most major role in the novel.
April 17, 2021
Read in 1995. A new mystery series from the creater of Fletch.
Read
March 1, 2008Awesome. I have a crush on Skylar. Gregory Mcdonald at his snappiest!
September 23, 2010
Loved the Fletch series but this one is way too quirky for me.
January 7, 2011
I'd forgotton how hard it is to get into Gregory McDonald's books. However, once through the first 1/4 of the book, it's almost impossible to put down.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews