Brad's Reviews > The Deep Blue Good-by

A solid introduction to the eminently likable Travis McGee and his unique brand of sleuthing -- a sort of Beach Bum Remington Steele with shades of the A-Team.

He is an ethical man of the '60s, a man ahead of his time in many ways, especially in his treatment of women (which means that his treatment of women is admittedly lacking by today's standards but was pretty bas ass for its day), and he is a smart man who sees the world very much as it is. He is also a potentially violent man, a man who doesn't seek violence in a sadistic way, but he is a man who will be pragmatically sadistic if he thinks its required and doesn't go against his ethics.

It blows my mind that I can only find two screen adaptations of Travis McGee stories. It might behoove creative types to stop remaking worn out TV and movie heroes, and find their way back to the heroes and anti-heroes that populate countless novels for some new inspiration and some killer ideas.

Anywho ... The Deep Blue Good-By is an excellent start to a series that extends to twenty-one titles. It is sometimes scary, always atmospheric, occasionally sexy, often stressful, and it contains one of the coolest chases / final confrontations I've ever read in detective fiction.

If only Jeff Bridges was thirty again. He could make Travis McGee into an unstoppable franchise.

p.s. if you happen to be someone who pays attention to readers' "Challenge" lists you will notice that The Deep Blue Good-By is listed on mine back to back. This is because I listened to the Brilliance Audio book in tandem with reading the paperback. I wanted to try something out (which I did), and I planned to write a second review. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like I can write a second review anymore. Oh well. Sorry, folks.