A Purple Place for Dying

A Travis McGee Novel, Book 3

By: John D. MacDonald

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

A Purple Place for Dying finds Travis McGee witness to a murder he can't prove and a kidnapping nobody wants to believe. McGee becomes a pawn between a wealthy Southwestern patriarch, the law, and a mysterious gang bent on insurance fraud. Just the kind of thing McGee revels in!

©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)

Travis

Great book to read again and again . Travis is the man. Will read the other books

Dated but great writing

1964 - the casual way in which men discussed slapping a woman around feels shocking now. The inherent misogyny and domestic violence aside (difficult as that is) the story shone through. A good solid mystery. It even had an interesting moment in which the hero tells his virgin love interest, “if you say no, I’ll respect that.” Doesn’t make up for the slaps and “whuppen when she needs it” ick.

Keep on keeping on…

Don’t tell anyone else but this one redeems the lackluster previous book. It’ll keep you engaged with twists and turns until the end!!!!

My favorite so far

This one has our "Beach Bum" hero in a western city surrounded by desert. The action starts off fast and every time I thought I had figured out who the bad guy was, they got killed! This story really keeps you thinking!

McGee Goes West!

WThe man who believes himself free of any taint of madness is a damned liar."
- John D. MacDonald, A Purple Place for Dying

John D. MacDonald's 3rd book in his Travis McGee series. This one takes place largely in Southwest Desert. Along with his first two novels The Deep Blue Good-By (1964) and Nightmare in Pink (1964), A Purple Place in Dying was also published in 1964. Actually, all three of his first books were published in a 3-month period. Sometimes you space out your publications, and sometimes you cluster bomb that shit.

Essentially, this is a novel where McGee is hired to investigate the financial dealings of a woman's estranged husband, but before he can be hired his potential boss gets killed. McGee sets out trying to figure out who shot Mona (the wife). Not because he's getting paid to, and not because he even liked her. He's trying to figure out who did it, because it pissed him off. In many ways, that is almost one facet in all of the McGee novels.

Dated but servicable

What did you like best about A Purple Place for Dying? What did you like least?

It is a walk down memory lane for Travis MCGee fans. The story does not translate well 40 years later.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was a bit bland.

Was A Purple Place for Dying worth the listening time?

Yes , for those who like walking down memory lane.

Another Great Adventure

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

My Mystery Lovers Friends I would Tell Them to Get all of the Travis McGee Books - And they Did

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sometimes I Think McGee Has Too Big of Heart - But I can't do without Travis in my Life

Not his best

I’ve listened to several JDM books on audible and enjoyed them. This one... not so much. The story and characters are very dated. If you think women should be beaten by their men to teach them a lesson, then maybe it’s ok. I get that it’s set in a rural redneck area and maybe these were more common views in a bygone era but the result is bad. The story also ends with a lame confession that comes out of nowhere. Can not recommend.

Suspense

Excellent plot development with superb narration. I always enjoy the final resolve by returning “home” to the Busted Flush ‼️

Awesome story

This is a fantastic story in the style of a mystery thriller. I love the setting of the late 1950’s to early 60’s. It is a great sequel to his previous novel.