One Fearful Yellow Eye

A Travis McGee Novel, Book 8

By: John D. MacDonald

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

How to you extort $600,000 from a dying man? Someone had done it very quietly and skilfully to the husband of Travis McGee's ex-girlfriend. McGee flies to Chicago to help untangle the mess and discovers that, although Dr. Fortner Geis had led an exemplary life, there were those who'd take advantage of one "indiscretion" and bring down the whole family. McGee also discovers he likes a few members of the family far too much to let that happen....

©1966 John D. MacDonald Publishing, Inc. Renewal © 1994 Maynard MacDonald (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What MacD doesn't write widens your eyes!

Would you listen to One Fearful Yellow Eye again? Why?

Great story with an excellent reader. John D. is an awesome writer with deep insights into human nature.

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

Petkoff makes the characters real. His reading can make your breath stop and your heart pound. Pacing. Characterization. Tone. Awesome!

McGee or McGoo

Reviewiers have longe wondered whether Travis is actually a modern embodiment of the Irish chieftain mcGoo who myth has it and as half man, half chimera and half vindicator. I know the answer but am not telling.

Busted Flush is missing

It’s still good listening and entertaining but Travis seems out of place.
The narration is great.

Intriguing Mystery

One Fearful Yellow Eye, which is a strange title for a book, is about extortion. To be more specific, it’s about extorting $600,000 from a dying man. The victim of this extortion is the husband of Travis McGee’s ex-girlfriend. Set in Chicago, this mystery is a nice change of pace for the series.

Many of McGee’s adventures take place in Florida. Having this one set in Chicago is a welcome change. After all, this is the eighth book in the series. It’s best to toss in some variety to keep things interesting for fans of the series, as well as newcomers.

The narrator, as always, does a fine job with guiding the listener through a well-woven tale of mystery and intrigue. I don’t want to get into many more details because that would spoil the story. However, I will say this: if you’ve enjoyed other books in this series, you’ll like this one. It’s another solid read.

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If you could sum up One Fearful Yellow Eye in three words, what would they be?

good read

Who was your favorite character and why?

travis: he makes the stories work

How did the narrator detract from the book?

as long as the narrator has an average voice and good diction no problem. otherwise he/she has no effect for me

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

all was good

Any additional comments?

no

McGee Does the Second City

"A man will let his money be taken only when the alternative is something he cannot endure."
- John D. MacDonald, One Fearful Yellow Eye

McGee Does the Second City. I liked it, but didn't love it. Sometimes MacDonald takes McGee away from Florida and it seems to almost work, but I still think I prefer McGee on a boat to McGee in Chicago, in the snow. As a favor to an old flame, McGee goes to Chicago because her ex-husband's estate has been emptied and the relatives all think she did it. McGee looks into the hows and whys of the money disappearing. McGee's views (and I'd presume to a bit MacDonald's) on homosexuals and Blacks appear in this novel and they are nearly there, but only reach the uncanny valley of sensitivity towards other groups:

"I'm always skeptical of the male who makes a big public deal about how he hates fairies, how they turn his stomach, how he'd like to beat the hell out of them. The queens are certainly distasteful, but the average homosexual in the visual and performing arts is usually a human being a little bit brighter and more perceptive than most."

I have to remind myself that this was published in 1966. He is growing. Language like that was seen as progressive in the 60s, in certain circles. Hell, language like that might sound progressive in Texas, Idaho, or Arizona in certain circles now. I seem to always find areas where MacDonald nearly writes a perfect novel, but a couple things just block it for me. He is one of those writers I keep coming back from and keep ending up just a bit frustrated (and not just because I keep wanting to enroll him in sensitivty training classes). His books have the potential for real genius and the more I read the more I see this potential. Individually, however, this book doesn't get close.

One of the best

It is amazing how prescient the author was about the very things we worry about today. He touches on all subjects from the viewpoint of the mid 20th century, including politics and climate change. And he does it all while telling a great story.

Another McGee

This is McGee. This is a McGee story. There are several other McGee stories, too.

A fun read

I first read most of John D McDonald's novels at first printing. This book was a fun read then. Today, I listened to the audio version and enjoyed it for some of the same reasons, but I found any references to cost, technology, and the relative values of the time most interesting. To say I was impressed with the plot/story line, writing today as much as I did in the 60's would be misleading. JOHN D. just doesn't match up to current mystery writers like Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, or even Clive Cussler. However, this is still a fun read.

An exploration of family relationships

As always Travis gets into a couple of life endangering scrapes, and as always find unique ways out. A couple of his ladies are endangered but don't die, but there is plenty of death. LSD plays a role dating the story. It goes to Chicago but managed to stay and end in Florida.