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Travis McGee #2
Nightmare in Pink
Travis McGee’s permanent address is the Busted Flush, Slip F-18, Bahia Mar, Lauderdale, and there isn’t a hell of a lot that compels him to leave it. Except maybe a call from an old army buddy who needs a favor. If it wasn’t for him, McGee might not be alive. For that kind of friend, Travis McGee will travel almost anywhere, even New York City. Especially when there’s a damsel in distress.
The damsel in question is his old friend’s kid sister, whose fiancé has just been murdered in what the authorities claim was a standard Manhattan mugging. But Nina knows better. Her soon-to-be husband had been digging around, finding scum and scandal at his real estate investment firm. And this scum will go to any lengths to make sure their secrets don’t get out.
Travis is determined to get to the bottom of things, but just as he’s closing in on the truth, he finds himself drugged and taken captive. If he’s being locked up in a mental institution with a steady stream of drugs siphoned into his body, how can Travis keep his promise to his old friend? More important, how can he get himself out alive?
The damsel in question is his old friend’s kid sister, whose fiancé has just been murdered in what the authorities claim was a standard Manhattan mugging. But Nina knows better. Her soon-to-be husband had been digging around, finding scum and scandal at his real estate investment firm. And this scum will go to any lengths to make sure their secrets don’t get out.
Travis is determined to get to the bottom of things, but just as he’s closing in on the truth, he finds himself drugged and taken captive. If he’s being locked up in a mental institution with a steady stream of drugs siphoned into his body, how can Travis keep his promise to his old friend? More important, how can he get himself out alive?
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
1209 people are currently reading
2298 people want to read
About the author
John D. MacDonald
570 books1,382 followersJohn D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and educated at the Universities of Pennsylvania, Syracuse and Harvard, where he took an MBA in 1939. During WW2, he rose to the rank of Colonel, and while serving in the Army and in the Far East, sent a short story to his wife for sale, successfully. He served in the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations. After the war, he decided to try writing for a year, to see if he could make a living. Over 500 short stories and 70 novels resulted, including 21 Travis McGee novels.
Following complications of an earlier heart bypass operation, MacDonald slipped into a coma on December 10 and died at age 70, on December 28, 1986, in St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was survived by his wife Dorothy (1911-1989) and a son, Maynard.
In the years since his death MacDonald has been praised by authors as diverse as Stephen King, Spider Robinson, Jimmy Buffett, Kingsley Amis and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. Thirty-three years after his passing the Travis McGee novels are still in print.
Following complications of an earlier heart bypass operation, MacDonald slipped into a coma on December 10 and died at age 70, on December 28, 1986, in St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was survived by his wife Dorothy (1911-1989) and a son, Maynard.
In the years since his death MacDonald has been praised by authors as diverse as Stephen King, Spider Robinson, Jimmy Buffett, Kingsley Amis and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. Thirty-three years after his passing the Travis McGee novels are still in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 608 reviews
January 15, 2025
Travis McGee, John D. MacDonald’s Florida hero, is let loose in the asphalt jungle of New York, looking for a murderer and helping a friend.
MacDonald cast McGee to be a romantic hero, slaying dragons and saving the girl. Here, set in the NYC of the mid-sixties, MacDonald can also use this as a vehicle to expound upon all the social and cultural ills of our Western Babylon. The author’s ability to tell the story straight while also interjecting observations as asides is again spot on in this his second McGee novel.
This also involves drug use and psychological experimentation, and is akin to Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in criticism of certain techniques and generally of the process as a whole.
Dated as it is, some readers will be turned off by MacDonald’s Heinleinesque sexism. To this I can only say that he was writing to men of the sixties and at least his writing was of a superior quality.
Good times.
*** 2025 reread -
This has held up surprisingly well considering the context and writing style. MacDonald's smooth intelligent prose is as good as ever and a refreshing break from modern writing.
This time around I also noted horror elements that are quite scary considering the legal landscape of the time, written now 60 years ago.
Solid, good neo-noir mystery / thriller writing with a charismatic protagonist.
MacDonald cast McGee to be a romantic hero, slaying dragons and saving the girl. Here, set in the NYC of the mid-sixties, MacDonald can also use this as a vehicle to expound upon all the social and cultural ills of our Western Babylon. The author’s ability to tell the story straight while also interjecting observations as asides is again spot on in this his second McGee novel.
This also involves drug use and psychological experimentation, and is akin to Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in criticism of certain techniques and generally of the process as a whole.
Dated as it is, some readers will be turned off by MacDonald’s Heinleinesque sexism. To this I can only say that he was writing to men of the sixties and at least his writing was of a superior quality.
Good times.
*** 2025 reread -
This has held up surprisingly well considering the context and writing style. MacDonald's smooth intelligent prose is as good as ever and a refreshing break from modern writing.
This time around I also noted horror elements that are quite scary considering the legal landscape of the time, written now 60 years ago.
Solid, good neo-noir mystery / thriller writing with a charismatic protagonist.
August 13, 2022
“Nightmare in Pink” is the second novel in John D. McDonald’s 21- novel Travis McGee series. Although McGee gets involved in mysteries, he is not a police officer or a private investigator. Instead, he is a “salvage consultant” who lives on a houseboat (“The Busted Flush”) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He prefers to be a beach bum, get a tan, reel in some fish, drink some beer, etc., and seems a little uncomfortable in the big city. He is also a ladies’ man.
In this novel, McGee leaves his haunts in Florida and journeys to New York City. What could bring him out of his regular hunting grounds? When he was in the war, one or the other of he and his buddy Mike could take leave in Tokyo while the other pulled guard duty. McGee lucked out and spend the night in the arms and legs of a geisha while Mike got blown up and ended up in a wheelchair, barely functioning. Guilt trip! Mike’s younger sister, Nina, who McGee had known when she was just a kid, is now a grown woman and her husband had been killed in a mugging. Nothing unusual about that, except for the $10,000 in cash she finds in the apartment after the killing. Something’s not kosher here and McGee is asked to look into it as it appears to somehow involve an embezzlement scheme the husband had started to uncover at his office.
The first half of the book is rather slow as McGee charms one society dame after another in effort to gain information. While such witty repartee may be appealing, it detracted from the plot and lacked the great action that Brass Cupcake, McDonald’s first novel, had.
The book really doesn’t really start to move until the second half when McGee finds himself drugged with LSD (or some similar substance) and feels the table in the restaurant melting around him before he is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where the evil doctors threaten to lobotomize him. At that point, the novel really soars. The descriptions of McGee trying to keep his grasp on reality and the action scenes at the hospital and elsewhere are top-notch.
Of course, the book is filled with McGee’s observations of life, the universe, and everything, one of the things that people love about this series.
This book has a lot to appeal to many groups of readers, including conspiracies, romance, and action.
In this novel, McGee leaves his haunts in Florida and journeys to New York City. What could bring him out of his regular hunting grounds? When he was in the war, one or the other of he and his buddy Mike could take leave in Tokyo while the other pulled guard duty. McGee lucked out and spend the night in the arms and legs of a geisha while Mike got blown up and ended up in a wheelchair, barely functioning. Guilt trip! Mike’s younger sister, Nina, who McGee had known when she was just a kid, is now a grown woman and her husband had been killed in a mugging. Nothing unusual about that, except for the $10,000 in cash she finds in the apartment after the killing. Something’s not kosher here and McGee is asked to look into it as it appears to somehow involve an embezzlement scheme the husband had started to uncover at his office.
The first half of the book is rather slow as McGee charms one society dame after another in effort to gain information. While such witty repartee may be appealing, it detracted from the plot and lacked the great action that Brass Cupcake, McDonald’s first novel, had.
The book really doesn’t really start to move until the second half when McGee finds himself drugged with LSD (or some similar substance) and feels the table in the restaurant melting around him before he is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where the evil doctors threaten to lobotomize him. At that point, the novel really soars. The descriptions of McGee trying to keep his grasp on reality and the action scenes at the hospital and elsewhere are top-notch.
Of course, the book is filled with McGee’s observations of life, the universe, and everything, one of the things that people love about this series.
This book has a lot to appeal to many groups of readers, including conspiracies, romance, and action.
December 20, 2017
There is a very fine line between a man liberated by the sixties sexual revolution and a creepy predator of vulnerable ladies. Private investigator Travis McGee is steering very close to the edge here. Not that there is much boat steering in this second outing for Mr. McGee. His barge is back in Florida and He has cometo New York, doing a favor for an army buddy and trying to help his very appetizing daughter investigate the killing of her former boyfriend in what was apparently a simple street mugging on the dangerous streets of the metropolis.
I didn't like this episode half as much as the first one, but I must confess it wasn't a difficult read or a badly written one. If you can get past the creepiness of the self-serving arguments Travis makes for sleeping with his clients, it's quite fun. The dialogues are snappy and the descriptive passages pared down to a minimum. I did felt a little let down by the actual murder investigation. For one thing, it took forever to get off the ground, with most of the action taking place in the last quarter of the book. And for another thing, the plot is much too similar to other novels by Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald
I have heard before that no.2 is a weaker book in the series, but now that I have managed to plow through it, I am willing to give Travis McGee another chance to shine, so next year I plan to continue with his capers.
I didn't like this episode half as much as the first one, but I must confess it wasn't a difficult read or a badly written one. If you can get past the creepiness of the self-serving arguments Travis makes for sleeping with his clients, it's quite fun. The dialogues are snappy and the descriptive passages pared down to a minimum. I did felt a little let down by the actual murder investigation. For one thing, it took forever to get off the ground, with most of the action taking place in the last quarter of the book. And for another thing, the plot is much too similar to other novels by Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald
I have heard before that no.2 is a weaker book in the series, but now that I have managed to plow through it, I am willing to give Travis McGee another chance to shine, so next year I plan to continue with his capers.
December 28, 2022
This second book in the Travis McGee series has an introduction by Lee Child. It is becoming more evident with each book I read that John D. MacDonald inspired many of our favorite mystery writers to give us the books we have known and loved in the past few decades. In this "pink" tale, Travis is in NYC trying to fulfill a promise to his old buddy Mike and help little sister Nina. While on the trail of a killer, he uncovers a plot that involves psychedelic drugs and an unbelievable power play. The descriptions of the bad trips that result are really "out there." It is amazing how much meaning, MacDonald layers into his rich prose making a 200ish page book seem like a much larger novel. Definitely want to explore more of this series.
September 28, 2011
I enjoyed The Deep Blue Goodbye, but this just annoyed me. One novel on, McGee's Magic Penis (every woman seems to want it, and the ones who get it emerge transformed for the better from the experience) becomes a very tiresome plot element. In this novel, he's basically a sloppy amateur who blunders into a solution that he's too dense or sexed-up to try to figure out without being trapped (by a blonde whore, of course) in a mental health facility. A mental health facility that is run by unscrupulous doctors of Eastern European origin who dole out LSD, lobotomies, pleasure and pain in the course of highly illegal behavioural experiments. For real. Well, not for real, it's only a work of fiction, but, yes that's actually what happens in this novel! MacDonald has a nice line in reverie, but some of MgGee's ruminations on women made me a little sick, especially when reflects that for some women, being a whore is the ideal job for their cold, calculating personalities. McGee/MacDonald lost all credibility for me at that point. Also he seems to think that Trade Unions are the fifth horse of the apocalypse. Meh. This wasn't really worth the time I spent on it.
November 19, 2017
3.5/Es la primera novela que leo de este autor y me ha gustado mucho. Es más, ahora entiendo porque se le conoce como uno de los escritores norteamericanos de novela negra más importantes del pasado siglo.
April 22, 2019
3 stars
This next instalment of Travis McGee saga rambled quite a bit. I found myself skimming some dialogue. It's clear that MacDonald was distracted from writing this book.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
Most of the action takes place in New York City, and the descriptive prose is adept but uninteresting.
There are some very good sections, but the climax is almost cliché, very familiar territory now, although perhaps not in 1963.
The book begins again with nice open prose, spare and succinct, but the McGee character is written just a bit too cutesy in the first quarter of the book.
McGee's encounter with Drummond is bitingly witty and honest and powerful. Superb stuff.
And McGee's long evening making love with Nina is also bright with honesty and discovery and trust and physical perfection. When MacDonald gets this right, it's spectacular. Wonderful, magical.
There were some other portions I liked, and the action increased towards the end.
The best thing is that our hero, McGee, has a lovely and passionate romance for 6-8 months after the climax of the book.
46%
Unfortunately, McGee's encounter with Bonita is dull, repetitive and seemingly endless.
75%
The plot took a turn into what we would now call a boring cliché. Just skimming now, sadly.
Notes and quotes:
Whoops, technology glitch. All notes and quotes lost, sadly 😢.
Bonus. From the 1970 "Darker Than Amber" movie starring Rod Taylor, pictures of the producers' ideas of McGee's "The Busted Flush":
Full size image here
Full size image here
Full size image here
And finally, two great blogs about John D. MacDonald, McGee and the rumoured-never-written novel where McGee dies"...
The Birth of Travis McGee (fascinating)
http://thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.co...
"Black Border for McGee" (rumours surrounding a final book, never published)
http://thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.co...
.
This next instalment of Travis McGee saga rambled quite a bit. I found myself skimming some dialogue. It's clear that MacDonald was distracted from writing this book.
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
Most of the action takes place in New York City, and the descriptive prose is adept but uninteresting.
There are some very good sections, but the climax is almost cliché, very familiar territory now, although perhaps not in 1963.
The book begins again with nice open prose, spare and succinct, but the McGee character is written just a bit too cutesy in the first quarter of the book.
McGee's encounter with Drummond is bitingly witty and honest and powerful. Superb stuff.
And McGee's long evening making love with Nina is also bright with honesty and discovery and trust and physical perfection. When MacDonald gets this right, it's spectacular. Wonderful, magical.
There were some other portions I liked, and the action increased towards the end.
The best thing is that our hero, McGee, has a lovely and passionate romance for 6-8 months after the climax of the book.
46%
Unfortunately, McGee's encounter with Bonita is dull, repetitive and seemingly endless.
75%
The plot took a turn into what we would now call a boring cliché. Just skimming now, sadly.
Notes and quotes:
Whoops, technology glitch. All notes and quotes lost, sadly 😢.
Bonus. From the 1970 "Darker Than Amber" movie starring Rod Taylor, pictures of the producers' ideas of McGee's "The Busted Flush":
Full size image here
Full size image here
Full size image here
And finally, two great blogs about John D. MacDonald, McGee and the rumoured-never-written novel where McGee dies"...
The Birth of Travis McGee (fascinating)
http://thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.co...
"Black Border for McGee" (rumours surrounding a final book, never published)
http://thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.co...
.
November 3, 2017
"We're all still carnivores, and money is the meat. If there's a lot of money and any possible way to get at it, I think people will do some strange and warped things."
- John D. MacDonald, Nightmare in Pink
Travis McGee #2 = Travis McGee goes to NYC. Well, he goes to NYC and is slipped a mickey while investigating the murder of a friend's little sister's husband. Like almost all of MacDonald's Travis McGee novels, this one is heavy on damsel in distress and flavored with MacDonald's own brand of misogyny light. I think MacDonald might be able to almost make a convincing argument that his books aren't really sexist, but I also think he was smart enough to understand that there was a BIG market for books about white knights rescuing damsels. Basically, this entire series could have been written in some warped version of Camelot. And, since this book was published in 1964, MacDonald is basically surfing on the shards of the Kennedy's lost Camelot.
- John D. MacDonald, Nightmare in Pink
Travis McGee #2 = Travis McGee goes to NYC. Well, he goes to NYC and is slipped a mickey while investigating the murder of a friend's little sister's husband. Like almost all of MacDonald's Travis McGee novels, this one is heavy on damsel in distress and flavored with MacDonald's own brand of misogyny light. I think MacDonald might be able to almost make a convincing argument that his books aren't really sexist, but I also think he was smart enough to understand that there was a BIG market for books about white knights rescuing damsels. Basically, this entire series could have been written in some warped version of Camelot. And, since this book was published in 1964, MacDonald is basically surfing on the shards of the Kennedy's lost Camelot.
December 11, 2022
I was advised that this might not be the strongest book in the series, but frankly I just found it rather odd. Travis Magee is a rangy, ruffian who normally spends his days on his Florida houseboat – when he’s flush – or if he’s not, chasing down something someone’s lost or had stolen for the price of half the value. But this time he’s doing a favour for his blind and badly damaged ex-army buddy who wants him to check on his younger sister whose husband has been murdered in suspicious circumstances, in New York City. But the shift in location from sunny Florida to gloomy New York seems to cast a gloomy shadow over proceedings.
The little sister turns out to be a shapely maiden who is quickly cast under Trav’s spell. She’s not the last, by the half way point two other women are fawning over Magee. What exactly do they see in him? He’s clearly tanned and handsome but though he consistently talks rough to them they totally lap it up. Perhaps this is simply a sign of times in which it was written, we’re talking the mid-sixties? I’m not really sure. But at this point in the book the narrative hasn’t moved on a great deal, little is still known about the murder or it’s motive, let alone its perpetrator.
The second half passes in a blur – for Magee that is. This is where the weirdness really takes hold. I found the plot unlikely to say the least, a sort of horror show conception in which the reader is asked to swallow a cast of baddies who are executing an elaborate caper involving mind bending drugs and worse. It didn’t work for me. I found myself wanting to rediscover the easy going knight errant I found in the first book, the lanky boat bum who lured good looking women onto his boat with a wry smile and a quick line. This Magee (perhaps the real Magee) is a hard man seemingly unconcerned with collateral damage.
Of course I will be back for more. Despite my reservations here I do like significant elements I’ve found across the two books I’ve consumed: the base Florida setting is an escape from cold and frosty England (particularly right now), the hard-boiled feel of the books appeals to me and the flawed hero is a man I want to know more about. There are some great philosophical passages too, and MacDonald is also strong on dialogue and descriptions (his face was almost entirely nose). Bring on book three.
The little sister turns out to be a shapely maiden who is quickly cast under Trav’s spell. She’s not the last, by the half way point two other women are fawning over Magee. What exactly do they see in him? He’s clearly tanned and handsome but though he consistently talks rough to them they totally lap it up. Perhaps this is simply a sign of times in which it was written, we’re talking the mid-sixties? I’m not really sure. But at this point in the book the narrative hasn’t moved on a great deal, little is still known about the murder or it’s motive, let alone its perpetrator.
The second half passes in a blur – for Magee that is. This is where the weirdness really takes hold. I found the plot unlikely to say the least, a sort of horror show conception in which the reader is asked to swallow a cast of baddies who are executing an elaborate caper involving mind bending drugs and worse. It didn’t work for me. I found myself wanting to rediscover the easy going knight errant I found in the first book, the lanky boat bum who lured good looking women onto his boat with a wry smile and a quick line. This Magee (perhaps the real Magee) is a hard man seemingly unconcerned with collateral damage.
Of course I will be back for more. Despite my reservations here I do like significant elements I’ve found across the two books I’ve consumed: the base Florida setting is an escape from cold and frosty England (particularly right now), the hard-boiled feel of the books appeals to me and the flawed hero is a man I want to know more about. There are some great philosophical passages too, and MacDonald is also strong on dialogue and descriptions (his face was almost entirely nose). Bring on book three.
September 23, 2024
I know Travis McGee became known as rather an iconic character in the 60s and MacDonald knows how to turn a phrase. Ostensibly, the Travis McGee may be placed under the mystery/thriller genre, but their appeal goes beyond that as McGee doubles as a social critic, ruminating on love, morality, politics, business and so forth, all from a rather libertarian/Ayn Randian perspective. I can respect this, especially given the era when these were penned, but it still rubs me the wrong way at times. I guess that is why I like these books, but do not really love them.
This adventure takes place in NYC, far from sunny Florida, Travis' home base on his houseboat/barge near Miami. Travis lives comfortably, only taking work when his funds wind down, happily calling himself a beach bum. As a favor to an old war buddy, Travis ventures to the Big Apple to investigate the death of his kid-sister's fiancé. The cops deem it simply a mugging gone sour, but the kid-sister Nina, now a 22 year old sexy gal, has suspicions it was more than that. It seems Nina's fiancé worked in finance, managing the estate of some fabulously rich guy's trust fund, along with a small team. Rumor has it the 'team' was a bit shady, but Nina never really got the gist. One day her fiancé came home with 10 grand in small bills, and shortly after that, he was dead.
While the plot revolves around Travis trying to sort out the 'team' managing the estate, the social commentary extends to the banality of mass consumption (Nina works in a firm dealing with 'packaging' of products), the nature of love, responsibility, the filthy rich and their lifestyles. Travis comes off as something of a libertarian rebel and maverick, refusing to conform to social norms, and every inch his own man. I can see why people really dig him as a character, and I really liked the social commentary at times. Yet, the sexy beach bum with women throwing their panties at him left and right gets old after a bit. Lots of sex, some twisty turns, and caustic commentary move the plot along in fits and starts. 3.5 pulpy stars!!
This adventure takes place in NYC, far from sunny Florida, Travis' home base on his houseboat/barge near Miami. Travis lives comfortably, only taking work when his funds wind down, happily calling himself a beach bum. As a favor to an old war buddy, Travis ventures to the Big Apple to investigate the death of his kid-sister's fiancé. The cops deem it simply a mugging gone sour, but the kid-sister Nina, now a 22 year old sexy gal, has suspicions it was more than that. It seems Nina's fiancé worked in finance, managing the estate of some fabulously rich guy's trust fund, along with a small team. Rumor has it the 'team' was a bit shady, but Nina never really got the gist. One day her fiancé came home with 10 grand in small bills, and shortly after that, he was dead.
While the plot revolves around Travis trying to sort out the 'team' managing the estate, the social commentary extends to the banality of mass consumption (Nina works in a firm dealing with 'packaging' of products), the nature of love, responsibility, the filthy rich and their lifestyles. Travis comes off as something of a libertarian rebel and maverick, refusing to conform to social norms, and every inch his own man. I can see why people really dig him as a character, and I really liked the social commentary at times. Yet, the sexy beach bum with women throwing their panties at him left and right gets old after a bit. Lots of sex, some twisty turns, and caustic commentary move the plot along in fits and starts. 3.5 pulpy stars!!
April 7, 2024
10/2012
The beginning seemed verging on boring, but the book progressed into predictably thrilling action and some pretty sublime writing.
The beginning seemed verging on boring, but the book progressed into predictably thrilling action and some pretty sublime writing.
October 23, 2014
I'm not positive of the edition as this is an OLD Random House one. Years ago I bought the tapes used from the library & converted them into an audio files. I only put the title & author into the file name & there isn't anything in the file themselves beyond it being a Random House recording. I threw the tapes away when we moved. The story is definitely abridged & if you come across it, run away. McGee usually tells the story, but there are a couple of jarring spots where an entire conversation with a person is condensed into a narrator's summary. It SUCKS!!!
Abridging a book can be a good thing. For instance, cutting out the third of Moby Dick cutting up the whale is a kindness. Abridging one of MacDonald's McGee books is like trying to make a full meal for 2 out of a cheeseburger. There just isn't enough there to make it worthwhile. The original paperback was only 143 pages! It makes me wish there was a way to ding the publisher on the star rating for this boondoogle, but I'm going to ignore it on rating the book. It's not MacDonald's fault.
I had a big problem with the setup, unfortunately. After that the book hums along like a well oiled machine, though. It's definitely a good one, even better than the first. That it could be so good even with ham-fisted editing is amazing.
One of the best things about these books is, although they're a series, a person could as easily have started with this book as the first one. Enough of McGee's history & lifestyle comes through to paint him perfectly without boring the reader of others in the series. That's a very rare find.
Overall, I'd give this 3.5 stars. I'll round up to 4, even though I wasn't thrilled with the start & the reader wasn't great. His female voices suck, but at least he wasn't irritating for the most part.
Abridging a book can be a good thing. For instance, cutting out the third of Moby Dick cutting up the whale is a kindness. Abridging one of MacDonald's McGee books is like trying to make a full meal for 2 out of a cheeseburger. There just isn't enough there to make it worthwhile. The original paperback was only 143 pages! It makes me wish there was a way to ding the publisher on the star rating for this boondoogle, but I'm going to ignore it on rating the book. It's not MacDonald's fault.
I had a big problem with the setup, unfortunately. After that the book hums along like a well oiled machine, though. It's definitely a good one, even better than the first. That it could be so good even with ham-fisted editing is amazing.
One of the best things about these books is, although they're a series, a person could as easily have started with this book as the first one. Enough of McGee's history & lifestyle comes through to paint him perfectly without boring the reader of others in the series. That's a very rare find.
Overall, I'd give this 3.5 stars. I'll round up to 4, even though I wasn't thrilled with the start & the reader wasn't great. His female voices suck, but at least he wasn't irritating for the most part.
February 1, 2025
John D. McDonald's second novel to feature his laid-back private eye Travis McGee, "Nightmare in Pink", starts out as a run-of-the-mill P.I. novel, with the protagonist investigating a murder, $10,000 in unaccountable mystery money, and a hot dame ready to jump in the sack with McGee.
Then, somewhere around the 3/4 point, the novel drops the reader into a sci-fi/horror novel with Lovecraftian imagery so disturbing they would give Lovecraft nightmares. McDonald ends up in weird-ass territory involving stuff. And he does it really well.
Hell, if McDonald's Travis McGee books hadn't consumed so much of his time writing, he could have easily made a successful career writing horror novels.
This could be why Stephen King considers McDonald one of his favorite writers...
Then, somewhere around the 3/4 point, the novel drops the reader into a sci-fi/horror novel with Lovecraftian imagery so disturbing they would give Lovecraft nightmares. McDonald ends up in weird-ass territory involving stuff. And he does it really well.
Hell, if McDonald's Travis McGee books hadn't consumed so much of his time writing, he could have easily made a successful career writing horror novels.
This could be why Stephen King considers McDonald one of his favorite writers...
February 24, 2015
This was even better than the first one.
People who think McGee devalues women are idiots.
That's all. :)
People who think McGee devalues women are idiots.
That's all. :)
June 16, 2022
Listened to the Audio Version and it's another book from the 1960's some outdated language. Gosh was "Darling" ever overused back then. Interesting that there are some mild bedroom scenes. We listened while driving and the book is not that long. Slow to build and the last 1/3 seems to have most of the action. I was not happy with the resolution of the mystery and the relationship. I am unsure if I will continue with the series. I waver between the plot was fantastical or it was possible and diabolical.
October 27, 2019
I try to collect my thoughts about this book and find it very difficult. Not because I did not like it, on the contrary, it is a very entertaining, fast and easy read. But to tell you the truth, I don't have any deeper thoughts about it. Hence, this review will probably be exceptionally short.
This is not my first book by John D. MacDonald. I’ve already read one of the books from the series about Travis McGee - The Quick Red Fox, and it was quite recently. I like this book even more than I like that one.
Travis is an interesting hero who is easy to like. Although I will not say that he is a character that is somehow particularly rememberable to me. But I have no major problems with it and I would love to read other books in this series.
The plotline is fine too. Although I admit that I did not read the explanation of the whole scheme truly carefully, I should have paid more attention to this. But I still liked the whole idea. In fact, the story is based on unique characters (mainly female). They are so different and fascinating that they push the whole story forward. It's a very interesting idea that I honestly appreciate. More importantly, this story did not get old at all. The book was written in 1964, and you get the feeling that you read modern recreation. In a very positive sense.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I don't have much thoughts about this story. But I will gladly read the next books.
May 3, 2008
I enjoyed this, the second novel in the Travis McGee series, slightly better than the first, The Deep Blue Good-by, largely because its plot became pretty nutty for the last 50 pages. It wasn't dissimilar to many of Ian Fleming's old James Bond novels, in which the situation the protagonist is trapped in is so insane that you can't help but just shrug your shoulders and go along for the ride.
I didn't like it, however, for all the same reasons I disliked The Deep Blue Good-by. The attitudes of the protagonist are really dated, and not in a good way--I enjoy reading old pulp fiction in which the narrator refers to women as "dames" and "skirts," but listening to McGee's ridiculous and long-winded musing on the "nature of the female" is like being trapped in a stalled elevator with your creepiest uncle for four hours. Also, the dialogue is straight out of a bad studio picture from the '40s, and was probably dated the minute MacDonald committed it to paper in 1964. There are pages and pages of exposition, women say things like "Dahling--", and the hero often thinks things to himself like, "McGee, old man..." It's just terrible.
I didn't like it, however, for all the same reasons I disliked The Deep Blue Good-by. The attitudes of the protagonist are really dated, and not in a good way--I enjoy reading old pulp fiction in which the narrator refers to women as "dames" and "skirts," but listening to McGee's ridiculous and long-winded musing on the "nature of the female" is like being trapped in a stalled elevator with your creepiest uncle for four hours. Also, the dialogue is straight out of a bad studio picture from the '40s, and was probably dated the minute MacDonald committed it to paper in 1964. There are pages and pages of exposition, women say things like "Dahling--", and the hero often thinks things to himself like, "McGee, old man..." It's just terrible.
August 30, 2025
"Are you asking me if I'm capable of intrigue, dear?"
"That's about it."
"McGee, darling, you are looking at the woman who invented the word. I can be so devious I can hardly stand it."
"Gin and all?"
Travis McGee is doing a favor for an old war buddy, partly out of guilt, partly out of brotherly responsibility, and partly because there might be some serious cash involved. His friend's sister's fiance recently turned up dead and after finding 10K in cash he left behind and she suspects he may have been involved in something illegal, working for a rich investment banker named Armister.
As Trav makes his way through the various women in the rich Armister's orbit, we start sensing odd business shenanigans and illegalities.
I can't decide exactly how I want to write up the McGee series at this point. This is only book Two, so small sample size, of course, but both episodes so far have been gratuitously girl-crazy enough that it reads more smut than crime or detective or mystery or thriller. Just being honest.
Verdict: An interesting-enough crime and conspiracy, and MacDonald is a good caper writer with his protagonist Travis McGee, but while the series still shows promise as a good detective series, I still haven't read a good book in it.
Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
"That's about it."
"McGee, darling, you are looking at the woman who invented the word. I can be so devious I can hardly stand it."
"Gin and all?"
Travis McGee is doing a favor for an old war buddy, partly out of guilt, partly out of brotherly responsibility, and partly because there might be some serious cash involved. His friend's sister's fiance recently turned up dead and after finding 10K in cash he left behind and she suspects he may have been involved in something illegal, working for a rich investment banker named Armister.
As Trav makes his way through the various women in the rich Armister's orbit, we start sensing odd business shenanigans and illegalities.
I can't decide exactly how I want to write up the McGee series at this point. This is only book Two, so small sample size, of course, but both episodes so far have been gratuitously girl-crazy enough that it reads more smut than crime or detective or mystery or thriller. Just being honest.
Verdict: An interesting-enough crime and conspiracy, and MacDonald is a good caper writer with his protagonist Travis McGee, but while the series still shows promise as a good detective series, I still haven't read a good book in it.
Jeff's Rating: 2 / 5 (Okay)
movie rating if made into a movie: R
November 12, 2024
Even more than the first time out, I am absolutely baffled that Travis McGee -- John D. MacDonald's most used character -- has only had three unsuccessful adaptations in the last sixty years. This is stunning for a series that spans twenty-one novels, with crazy cinematic qualities, and is led by a sexy, charismatic, and dangerous protagonist / hero.
And Nightmare in Pink is just begging to be made into a film.
Imagine a sun-drenched noir, smashed into a 1970s' style erotic thriller, with a creepy as f*%k Bond villain as the antagonist, all set in New York and its environs, and you've got Nightmare in Pink. I can't say too much more than that without spoiling the awesomeness of this book, but I can tell you I haven't had such a feverish, can't put it down read in a good long time.
Plus, I loved Travis McGee, the character, even more this time around. I know these days people are looking to Reacher or Bosch for their tough guy heroes, and some folks are still looking to that old chestnut James Bond, but for my money, Travis McGee and the muscular prose of MacDonald should still be at the front of everyone's book queue.
Hollywood, get your shit together and make Travis McGee a priority already.
And Nightmare in Pink is just begging to be made into a film.
Imagine a sun-drenched noir, smashed into a 1970s' style erotic thriller, with a creepy as f*%k Bond villain as the antagonist, all set in New York and its environs, and you've got Nightmare in Pink. I can't say too much more than that without spoiling the awesomeness of this book, but I can tell you I haven't had such a feverish, can't put it down read in a good long time.
Plus, I loved Travis McGee, the character, even more this time around. I know these days people are looking to Reacher or Bosch for their tough guy heroes, and some folks are still looking to that old chestnut James Bond, but for my money, Travis McGee and the muscular prose of MacDonald should still be at the front of everyone's book queue.
Hollywood, get your shit together and make Travis McGee a priority already.
August 20, 2016
John D. MacDonald can do no wrong. NIGHTMARE IN PINK, the second volume of Travis McGee's investigations, might not be as eventful as THE DEEP BLUE GOOD-BY, but it doesn't matter. All these novels need is McGee's razor sharp and generous bits of social analysis. Interlace that with any detective work really and you've got yourself a killer story every time and this is no different.
NIGHTMARE IN PINK is a particularly pertinent read in this day and age because it deals with the rich and the reckless, the American financial elite and believe me, they haven't evolved all that much since 1964. John D. MacDonald is a terrific author and an underrated pop culture philosopher. I'm thinking of dedicating an entire month to his work on Dead End Follies next year. If you're tempted to get into mid-century pulpists, make him your first stop.
NIGHTMARE IN PINK is a particularly pertinent read in this day and age because it deals with the rich and the reckless, the American financial elite and believe me, they haven't evolved all that much since 1964. John D. MacDonald is a terrific author and an underrated pop culture philosopher. I'm thinking of dedicating an entire month to his work on Dead End Follies next year. If you're tempted to get into mid-century pulpists, make him your first stop.
April 26, 2015
Not sure this was quite as good as the first Travis McGee I read. But still very enjoyable (as long as you can ignore the slightly sexist tone of the book....reminds me of reading Ian Flemings's Bond, sign of the times I guess). I liked the New York setting, made it easy to imagine. I'll definitely be carrying on with these.
April 21, 2020
Mid-20th Century North American Crime
1964
I liked the first of the series, "Deep Blue Goodbye" better the 2nd read. How does this one fare the 2nd time around?
HOOK - 1 star: This one takes about half the length of the book to establish what's going on: way too long for an American crime novel.
PACE - 1 star: Slow, too slow.
CRIME/PLOT - 2 stars: Okay, once it gets going. But it is standard embezzlement fare.
CAST - 2 stars: McGee is out of his element and in the social world of NY. I simply prefer McGee in Ft. Lauderdale on his boat. Here in this 2nd in the series, we get this description of Travis via clothing sizes: "...44 extra-long, 35 waist, 35 inseam, shoes 13C, shirts 17-35..." Yea, he's a big guy. But he's out of character when he says there are three McGees: "...the one I try to be, and the one I wish I was, and the one I really am..." This feels forced, and it sorta feels like MacDonald is going for an eccentric Chandler/Marlowe-type character, full of contradictions, and it comes off as derivative. Trav's friend from war service, Mike, is busted up and has been in a hospital for a while. Mike want's Travis to help his (Mike's) daughter, Nina Gibson who suddenly has an extra $10,000 after her fiance, Plummer, is mugged and killed. Then there are all these bank people: Armister, Mulligan, Pennera, Imber, and more and I didn't much care who was doing what. There are a couple of ugly and pointless homophobic references. And if you think Trav is a bit misogynistic, don't forget he's more likely to turn the ladies away than go to bed with them.
ATMOSPHERE - 3 stars: A light touch on NY: many bars, restaurants, $$$. But a great final chapter in the Keys, full of sunbathing and love-making: "February, March, and into the loveliness of April. Sometimes we moved to other coves, other beaches. Always private. We had no need for anyone else."
SUMMARY - 1.8. I liked this one less on the 2nd read, perhaps because I've read the first ten or so in the series, and I just prefer Travis at the beach than anywhere else. And compared to the other books in the series I've read, this one takes the longest to get to the main plot, so the pace is on the slow side.
Original review:
Steamy lovin' + a darn good plot = "Please sir I'll have another."
1964
I liked the first of the series, "Deep Blue Goodbye" better the 2nd read. How does this one fare the 2nd time around?
HOOK - 1 star: This one takes about half the length of the book to establish what's going on: way too long for an American crime novel.
PACE - 1 star: Slow, too slow.
CRIME/PLOT - 2 stars: Okay, once it gets going. But it is standard embezzlement fare.
CAST - 2 stars: McGee is out of his element and in the social world of NY. I simply prefer McGee in Ft. Lauderdale on his boat. Here in this 2nd in the series, we get this description of Travis via clothing sizes: "...44 extra-long, 35 waist, 35 inseam, shoes 13C, shirts 17-35..." Yea, he's a big guy. But he's out of character when he says there are three McGees: "...the one I try to be, and the one I wish I was, and the one I really am..." This feels forced, and it sorta feels like MacDonald is going for an eccentric Chandler/Marlowe-type character, full of contradictions, and it comes off as derivative. Trav's friend from war service, Mike, is busted up and has been in a hospital for a while. Mike want's Travis to help his (Mike's) daughter, Nina Gibson who suddenly has an extra $10,000 after her fiance, Plummer, is mugged and killed. Then there are all these bank people: Armister, Mulligan, Pennera, Imber, and more and I didn't much care who was doing what. There are a couple of ugly and pointless homophobic references. And if you think Trav is a bit misogynistic, don't forget he's more likely to turn the ladies away than go to bed with them.
ATMOSPHERE - 3 stars: A light touch on NY: many bars, restaurants, $$$. But a great final chapter in the Keys, full of sunbathing and love-making: "February, March, and into the loveliness of April. Sometimes we moved to other coves, other beaches. Always private. We had no need for anyone else."
SUMMARY - 1.8. I liked this one less on the 2nd read, perhaps because I've read the first ten or so in the series, and I just prefer Travis at the beach than anywhere else. And compared to the other books in the series I've read, this one takes the longest to get to the main plot, so the pace is on the slow side.
Original review:
Steamy lovin' + a darn good plot = "Please sir I'll have another."
October 26, 2019
Sure it’s a bit too cheeky, like most of its genre, the man with a heart of brass that likes to rescue . . . but what sets this series apart is awesome dialog, and a decent story with a soft-boiled protagonist that is just introspective enough not to fall too hard for his own hubris or the worldliness around him.
- There was a preponderance of poodles. This is the most desperate breed there is. They are just a little too bright for the servile role of dogdom. So their loneliness is a little more excruciating, their welcomes more frantic, their desire to please a little more intense. They seem to think that if they could just do everything right, they wouldn't have to be locked up in the silence-pacing, sleeping, brooding, enduring the swollen bladder. That's what they try to talk about. One day there will appear a super-poodle, one almost as bright as the most stupid alley cat, and he will figure it out. He will suddenly realize that his loneliness is merely a by-product of his being used to ease the loneliness of his owner. He'll tell the others. He'll leave messages. And some dark night they'll all start chewing throats.
- We kissed the long humid goodbys, and she laughed and cried-not in hysterics, but because she had good reasons for laughing and good reasons for crying, and we both knew just how she could pick up the pieces of her life and build something that would make sense. Captain McGee. Private cruises. Personalized therapy. And a little twinge of pain when the plane took off, pain for McGee, because she was too close to what-might-have-been. If there's no pain and no loss, it's only recreational, and we can leave it to the minks. People have to be valued.
- I went back into the living room. The heady scent of soapy girl seemed to follow me out. I ordered McGee to stop picturing her in the shower. I told him he had seen whole platoons of showering women, and scrubbed many a glossy back in his day, and this was a damned poor time for adolescent erotic fantasies. And the business of the drink had not been a tricky invitation. It had been a friendly innocence. This was Mike's kid sister. It would have a flavor of incest.
- "I think it is a lot of money. We're all still carnivorous, and money is the meat. If there's a lot of money and any possible way to get at it, I think people will do some strange warped things. Hardly anybody is really immune to the hunger, not if there's enough in view. I know I'm not."
- "Mike said you were such a hell of a fine soldier." "The result of a pertinent observation. I noticed that the better you were, the longer you lasted. Out of pure fright, I put my heart into it."
- "Mike said you have a strange thing about women." "I happen to think they are people. Not cute objects. I think that people hurting people is the original sin. To score for the sake of scoring diminishes a man. I can't value a woman who won't value herself. McGee's credo. That's why they won't give me a playboy card. I won't romp with the bunnies."
- At one point I glanced up quickly and surprised a different expression in her eyes-an absolute coldness, a bleak and total indifference which was gone the instant I saw it. And that, I thought, was the whore's look and the whore's secret, that monumental unconcern which insulated her. I knew in that moment that this sort of thing could never interest me. I had to have the involvement of the spirit. These tasty goods were for other kinds of men: the ones for whom sex is an uncomplicated physical function one performs with varying degrees of skill with every broad and chick who will hold still for it; the men who are the cigar chompers, gin players, haunch-grabbers; the loud balding jokesters with several deals going for them on the long-distance lines; the broad-bellied expense-account braggards who grab the checks, goose the cocktail waitresses, talk smut, and run-run-run until their kidneys quit or their hearts explode. And this savory and expensive chick had decorated the night places with them, and had lost track of the number of bald heads, lost track of the number of times she had, with the cigar smouldering on the nightstand, skillfully drained their transient loins.
- There was a preponderance of poodles. This is the most desperate breed there is. They are just a little too bright for the servile role of dogdom. So their loneliness is a little more excruciating, their welcomes more frantic, their desire to please a little more intense. They seem to think that if they could just do everything right, they wouldn't have to be locked up in the silence-pacing, sleeping, brooding, enduring the swollen bladder. That's what they try to talk about. One day there will appear a super-poodle, one almost as bright as the most stupid alley cat, and he will figure it out. He will suddenly realize that his loneliness is merely a by-product of his being used to ease the loneliness of his owner. He'll tell the others. He'll leave messages. And some dark night they'll all start chewing throats.
- We kissed the long humid goodbys, and she laughed and cried-not in hysterics, but because she had good reasons for laughing and good reasons for crying, and we both knew just how she could pick up the pieces of her life and build something that would make sense. Captain McGee. Private cruises. Personalized therapy. And a little twinge of pain when the plane took off, pain for McGee, because she was too close to what-might-have-been. If there's no pain and no loss, it's only recreational, and we can leave it to the minks. People have to be valued.
- I went back into the living room. The heady scent of soapy girl seemed to follow me out. I ordered McGee to stop picturing her in the shower. I told him he had seen whole platoons of showering women, and scrubbed many a glossy back in his day, and this was a damned poor time for adolescent erotic fantasies. And the business of the drink had not been a tricky invitation. It had been a friendly innocence. This was Mike's kid sister. It would have a flavor of incest.
- "I think it is a lot of money. We're all still carnivorous, and money is the meat. If there's a lot of money and any possible way to get at it, I think people will do some strange warped things. Hardly anybody is really immune to the hunger, not if there's enough in view. I know I'm not."
- "Mike said you were such a hell of a fine soldier." "The result of a pertinent observation. I noticed that the better you were, the longer you lasted. Out of pure fright, I put my heart into it."
- "Mike said you have a strange thing about women." "I happen to think they are people. Not cute objects. I think that people hurting people is the original sin. To score for the sake of scoring diminishes a man. I can't value a woman who won't value herself. McGee's credo. That's why they won't give me a playboy card. I won't romp with the bunnies."
- At one point I glanced up quickly and surprised a different expression in her eyes-an absolute coldness, a bleak and total indifference which was gone the instant I saw it. And that, I thought, was the whore's look and the whore's secret, that monumental unconcern which insulated her. I knew in that moment that this sort of thing could never interest me. I had to have the involvement of the spirit. These tasty goods were for other kinds of men: the ones for whom sex is an uncomplicated physical function one performs with varying degrees of skill with every broad and chick who will hold still for it; the men who are the cigar chompers, gin players, haunch-grabbers; the loud balding jokesters with several deals going for them on the long-distance lines; the broad-bellied expense-account braggards who grab the checks, goose the cocktail waitresses, talk smut, and run-run-run until their kidneys quit or their hearts explode. And this savory and expensive chick had decorated the night places with them, and had lost track of the number of bald heads, lost track of the number of times she had, with the cigar smouldering on the nightstand, skillfully drained their transient loins.
May 23, 2015
17 may 15, #35 from macdonald for me and only the 2nd travis mcgee story, #2 travis mcgee. just ran through a john sanford phase and no more of those stories lying around unread so it's back to macdonald.
macdonald rocks the casbah.
18 may 15, finished. excellent story! why? because there are elements in this story that have a touch of the macabre. reading along and there's a change of pace. macdonald does this from time to time, throws something into the story and i wonder where'd that come from...in a good way. like on page 21, "new york is where it is going to begin..." future chaos, reads like the opening of stephen king's cell. later, ole travis gets in a spot and the spot is a thrall. ooga booga. tempted to make this one a favorite...there are some minor flaws, my view...the use of a character to explain things at the end, wrap it all up, put a bow on it. fine. i can live with it, but the story could have been expanded and i could have lived with that, too...though the 1st person telling likely would suffer.
too...reading along, early on, getting into it. curious, how macdonald tells the tale. there is much dialogue, the settings are restaurants, bars, hotel rooms. there's not a bunch of action other than the business of men and women, the dance. after the spot, there's a tad more action, drama in a different sense, suspense. even a touch of black humor, some comedic relief, action-jackson mcgee, banging head against object.
great story.
time place scene settings
* action takes place mainly in new york...the time is after the korean war though nothing definitive in the text suggests a time other than that. don't recall if in the first mcgee story, the deep blue goodbye, there is a definitive time period. call it late 50s, early 60s.
* we do get down to florida and travis's busted flush house-boat and some ocean-going travel
* october, story opens...by story end, we go through february, march, april in a hurry
* lounge
* police precinct
* street scenes in new york
* taxi or two
* bonita's home 121 east 71st, 9th floor
* 3rd floor walkup on 53rd...2nd ave
* hospital where mike gibson is under care, carolinas, v.a. i think
* arts & talents associates, west 38th street
* office #1113, mrs smith (call-girl madame)
* corner drugstore
* armister-hawes offices/building
* the satin house...bar where travis meets rossa
* a white room (with black curtains, near the station)...where the macabre begins in earnest
* a small visiting room
* toll valley hospital, south of new platz new york
* a sleazy hotel, the harbon hotel on west 41st room 303
* several characters houses/rooms/offices/apartments
* armitage inn
* 318 west 19th...a driveway to a warehouse...where howard's body was found
* blue bar, algonquin...travis/nina, nightcap here
characters
* travis mcgee
* nina gibson, 24-yr-old, sister of mike gibson, war-time buddy/friend of travis
* mike gibson, in a hospital in the carolinas
*captain...past...captain of travis/mike
*missy...past...
*nurse...of Mike
* howard plummer, fiance of nina, on august 10th was mugged, killed, in n.y.c. left behind a mysterious 10-grand, from minnesota originally
* constance trimble thatcher, 72, a woman travis helped, wealthy, gossip
* charles mckewn armister the 4th, wealthy, separated from wife, with reason
* bonita hersch, woman in armister's financial industry
* teresa howlan gernhardt delancy drummond, sister of joanna howlan who is married to charles mckewn armister
* rossa hendit, $200 call girl
* mrs smith, call-girl madame
* doris wrightson, worked at armister-hawes
* donald swane...guy travis overpowers
* alabama tiger, captain johnny dow...florida friends of mcgee
* doctors varn, moore, daska
* olan harris, chaffeur for one of the big wigs...armister/mulligan
* mr baynard mulligan, head of legal staff at armister-hawes
* mr lucius penerra, head of accounting at armister-hawes
* robert imber, trust department 5th avenue bank
*
characters nameless for the most, setting characters, so forth
*frail & indefinite-looking man, freddie, nina's co-worker
*tommy's and mary jane's...and him...two of nina's/freddie's co-workers and 'him' is a customer
*receptionist
*muscular & colorless nurse/husband
*doctors (mike gibson, v.a. hospital north carolina)
*girl she lived with
*ben, a guy who calls nina while travis is speaking with her, she puts ben off though he is persistent
*howie's sister from california
*homocide people, detective sergeant t. rassko
*lieutenant bree...whose sister married a veteran
*a hurrying flow of girls
*a burly man, a tall girl
*con artist, who tried to con constance trimble thather, 72
*dull cocktail guests...of constance's
*elena garrett, 19, married by baynard mulligan when he was 30, marriage lasted four years
*girl with a gray poodle, called the snow maiden by nina and her neighbors
*travis's brother who killed himself
*george, blue bar, algonquin
*roger king, teresa drummond's lawyer/friend
*a negro was slowly & carefully polishing a bottle-green lancia/dobbie is his name-o
*a bone-thin blonde
*an old man sat under a shrouded light
*thayer's mercedes, highburn cadillac
*scrawny smocked redhead
*danny gryson...co-worker of howard's...nina calls him while w/travis
*grace...sally, danny's wife...grace is met at airport by danny
*martha, german cook
*walker...bunny rodriquez...walker is bunny's nephew
*miss angela morse, secretary to bonita hersch
*doorman...clerk...at bonita's place
*convetion manager of hotel...assistant manager...three venezulan guyus...3 very superior girls
*uniformed porter
*pretty girls on the streets
*23 in organization---armister-hawes--35 last year
*mild sedate girls...quiet man, at a-h
*bartenders, at the satin house
*brodback...at the satin house..."bernie" his companion called him
*two husky attendants...at toll valley hospital
*a square sandy woman in white
*two nurses standing & talking, a man came out of a doorway, two men were working in the kitchen, a dull-looking girl, a busty redheaded girl, two men were trying to hold a third man, a woman stood braced, a man on all fours, a girl sat spraddled on the floor, a man lay quite still, a fat woman running in a big circle, a man slammed on the brakes
*a man sitting on either side of her (nina)
*baggs, the man in charge...wraps it all up with a bow
*george raub, john benjamin...two more who were at the toll valley hospital with doris wrightson and olan harris, all employed at armister-hawes
real, famous names used in story
*kline-like action paintings
*greek
*freudian
*vance packard books
*norman vincent peale
*james jones
*dorianna gray
*faulkner
*hemingway
*mickey mantle
*manet
*picasso
*gabor
*nelson eddy/jeannette/yogi bear
*tapies, painter, spain
*princess grace kelly ranier
*fu man chu
story begins
she worked in one of those park avenue buildings which tourists feel obligated to photograph. it's a nice building to visit, but they wouldn't want to live there.
she worked on the twentieth floor, for one of those self-important little companies which design packages for things. I arrived at five, as arranged, and sent my name in, and she came out into the little reception area, wearing a smock to prove that she did her stint at the old drawing board.
macdonald rocks the casbah.
18 may 15, finished. excellent story! why? because there are elements in this story that have a touch of the macabre. reading along and there's a change of pace. macdonald does this from time to time, throws something into the story and i wonder where'd that come from...in a good way. like on page 21, "new york is where it is going to begin..." future chaos, reads like the opening of stephen king's cell. later, ole travis gets in a spot and the spot is a thrall. ooga booga. tempted to make this one a favorite...there are some minor flaws, my view...the use of a character to explain things at the end, wrap it all up, put a bow on it. fine. i can live with it, but the story could have been expanded and i could have lived with that, too...though the 1st person telling likely would suffer.
too...reading along, early on, getting into it. curious, how macdonald tells the tale. there is much dialogue, the settings are restaurants, bars, hotel rooms. there's not a bunch of action other than the business of men and women, the dance. after the spot, there's a tad more action, drama in a different sense, suspense. even a touch of black humor, some comedic relief, action-jackson mcgee, banging head against object.
great story.
time place scene settings
* action takes place mainly in new york...the time is after the korean war though nothing definitive in the text suggests a time other than that. don't recall if in the first mcgee story, the deep blue goodbye, there is a definitive time period. call it late 50s, early 60s.
* we do get down to florida and travis's busted flush house-boat and some ocean-going travel
* october, story opens...by story end, we go through february, march, april in a hurry
* lounge
* police precinct
* street scenes in new york
* taxi or two
* bonita's home 121 east 71st, 9th floor
* 3rd floor walkup on 53rd...2nd ave
* hospital where mike gibson is under care, carolinas, v.a. i think
* arts & talents associates, west 38th street
* office #1113, mrs smith (call-girl madame)
* corner drugstore
* armister-hawes offices/building
* the satin house...bar where travis meets rossa
* a white room (with black curtains, near the station)...where the macabre begins in earnest
* a small visiting room
* toll valley hospital, south of new platz new york
* a sleazy hotel, the harbon hotel on west 41st room 303
* several characters houses/rooms/offices/apartments
* armitage inn
* 318 west 19th...a driveway to a warehouse...where howard's body was found
* blue bar, algonquin...travis/nina, nightcap here
characters
* travis mcgee
* nina gibson, 24-yr-old, sister of mike gibson, war-time buddy/friend of travis
* mike gibson, in a hospital in the carolinas
*captain...past...captain of travis/mike
*missy...past...
*nurse...of Mike
* howard plummer, fiance of nina, on august 10th was mugged, killed, in n.y.c. left behind a mysterious 10-grand, from minnesota originally
* constance trimble thatcher, 72, a woman travis helped, wealthy, gossip
* charles mckewn armister the 4th, wealthy, separated from wife, with reason
* bonita hersch, woman in armister's financial industry
* teresa howlan gernhardt delancy drummond, sister of joanna howlan who is married to charles mckewn armister
* rossa hendit, $200 call girl
* mrs smith, call-girl madame
* doris wrightson, worked at armister-hawes
* donald swane...guy travis overpowers
* alabama tiger, captain johnny dow...florida friends of mcgee
* doctors varn, moore, daska
* olan harris, chaffeur for one of the big wigs...armister/mulligan
* mr baynard mulligan, head of legal staff at armister-hawes
* mr lucius penerra, head of accounting at armister-hawes
* robert imber, trust department 5th avenue bank
*
characters nameless for the most, setting characters, so forth
*frail & indefinite-looking man, freddie, nina's co-worker
*tommy's and mary jane's...and him...two of nina's/freddie's co-workers and 'him' is a customer
*receptionist
*muscular & colorless nurse/husband
*doctors (mike gibson, v.a. hospital north carolina)
*girl she lived with
*ben, a guy who calls nina while travis is speaking with her, she puts ben off though he is persistent
*howie's sister from california
*homocide people, detective sergeant t. rassko
*lieutenant bree...whose sister married a veteran
*a hurrying flow of girls
*a burly man, a tall girl
*con artist, who tried to con constance trimble thather, 72
*dull cocktail guests...of constance's
*elena garrett, 19, married by baynard mulligan when he was 30, marriage lasted four years
*girl with a gray poodle, called the snow maiden by nina and her neighbors
*travis's brother who killed himself
*george, blue bar, algonquin
*roger king, teresa drummond's lawyer/friend
*a negro was slowly & carefully polishing a bottle-green lancia/dobbie is his name-o
*a bone-thin blonde
*an old man sat under a shrouded light
*thayer's mercedes, highburn cadillac
*scrawny smocked redhead
*danny gryson...co-worker of howard's...nina calls him while w/travis
*grace...sally, danny's wife...grace is met at airport by danny
*martha, german cook
*walker...bunny rodriquez...walker is bunny's nephew
*miss angela morse, secretary to bonita hersch
*doorman...clerk...at bonita's place
*convetion manager of hotel...assistant manager...three venezulan guyus...3 very superior girls
*uniformed porter
*pretty girls on the streets
*23 in organization---armister-hawes--35 last year
*mild sedate girls...quiet man, at a-h
*bartenders, at the satin house
*brodback...at the satin house..."bernie" his companion called him
*two husky attendants...at toll valley hospital
*a square sandy woman in white
*two nurses standing & talking, a man came out of a doorway, two men were working in the kitchen, a dull-looking girl, a busty redheaded girl, two men were trying to hold a third man, a woman stood braced, a man on all fours, a girl sat spraddled on the floor, a man lay quite still, a fat woman running in a big circle, a man slammed on the brakes
*a man sitting on either side of her (nina)
*baggs, the man in charge...wraps it all up with a bow
*george raub, john benjamin...two more who were at the toll valley hospital with doris wrightson and olan harris, all employed at armister-hawes
real, famous names used in story
*kline-like action paintings
*greek
*freudian
*vance packard books
*norman vincent peale
*james jones
*dorianna gray
*faulkner
*hemingway
*mickey mantle
*manet
*picasso
*gabor
*nelson eddy/jeannette/yogi bear
*tapies, painter, spain
*princess grace kelly ranier
*fu man chu
story begins
she worked in one of those park avenue buildings which tourists feel obligated to photograph. it's a nice building to visit, but they wouldn't want to live there.
she worked on the twentieth floor, for one of those self-important little companies which design packages for things. I arrived at five, as arranged, and sent my name in, and she came out into the little reception area, wearing a smock to prove that she did her stint at the old drawing board.
April 25, 2020
This one mostly takes place in New York City as Travis helps out the younger sister of an old army buddy.
February 10, 2017
This is a terrific novel, just a tiny notch below 5 stars and I give 5 stars to next to nothing. MacDonald's writing is near perfection.
The insect experts have learned how it works with locusts. Until locust population reaches a certain density, they all act like any grasshoppers. When the, critical point is reached, they turn savage and swarm, and try to eat the world. We're nearing a critical point. One day soon two strangers will bump into each other at high won in the middle of New York. But this time they won't snarl and go on. They will stop and stare and then leap at each others' throats in a dreadful silence. The infection will spread outward from that point. Old ladies will crack skulls with their deadly handbags. Cars will plunge down the crowded sidewalks. Drivers will be torn out of their cars and stomped. It will spread to all the huge cities of the world, and by dawn of the next day there will be a horrid silence of sprawled bodies and tumbled vehicles, gutted buildings and a few wisps of smoke. And through that silence will prowl a few, a very few of the most powerful ones, ragged and bloody, slowly tracking each other down.
I can only think of the pervasive zombie genre and wonder if this is what makes it so popular.
Even the villains of the piece have interesting things to say.
"I read a great deal. It's the only way we have to lead more lives than one."
Me too, I can be an astronaut in the morning, a deep sea diver in the afternoon, and a vampire in the evening or Travis the kinght is rusty armor, anytime during a sleepless night.
re-read
Favorite quote "I read a great deal. It's the only way we have to lead more lives than one."
Character List
The insect experts have learned how it works with locusts. Until locust population reaches a certain density, they all act like any grasshoppers. When the, critical point is reached, they turn savage and swarm, and try to eat the world. We're nearing a critical point. One day soon two strangers will bump into each other at high won in the middle of New York. But this time they won't snarl and go on. They will stop and stare and then leap at each others' throats in a dreadful silence. The infection will spread outward from that point. Old ladies will crack skulls with their deadly handbags. Cars will plunge down the crowded sidewalks. Drivers will be torn out of their cars and stomped. It will spread to all the huge cities of the world, and by dawn of the next day there will be a horrid silence of sprawled bodies and tumbled vehicles, gutted buildings and a few wisps of smoke. And through that silence will prowl a few, a very few of the most powerful ones, ragged and bloody, slowly tracking each other down.
I can only think of the pervasive zombie genre and wonder if this is what makes it so popular.
Even the villains of the piece have interesting things to say.
"I read a great deal. It's the only way we have to lead more lives than one."
Me too, I can be an astronaut in the morning, a deep sea diver in the afternoon, and a vampire in the evening or Travis the kinght is rusty armor, anytime during a sleepless night.
re-read
Favorite quote "I read a great deal. It's the only way we have to lead more lives than one."
Character List
September 23, 2015
On the front of the book it informs me that this is a Travis McGee novel, A Nightmare In Pink. After 150 pages I finally realized that this was not the follow-up to The Deep Blue Goodbye I was hoping for. This a James Bond rip off. Double O'Dong in 50 Shades of Ballsack.
Double O'Dong is irresistible to women. They are drawn to him like he's the star of an Axe Body Spray commercial. Once they get him they feel as if they've just had a pint of Rocky Road, lost 10 pounds, and watched a weekend full of romantic comedies. Totally satisfied. Of course, O'Dong doesn't figure out the bad guy's evil plans through stealth or witty sleuthing. He is captured and told the bad guy's plans because clearly, O'Dong could never escape and do anything about them.
Somewhere around page 200, Double O'Dong makes a brief transformation into Travis McGee and there's a very satisfying bit of action and cleverness. O'Dong returns to close the book out in an anticlimactic fashion. The action combined with background on McGee gained in the first chapter and the excellent prose saved this book from the 2 stars it might have received. I do enjoy McGee's inner monologues/observations. The following is after McGee is bumped into on the crowded streets of New York.
"New York is where it is going to begin. I think. You can see it coming. The insect experts have learned how it works with locusts. Until locust population reaches a certain density, they all act like any grasshoppers. When the critical point is reached they turn savage and sward, and try to eat the world. We're nearing a critical point. One day soon two strangers will bump into each other at high noon in the middle of New York. But this time they won't snarl and go on. They will stop and stare and then leap at each others' throats in a dreadful silence. The infection will spread outward from that point. Old ladies will crack sculls with their deadly handbags. Cars will plunge down the crowded sidewalks. Drivers will be torn out of their cars and stomped. It will spread to all the huge cities of the world, and by dawn of he next day there will be a horrid silence of sprawled bodies and tumbled vehicles, gutted buildings and a few wisps of smoke. And through that silence will prowl a few, a very few of the most powerful ones, ragged and bloody, slowly tracking each other down."
Read the first chapter for the McGee background, read on the for prose and eventually the great action. But don't say I didn't warn you when 50 Shades of Ballsack slaps you in the face.
Double O'Dong is irresistible to women. They are drawn to him like he's the star of an Axe Body Spray commercial. Once they get him they feel as if they've just had a pint of Rocky Road, lost 10 pounds, and watched a weekend full of romantic comedies. Totally satisfied. Of course, O'Dong doesn't figure out the bad guy's evil plans through stealth or witty sleuthing. He is captured and told the bad guy's plans because clearly, O'Dong could never escape and do anything about them.
Somewhere around page 200, Double O'Dong makes a brief transformation into Travis McGee and there's a very satisfying bit of action and cleverness. O'Dong returns to close the book out in an anticlimactic fashion. The action combined with background on McGee gained in the first chapter and the excellent prose saved this book from the 2 stars it might have received. I do enjoy McGee's inner monologues/observations. The following is after McGee is bumped into on the crowded streets of New York.
"New York is where it is going to begin. I think. You can see it coming. The insect experts have learned how it works with locusts. Until locust population reaches a certain density, they all act like any grasshoppers. When the critical point is reached they turn savage and sward, and try to eat the world. We're nearing a critical point. One day soon two strangers will bump into each other at high noon in the middle of New York. But this time they won't snarl and go on. They will stop and stare and then leap at each others' throats in a dreadful silence. The infection will spread outward from that point. Old ladies will crack sculls with their deadly handbags. Cars will plunge down the crowded sidewalks. Drivers will be torn out of their cars and stomped. It will spread to all the huge cities of the world, and by dawn of he next day there will be a horrid silence of sprawled bodies and tumbled vehicles, gutted buildings and a few wisps of smoke. And through that silence will prowl a few, a very few of the most powerful ones, ragged and bloody, slowly tracking each other down."
Read the first chapter for the McGee background, read on the for prose and eventually the great action. But don't say I didn't warn you when 50 Shades of Ballsack slaps you in the face.
August 21, 2018
Easy and fast read, as most MacDonald's are. Not one of the best Travis McGee novels, IMHO, in part because it's set mostly in New York, when MacDonald's strength is describing Florida, which he clearly loves. McGee is no fan of New York, and tends judgmental at the best of times, meaning he's sneering at people way too much in this book for my taste. He also slips into perhaps his most hypocritical gripe, namely condemning a woman for not wanting children, when of course McGee himself has no interest in ever settling down and being a father. McGee never charms me, but in this book he's outright annoying more often than not.
The ubiquitous "sex with McGee cures all female ills" trope is overplayed in this book as well. Early on we hear about how a lady sent a female relative to hang with McGee for a while, knowing that said female relative would end up having an affair with McGee, which would ultimately strengthen her marriage. The Magic Cock trope only barely works when MacDonald throws all his energies into selling it; tossing it off as an afterthought, particularly when arguing that the Magic Cock is the cure for a troubled marriage with someone else, it doesn't fly at all.
For all his flaws, however, as usual MacDonald pulls me in for the roller coaster ride, and for all my grumbling after, I signed up for it in the first place. MacDonald's books are usually interesting and entertaining, which is what I most care about when it comes to "escapist literature". Plus McGee is a romantic in the Don Quixote mold, and I suspect MacDonald was as well; I have more tolerance for the real world than either of them, but that romanticism is definitely part of the appeal.
MacDonald is sort of the Jayne Ann Krentz for men -- a predictable comfort read that includes elements of mystery, adventure, and romance, by an opinionated author who loves their particular home state and its quirky inhabitants.
The ubiquitous "sex with McGee cures all female ills" trope is overplayed in this book as well. Early on we hear about how a lady sent a female relative to hang with McGee for a while, knowing that said female relative would end up having an affair with McGee, which would ultimately strengthen her marriage. The Magic Cock trope only barely works when MacDonald throws all his energies into selling it; tossing it off as an afterthought, particularly when arguing that the Magic Cock is the cure for a troubled marriage with someone else, it doesn't fly at all.
For all his flaws, however, as usual MacDonald pulls me in for the roller coaster ride, and for all my grumbling after, I signed up for it in the first place. MacDonald's books are usually interesting and entertaining, which is what I most care about when it comes to "escapist literature". Plus McGee is a romantic in the Don Quixote mold, and I suspect MacDonald was as well; I have more tolerance for the real world than either of them, but that romanticism is definitely part of the appeal.
MacDonald is sort of the Jayne Ann Krentz for men -- a predictable comfort read that includes elements of mystery, adventure, and romance, by an opinionated author who loves their particular home state and its quirky inhabitants.
July 24, 2016
The second Travis McGee novel finds our self-described boat-bum doing a favor for an old army buddy who has been confined to a VA hospital and, sadly, is unlikely to live much longer. The man’s young sister, Nina, needs help as it seems her fiancé has just been murdered in an apparent mugging gone bad. Travis’s investigation takes him to New York and leads him from one contact to another, the trail eventually leading to a high-priced call girl and an incredible scheme to steel millions from wealthy businessmen. Along the way, despite trying not to, Travis falls for young Nina, and she for him, although they both know it won't be a lasting thing.
John D. MacDonald was still forming his character Travis McGee in this second book in the 21-book series, a decidedly different sort of protagonist than what the marketplace at the time was used to. Travis has flaws and, generally speaking, being around him isn't always the safest place to be. Collateral damage occurs and innocent people sometimes get caught in the crossfire (or by poisoned coffee in this case). Most people agree that it is not until the third novel, A Purple Place for Dying that the general pattern and style for the rest of the books is laid down. Regardless, this novel was an enjoyable read despite the drugged-out LSD tripping scenes at a 1960’s era lobotomizing horror factory masquerading as a mental hospital. The title of the novel is most apropos!
John D. MacDonald was still forming his character Travis McGee in this second book in the 21-book series, a decidedly different sort of protagonist than what the marketplace at the time was used to. Travis has flaws and, generally speaking, being around him isn't always the safest place to be. Collateral damage occurs and innocent people sometimes get caught in the crossfire (or by poisoned coffee in this case). Most people agree that it is not until the third novel, A Purple Place for Dying that the general pattern and style for the rest of the books is laid down. Regardless, this novel was an enjoyable read despite the drugged-out LSD tripping scenes at a 1960’s era lobotomizing horror factory masquerading as a mental hospital. The title of the novel is most apropos!
December 31, 2012
Third time's a charm! This is book #2 in the series.
I recall the last time I read the series collectively speaking, Travis got in a lot of trouble. But this time, this book, trouble is really, really bad.
Seemed to pay more attention to just who he was and marked a couple of personal information:
1) When Travis got out of the service during the Korean War, he was supposed to go into business with his brother. However, when he got back there was no business; it had been taken away from his brother (no specifics) and his brother subsequently killed himself.
2) Speaking about women he says "People have to be valued."
3) Trav says: “I do a lot of talking. It makes me believe sometimes I know who I am. McGee, the free spirit. Such crap. All I’ve ever done is trade one kind of bondage for another. I’m the victim of my own swash buckled image of myself. I’m lazy, selfish and pretty shifty, Miss Nina. So I have to have an excuse structure. So I glamorize my deficiencies, and lecture pretty little women about truth and beauty. Are you wise enough to understand that? If so, you are wise enough not to trip over my manufactures image.”
4)Travis McGee's description of himself: pale-eyed (gray), wire-haired girl-finder, big shambling brown boat-bum who walks beaches, slays small fishes...
At one point she says "Doan go away." Just how I feel about Travis McGee. Doan go away, Travis, ever. You've been my guy way back when and still today.
I recall the last time I read the series collectively speaking, Travis got in a lot of trouble. But this time, this book, trouble is really, really bad.
Seemed to pay more attention to just who he was and marked a couple of personal information:
1) When Travis got out of the service during the Korean War, he was supposed to go into business with his brother. However, when he got back there was no business; it had been taken away from his brother (no specifics) and his brother subsequently killed himself.
2) Speaking about women he says "People have to be valued."
3) Trav says: “I do a lot of talking. It makes me believe sometimes I know who I am. McGee, the free spirit. Such crap. All I’ve ever done is trade one kind of bondage for another. I’m the victim of my own swash buckled image of myself. I’m lazy, selfish and pretty shifty, Miss Nina. So I have to have an excuse structure. So I glamorize my deficiencies, and lecture pretty little women about truth and beauty. Are you wise enough to understand that? If so, you are wise enough not to trip over my manufactures image.”
4)Travis McGee's description of himself: pale-eyed (gray), wire-haired girl-finder, big shambling brown boat-bum who walks beaches, slays small fishes...
At one point she says "Doan go away." Just how I feel about Travis McGee. Doan go away, Travis, ever. You've been my guy way back when and still today.
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