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Travis McGee is too busy with his houseboat to pay attention to the little old man with the missing postage stamps. Except these are no ordinary stamps. They are rare stamps. Four hundred thousand dollars worth of rare. And if McGee doesn't recognize their value, perhaps Mary Alice McDermit does, a six-foot knockout who knows all the ways to a boat bum's heart. Only it's not McGee's heart that's in danger. Because a syndicate killer has put a contract on McGee. A killer who knows something show more about stamps . . . and even more about McGee.. show less
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Once more I followed Travis McGee into the heart of darkness. This, although better written than the previous one (A Tan and Sandy Silence), is a thoroughly depressing, less-than-entertaining wallow into senseless death, a mystery the author apparently doesn't really care about, obtuse explication, and over-longness! Even the frequent presence of Meyer can't make this one very palatable. At Meyer's request, McGee is called in to investigate the replacement of some valuable stamps with some run-of-the mill ones, but the story loses steam and only recovers near the end--right at the point where McGee is philosophizing about the nature of the male erection--and speeds to an ultra-violent conclusion, mostly driven by McGee's own show more miscalculations. The best books in the series overcome the awfulness of McGee with some genuine mystery, excellent settings, and some entertaining advice that might come in handy some day, such as if you're attacked by a charging watchdog. This book manages to turn Florida into a very grey place. It's hard to see the series recovering from here. But I'm sure I will press on to the end (or my end)! show less
Great entry in the Travis McGee canon. Perhaps a little too deeply into philately - the first 50 pages- the story drifts to a mystery about how a tough guys stamps disappeared. Was it the old guy- friend of Meyer and senility? one of his apparently faithful lady workers? or .. what? the book soon becomes a slow seduction of one of those ladies who has a very rough troubled past (a threatening, rich old husband left behind). McGee - of course- saves her .. and takes off with her (while still working on the stamp problem (?)) ... and begins to weary of this lady (Mary Alice) in ways that are rather interesting for the rather macho Mr. McGee...
Travis always manages to find trouble despite his careful pondering of danger. He seems to find threats to his life coming from unexpected directions. And of course there are always the woman. Part of what makes the series fun is Macdonald’s ability to make the characters distinct and believable. The reader is privy to what is going on in his mind most of the time - but there are always a few twists held back. Meyer’s role as a counterpoint and thought provoker adds to the interest of the stories. The first person point of view adds excitement to the narrative.
After being a bit disappointed with the last book in the series, Tan and Sandy Silence, I was immensely pleased to see MacDonald is back on form here in The Scarlet Ruse. A good mystery, organised crime, stamp collecting and murders - what more could you want?
The plot moves along methodically and logically keeping you interested and trying to guess whose responsible, then when you think you've got it all worked out another leaf unfolds changing things substantially.
The ending was a bit more sombre than usual, but that's not a bad thing, I would say it brought more depth to the character.
The plot moves along methodically and logically keeping you interested and trying to guess whose responsible, then when you think you've got it all worked out another leaf unfolds changing things substantially.
The ending was a bit more sombre than usual, but that's not a bad thing, I would say it brought more depth to the character.
It is always good to be back in the company of Travis McGee. THe world always seems more aligned when he is on his boat waxing eloquent with Meyer. The central plot involves a scam with collectible stamps. McGee is ensnared by a nubile amazon of a woman and narrowly escapes death in the end. The Scarlet Ruse is a facsimile of the nubile amazon propped in a inflatable boat intended to ensnare the cement head villain. Enjoyable but not upper tier McGee.
Travis McGee is asked by his friend, Meyer, to look into a problem that an elderly stamp dealer named Fedderman was experiencing. Fedderman thought he had been relieved of thousands of dollars worth of rare postage stamps but could not figure out how it had been done. Travis is not interested until he meets Fedderman's beautiful employee, Mary Alice McDermit.
Travis is also having to find another mooring site for the houseboat on which he lives as the city commissioners have passed legislation banning permanent residents living on boats in city marinas.
The stamp switch involves gangsters trying to launder money via buying and selling rare stamps. Things become complicated and dangerous for Travis.
Travis is also having to find another mooring site for the houseboat on which he lives as the city commissioners have passed legislation banning permanent residents living on boats in city marinas.
The stamp switch involves gangsters trying to launder money via buying and selling rare stamps. Things become complicated and dangerous for Travis.
Wonderful, well-spun tale. A joy to read and a good addition to the Travis McGee series.
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A Rainbow of Books: Colors in the Title
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Author Information
228+ Works 31,882 Members
John D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania on July 24, 1916. He received a B.S. from Syracuse University in 1938 and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1939. During World War II, he served in the Army. His first novel, Brass Cupcake, was published in 1950. He wrote about 70 books during his lifetime show more including the Travis McGee series, Condominium, No Deadly Drug, Nothing Can Go Wrong, and A Friendship: The Letters of Dan Rowan and John Dann MacDonald. A Flash of Green was adapted into a movie by the same name and The Excuse was adapted into a movie entitled Cape Fear. He received numerous awards including the Ben Franklin Award for the best American short story in 1955, the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere for A Key to the Suite in 1964, the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award in 1972, the American Book Award for The Green Ripper in 1980. He died from complications of an earlier heart bypass surgery on December 28, 1986 at the age of 70. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1973
- People/Characters
- Travis McGee
- Important places
- Florida, USA
- Epigraph
- I have learned that the countless paths one traverses in one's life are all equal. Oppressors and oppressed meet at the end, and the only thing that prevails is that life was altogether too short for both. - Don Juan as quot... (show all)ed by Castaneda
Oh, goddamnit, we forgot the silent prayer! - Dwight D. Eisenhower [at a Cabinet meeting] - First words
- After seven years of bickering and fussing, the Fort Lauderdamndale city fathers, on a hot Tuesday in late August, killed off a life style and turned me into a vagrant.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Over the sound of the afternoon game on her television set, I could hear her out in the kitchen, singing as she fixed dinner, as far off key as she used to be, the last time I had lived here on Candle Key.
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- ISBNs
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