ONLY GIRL IN GAME

Rating:
Summary: the best writer of the genre
Review: Agree with above comments. This is typically plot-driven, expertly written j.d. macdonald. Most of his work is of this quality; a rare few are a little disappointing; and then there are the cream of the crop. For those interested, I most recommend, of course, the Travis McGee series. Read them in order, starting with The Deep Blue Goodbye. The Green Ripper was my favorite, and Freefall in Crimson was, for me, the weakest. Of short stories and novels, my favorites so far are The Empty Trap; April Evil; The Price of Murder; The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything (great). I thought Barrier Island took too long to get going, though. Don't miss his short stories, Good Old Stuff, etc. And a treat is his early sci-fi stories, Other Times, Other Worlds-- while he was not the writer he would become at that time, they show why he was compelled to begin writing. Also, there's a little-known novella called Linda, found in the two-novella collection Border Town Girl, that I found to be particularly good.

Rating:
Summary: Typical wonderful John D. MacDonald Vegas Style
Review: Fallen women forced to degrade themselves, scheming manipulative women, evil casino owners who go to any lengths to make sure that winners don't stay that way, their sleazy goons, lots of alcoholics, compulsive gamblers, all to the luxurious and gaudy setting of Las Vegas, not to mention of course the upright hero with revenge on his mind. Everything that makes a MacDonald paperback.

At first glance John D. MacDonald may come off as a pulp fiction writer. Indeed, the cover art and plot summary on my used copy do nothing to diminish that impression. But anybody who has read him knows that he is much more than that. His characters are always interesting and have intriguing motivations. His writing is exquisite and vivid. And the book, as all good books are, uses its story to reflect the world at large.

I found this book in a used book store. Since so many John D. MacDonald books are out of print I would recommend to anybody learning to love this author as much as I do to buy up any old MacDonald titles the next time they are in a used bookstore because you may never find them again.