The Deep Blue Good-By

A Travis McGee Novel, Book 1

By: John D. MacDonald

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 6 hrs

Publisher's summary

He's a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He's also a knight errant who's wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: he'll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half.

Nothing that John D. MacDonald wrote is better loved and more enduring than the 21 books in his series about Travis McGee, the Florida-based “salvage consultant” who recovers property for a fee so he can take his retirement “a piece at a time”. Narrator Robert Petkoff, hand-chosen to narrate with the approval of MacDonald’s estate, brings McGee’s world of the Busted Flush (his houseboat, which he won in a poker game) and “Miss Agnes” (his custom Rolls-Royce pickup truck) to vivid life.

©1964 John D. MacDonald Publishing, Inc. Renewal © 1992 Maynard MacDonald (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[T]he great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller." (Stephen King)

"[M]y favorite novelist of all time." (Dean Koontz)

"[W]hat a joy that these timeless and treasured novels are available again." (Ed McBain)

The first book in a classic series

This is superb writing that is considered to be classic of the 'hardboiled' genre (yes, I did a Wikipedia search on the author, so impressed was I by him -- and noticed that Stephen King described him as "a mesmerizing storyteller" -- praise indeed). Travis McGee -- the book is written in the first person -- is a detective with insightful, interesting philosophies of life. The reader meets wonderfully portrayed characters and observes sympathetic emotional relationships. Written in the sixties, the tough worlds Trav moves in are not connected by the communication technologies of today and it felt to me that the the reader has time to appreciate both the narrative and the personalities without the shortcuts of mobile phones, internet and the rest (not I'm not a Luddite!)

We All Need Travis

Would you listen to The Deep Blue Good-By again? Why?

The First in the Serial Makes you want to Read, Listen to More

Have you listened to any of Robert Petkoff’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Robert Petkoffs Performance Is Just OK - I Thank he lacks Passion for Travis

Rosemary in Spain

Where does The Deep Blue Good-By rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Excellent, one of the best ever

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Absolutely, riveting, the writing was beautiful, descriptions vivid, and for once, the love scenes were poetic, tender and did not contain any crudeness as is so regrettably depicted in many other books

What does Robert Petkoff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved his voice and admired the way he was able to portray the women, very realistic and gritty

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

indeed, I bought it yesterday and listened to it all night. Could not switch it off without finding out what happened next.

Any additional comments?

I have fallen head over heels for Travis McGee and cant wait to find more books by James. D. MacDonald, especially if they contain the adventures of Travis McGee.

Good intro to McGee

Where does The Deep Blue Good-By rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in the top 10

What other book might you compare The Deep Blue Good-By to and why?

Can't compare Travis to any other character I can think of, and I might say the same of John D MacDonald's creative talent.

What didn’t you like about Robert Petkoff’s performance?

I didn't feel he showed enough emotion, somehow he seems to lack the machismo of the real McGee. Also, I was dismayed at his pronunciation of 'cay'. I could be wrong, I suppose, but I have only ever heard it spoken as 'key', and I can't believe Travis McGee would do otherwise.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last chapter moved me, as do the last chapters in most of the McGee series.

Any additional comments?

In 1956 or 1957, I was in the USMC, stationed at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. In the PX there I spotted a paperback book with a banner running diagonally across the front cover that read 'I wish I had written this book', signed Mickey Spillane. That book was either The Damned or Dead Low Tide, I can't remember which, but reading it began my appreciation of John D MacDonald. I devoured just about everything he wrote, enjoying them all, but the Travis McGee series was the icing on the cake.

Not for the politically correct, but…

...If you love tough guys doing and saying tough things, then this book is it for you. Superb prose not often seen in today's action novel, and although many a post-sexual revolution feminist (or gender neutral snowflake) is likely to be put off by old morality lines like: "A woman who does not guard and treasure herself cannot be of value to anyone else. They become a pretty little convenience like a guest towel...", it is the lingua franca of a great many old tough guys...including this reader. Punch line: if you're easily offended by macho, condescending alpha males, stay away from John McDonald (stick with the more ginger footsteps of Lee Child) but if you long for an unapologetic, heavy footed Dirty Harry...with not a little homegrown angst...then pick this up! I will certainly read another Travis McGee..
PS. The narrator did an admirable job, but he didn't have the requisite gravel in his voice.

Great narrator, old style thriller

Set in the 1960s, the wording and attitudes speak to the era. Travis McGee is an equalizer kind of guy, knowledgeable but not perfect. It will be interesting to see if he grows during the series.

Great opening story to well renowned series...

One of my favorite authors recommended this book. 2 of my favorite series' heroes are loosely based on Travis McGee. He's a different kind of hero, and the world needs people like this...

Drones on and on

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It occupied time

What did you like best about this story?

The plot and characters

What didn???t you like about Robert Petkoff???s performance?

Performance was fine

Was The Deep Blue Good-By worth the listening time?

Most of it was

Any additional comments?

The author spends too much time droning on his view society's unpleasant or unnecessary (to him) side issues

Great All Around

Great story and narration well buy another book in the series, Petkoff was excellent in narration

My first Travis McGee novel.

I'm looking forward to listening to more of these as they were not available in this format anywhere else for me. Great narrator.