Hard-dollars

It's hard to believe that this book was written so longago. The language and characterizations are as fresh as tomorrow'snewspaper. I was introduced to this book by the author's son...a fishing guide in the Bahamas. It's a quick, but satisfying read. Keasler writes with the same understanding of the human comedy exhibited by Jimmy Buffet: If you enjoy changes in lattitudes and attitudes, you'll have a couple of quite enjoyable afternoons on the beach with Keasler's characters.

I am so pleased that this book is once again available! I have an autographed original edition, complete with dust jacket. John was the latter day, deadpan Mark Twain of Florida, sort of like one of those claw machines full of whistles, yo-yos and ping-pong balls in a penny arcade. You never knew what he'd come up with next. John really got into the spirit of it all. I wish that a collection of his hilarious newspaper columns were available! A funny read!

Stephen Greenleaf and Earl Emerson are probably the two finest practitioners of the "hardboiled P.I." school currently writing. THE MILLION-DOLLAR TATTOO admirably displays Emerson's strengths: a smooth, colorful style; a complex, outrageous, but ultimately credible plot; a motley cast of well-drawn characters; an outstanding sense of pace; a terrific ear for dialogue; and well-timed humor.

Other reviews here will give you a hint about the plot, so I'll simply add that underlying all of it is the serious theme of the misuse of money and power.

I really enjoyed Snake and the aliens women. The book is fantastic! It is a must read.

This is by far the funniest book in the Thomas Black series. About page 2 I gave up laughing and went right to snorting. And the mystery was pretty darned good, too. If you only read one book by Earl Emerson (and if you stop at one, your next stop should be a shrink), this one is the "must read."

This book was OK. It did have interesting points, but I didn't feel that all the characters were credible (who could get away with killing a whole bunch of people in Mexico anyway?).

All in all, it was reading entertainment, just not too fullfilling.

This is a good mystery story, full of action, sex, and graphic violence, what more can you want. Unfortunately this time the story takes place in San Diego and Tijuana, and so it lack the seductive setting and ambiance of Hawaii. Also the plot is more contrives and not as tightly written, but its still good, just not as good as his other stories.
OVERALL SCORE: (B+)
READABILITY: (A-), PLOT: (B-), CHARATERS: (A-), DIALOGUE: (B-), SETTING: (B+), ACTION/COMBAT: (A-), ANTAGONISTS: (B), ROMANCE: (B-), SEX: (Very Adult Content), AGE LEVEL: (NC17)

(...)When John D. MacDonald, author of a dozen or more novels featuriing Travis McGee, died several years ago, he left legions of Travis fans mourning his loss. In Sand Dollars, Charles Knief brings us a Travis-like character in John Caine, private eye. Actually, this is his second appearance in what promises to be a series.

Caine, like Travis, is intelligent, ideallistic (in his own unique way), observes a strict code of ethics, chooses his own private eye jobs, and resists becoming sexually involved with clients. And like Travis, Caine lives on his own boat, comparable to Travis' Busted Flush.

That said, Sand Dollars is more or less your standard pot boiler. Caine kills a half-dozen or so bad guys, escapes from seemingly inescapable life-threatening situations, and in the end is triumphant over evil. Despite all this, or maybe because of all this, we look forward to more adventures of John Caine. Sand Dollars is entertaining reading and Caine an acceptable protagonist. He just isn't Travis McGee. But then, who is?

This book may be clean and lack 4 letter words but the writing style does not challenge the reader's mind. Plot is thin and the style is too monosyllabic for me. I prefer books from which I learn at least one new word.

Ross MacDonald's (aka Kenneth Millar) Lew Archer novels are probably the greatest modern detective series ever, although the insistence of MacDonald to use the same formulaic elements in his books over and over and over again mean that the novels are better read individually than collectively. With that in mind, The Far Side Of The Dollar is your best bet, as it is the example of MacDonald's formula at its best and most poignant. Other superior Archer novels include The Chill, The Doomsters and The Zebra-Striped Hearse, in addition to the magnificent short story collection The Name Is Archer. Whichever Archer novel you decide to read, make sure to keep a scorecard, because the intricate plots make it hard to keep track of all the various characters and their relationships to one another.

Excellent example of Mac Donald's well honed style. Good character developments as well as excellent one-dimensional character 'vignettes' that serve as observation portholes into the seemy underbelly of society. As for its "monosyllabic tone", that's part of the effect, a la Hemingway. For readers (like the one below) who need long obscure words in EVERY piece of literature, there's always the dictionary...