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)

Hmmm. Not sure yet.

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

Nope. Too weird.

Any additional comments?

The primary character seems rather conflicted. I am not sure why I got his book but I did listen tot the whole thing. I know some of the text has me baffled because it was written before I was born, but the "I'm a dashing, chivalrous man who sort of holds back with women and tells them not to sell them selves short, unless it is to please me" seems way off mark.

Someone recommended this. Now I need to remember who it was, and make a mental note to research more.

EXCELLENT PERIOD PIECE. OUTSTANDING FIRST BOOK.

If you could sum up The Deep Blue Good-By in three words, what would they be?

EASY , FUN READ

Who was your favorite character and why?

TRAVIS IS A REAL STAR!

What about Robert Petkoff???s performance did you like?

OUTSTANDING VOICE INTERPRETATION AND INFLECTION AT A GREAT PACE

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

NOT EXTREME, JUST ENTERTAINING

A very, very dated classic

The character Travis McGee is of course a classic. But in its heyday this series passed me by, so I was curious. And indeed, that is how it is best described: as a curiosity. The writer is certainly talented and there are a few impressive passages, but in general the writing in my opinion is overblown, the storyline is thin and the rendering of the female characters, along with the philosophical musings about gender, are creepy at best. I would not read a second installment and I would not listen to this one again. The reader does a fair job with difficult material, but some of his renditions of female voices are even more insulting than the text alone...this is an era I am happy to relegate to the library.

One of my favorite authors

What made the experience of listening to The Deep Blue Good-By the most enjoyable?

MacDonald paints his characters with words making them feel three dimensional.

What did you like best about this story?

Having loved and collected John MacDonald since the early sixties it is a treat to now be able to listen to them. This book sets up the character of Travis Magee the protagonist of so many of his mysteries. This is pure MacDonald at his best.

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

Yes

Easy to follow

Very plausible story. The guy just has the charm I think I should have been given, at least that's what I was thinking as I heard the story.

It passes the Reacher test

I liked it quite a bit more than I feared I would. It is very nicely paced, and is very Jack Reacher-like (which was my goal). It is only mildly dated (this is the area I feared I would not like - but my fears were not necessary).

Sure, some of the things referenced wouldn't apply now in the world of cell phones and the internet, but...there you go.

Women in this story are pretty much helpless victims, but I don't know that they have much more power in modern books in this same genre anyway. These books are about a man's man fixing problems - sure, we can complain if the problems usually stem from women being so helpless, but then we wouldn't have very many vigilante books to read...

The narration is good. It does not have graphic content. I will read more Travis McGee stories.

PERFECT

If you could sum up The Deep Blue Good-By in three words, what would they be?

american detective novel

What did you like best about this story?

the writing was so descriptive

Which character – as performed by Robert Petkoff – was your favorite?

the lead - travis

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

the way back for mrs. atkinson

Any additional comments?

only thing didn't like was the narrator's women's voices - his men was right on though

It passes the time.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Too many really good writers to listen to besides this one.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Harlen Coben - any we haven't already listened to.

Did Robert Petkoff do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes. But it is hard for a man to speak a women's role. It was hard to care about the female characters.

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

It passed time while exercising.

Any additional comments?

He took a fairly good 3 hour script idea and streached it into 6 hours with too many unnecessary boring descriptions.

A Gumshoe that is really smart.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Quality writing. The Main character was a man of conscience and deliberate action. Even so he was able to think on his feet in a very believable way.

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

At some points it did. Mostly it was character development with slpashes of the mystery part on the increase as things developed.

Which scene was your favorite?

When he went to see the woman the bad guy had shacked up with.

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

No in pieces was fine.

Any additional comments?

The thing of Travis having a mysterious past was kind of cliche. I guess the story has to develop in some manner.

Great writer

this is the first book I have read by this author Thank you Dean Koontz for telling me about him on your book I will be reading more!