Slam the Big Door

This book combines a morality play with MacDonald's is at the dispoiling of Florida by developers. World war two and the wealth it brought America in is aftermath changed many values in America. At the time many people questioned the changing values. To some extent every generation goes through that. The pill set the stage for even more dramatic change.
Post traumatic stress disorder was yet to be recognized. She'll shock an extreme and acute version had become part of the vocabulary but as a society we had yet to realize the chronic burden many carried at wars end. That is part of what MacDonald addresses here. MacDonald was there and saw what it did to the combatants, including himself. It probably did him good to get some of that of show more of his chest.
The scene of action for the novel is an amalgam of a couple of places on Florida's West coast - probably nearer Sarasota. It is interesting to hear him speak of a getaway to Marco. A much different place when the novel was written than it is now. At best it was a sleepy Beach town and fishing village. Having lived on the West coast of Florida for the last fort years I identify with MacDonald's disappointment with all the changes he saw take place.
No doubt one of the reasons I enjoy MacDonald's books is that so many are set in Florida. show less

This book was written in 1960, but not published until the 80's
He demanded that it be hardcover but the publisher refused.
Rodenska and Jamison served in the war together. Jamison went thru a lot and it carried over to current life.
He became involved in a big land deal in SW Florida in 1960 so that is the setting of the book. It is a family tragedy . Since I live in Florida and grew up on the east coast during an earlier period I really enjoyed the descriptions of Fl. during that period.

This hardback edition came out a few weeks before MacDonald. Maybe that is why he was uncharacteristically blunt about the book, his modus operandi in writing, and how he feels when it is done. his story is kind of a modern fairy tale. Mike comes to Florida to heal from his wife's death and to help friend Troy. At the end of the book, everything that Troy had is Mike's, and all because Mike is a terribly nice guy and the rest of the scumbags in the book are not.

Maybe 3.5 stars .,,, characters are well developed and it is a good read. I think you have to be a certain age range to appreciate this book, but I may be wrong. I grew up in the 60's and 70's, so I could relate well to the culture of that period.

After writing a few average SF short stories and novels MacDonald turned to Thrillers and never looked back. Thank God for John D. MacDonald. If ever a writer had his finger on the pulse of the human animal it was him.

Great 1950s thriller by an author who was just getting started.