A Purple Place for Dying 

By John D. MacDonald
First published Jan. 1, 1964
240 pages

After several months of serious books about controversial topics, A Purple Place for Dying was a welcome selection for the April meeting of The Mules.

It is not the best Travis McGee I’ve read. (MacDonald wrote 21 of them.) But it is a solidly structured, amusingly characterized, and well-paced detective/mystery by this prolific and accomplished novelist.

The Plot 

McGee is drawn away from his usual haunt (Florida) by a job offer from Mona Yeoman, who suspects that her estranged husband has stolen from her considerable trust fund. But before McGee’s investigation begins, she is murdered before his eyes by an unseen gunman. By the time he summons the police to the scene, her body has disappeared. He then sets out to solve the murder.

What I Liked About It 

It was an easy, enjoyable read, with a plot that kept moving, characters that were colorful, and several satisfying twists and turns. That’s what one expects from a good genre writer, and that’s what MacDonald gives us here. He is also a true craftsman and wordsmith.

Critical Reception 

I couldn’t find any reviews of this particular book by MacDonald. But, more than 35 years since he died (Dec. 28, 1986), the Travis McGee novels are still in print… and his skill as a writer continues to be praised by his peers. A few examples:

* “The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.” (Stephen King)

* “My favorite novelist of all time…. He captured the mood and spirit of his times more accurately, more hauntingly, than any ‘literature’ writer – yet managed always to tell a thunderingly good, intensely suspenseful tale.” (Dean Koontz)

* “Most readers loved MacDonald’s work because he told a rip-roaring yarn. I loved it because he was the first modern writer to nail Florida dead-center, to capture all its languid sleaze, racy sense of promise, and breath-grabbing beauty.” (Carl Hiaasen)