Until Harry Broll crawled out of the blue, waving a gun and accusing McGee of spiriting away his wife. Travis was blissfully contemplating the well-rounded bikini-clad jobs of life abroad The Busted Flush.
Oh dear, what to say. Written in 1971, I think I probably read it in 75 or thereabouts. It hasn't aged well. The basic premise is good: McGee's instincts telling him there's something very wrong about Mary Broll's disappearance, so he does what he does best and goes off to investigate, with some help from Meyer. I also liked that he's worried he's too old to do what he does, that he'll slip up and be killed. It's a valid concern as we readers will find out and McGee's brooding about this is justified. The villain is as nasty as they come in this series, appropriately spine-chilling, and we can feel sorry for those who die. But, lordy, the women! The philosophical whining about sex! There's at least 4 women in here who get a good page and half each, with McGee going on and on and on about whether it is or isn't moral and ethical to (ahem) have intercourse. The sexism, I could write paragraphs. I'm trying to remember what I thought as a teen (let's not talk about whether this was appropriate for me as a teen), but I'm sure I didn't cringe like I did this time. I know we shouldn't judge books based solely on our changing attitudes, but geez, I did not like re-reading this book. And yet, McGee is not a bad guy and I suspect pretty enlightened for the time period this was written. I can waffle on it all day but in the end, I would never re-read this. Disappointing.
#12 in Travis McGee series. As always, a good read.
Series: Travis McGee Series, #12
Synopsis
When real estate developer harry Broll shows up at the Blusted Flush convinced that McGee is hiding his missing wife, Travis is nonplussed. Soon he's nearly nonplused, as Broll gets off several shots before McGee can wrestle his gun away. Broll goes away empty-handed, leaving a worried Travis to wonder about his friend her in three years. And it isn't like Mary to keep her troubles to herself--if she's alive to tell them....
Synopsis
When real estate developer harry Broll shows up at the Blusted Flush convinced that McGee is hiding his missing wife, Travis is nonplussed. Soon he's nearly nonplused, as Broll gets off several shots before McGee can wrestle his gun away. Broll goes away empty-handed, leaving a worried Travis to wonder about his friend her in three years. And it isn't like Mary to keep her troubles to herself--if she's alive to tell them....
