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Nightmare in Pink
It is part of the Travis McGee #2 series and is a private investigator in a Kindle edition that was published by Random House on January 8, 2013 and has 226 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Second in the Travis McGee private detective mystery series revolving around a salvage consultant who lives aboard his houseboat in Florida. The focus is on the sister of an old friend. Nightmare in Pink was originally published in 1964.
My Take
It’s a rather poetic start, from Travis’ perspective in first person protagonist point-of-view. There’s a vintage liveliness to it until Travis thinks of his friend, Mike, a “ward of a grateful republic . . . who can’t see or walk”.
With Mike, it’s visible. With Howard, Nina believes the worst although it’s not . . . visible. All that visibility . . . Travis doesn’t let it sit there. He goes after Nina with a vengeance to get her to see the other side of what could be. I do wonder if that’s Travis’ purpose in life, well, besides the beach bumming, lol.
It’s the time of the cut-up technique of writing, free love, and drugs, and it shows in some descriptions. Travis’ description and “enhancement” of his hotel room in New York was kind of scary . . . “pull out the joy tubes . . . into the happy-making part of the brain . . . Turn me off next Tuesday”. Eyeww. MacDonald continues his reveal of the time period with the subplot of Nina, Travis, and sex. It’s sweet, really. A nice bit of therapy. I had to crack up with Travis’ segue into “marine hardware” at that party, lol.
Hmmm, an interesting paragraph about listening and using it to gain information. Then there’s that paragraph in which Travis assesses himself to Nina. Well, ya gotta admit he is honest.
Oh, I DO like that Travis “happens to think [women] are people”. What an odd attitude for the time and yay for Travis!! Of course, his thoughts about women and the pursuit thereof also came in to play when he had that “date” with Rossa. Interesting insight on the pursuit of the opposite sex — there’s no sport to it.
More of the sexing up came with Connie and Terry. Oh. Boy. Oh. Boyyyy. Connie wasn’t bad, just curiously interested. Terry, now. Aggressive is hardly the word for her. And what a mouth on that woman!
Oy, the bad guys. Oy. Again. I’d never make it as a bad guy. Listening to Bonita go on about her “duties” (and Travis’ own mental review of her) is followed by Mulligan’s no-nonsense assessment of Dr Varn and his activities. Ack! That poor doctor. He can’t publish. Oh. My. God.
Oy, the scenes at Toll Valley were terrifying. How easy it is to lock someone up and claim anything you like. The setting alone will persuade any legal entity that it must be true no matter what the patient says.
Well, you know we’ve all run into some doors with our share of black eyes, so it’s easy enough to understand. Consider some fishing therapy . . .
The Story
It was the little things that roused Howard’s curiosity — the change in investment strategy, Charles McKewn Armister IV’s new “attitude”, and his fling.
The Characters
Travis McGee is a beach bum who does just enough to keep life ticking over. Um, I mean, this former sergeant is now a marine fabrications consultant. The Busted Flush is the custom houseboat he won and that he keeps in Lauderdale, Florida. His brother is no more, having killed himself when they took his business from him.
Constance Trimble Thatcher is seventy-one and had been helped by McGee. Joanie was also helped by McGee. Connie is so jealous.
Nina Gibson is the younger sister of an old army friend, and with her degree from the Pratt Institute, she works in advertising. It could have been Travis, but it was Mike Gibson, Nina’s brother, who got it. Howard Plummer had been Nina’s fiancé who worked for Armister-Hawes. Grace had been Howard’s sister. Danny Gryson had been a friend; Sally is his wife. Some of the people Nina works with include Freddie, Tommy, Mary Jane, and Ben.
Armister-Hawes was an investment banking house. Nowadays it only handles the Armister financial affairs for Charles McKewn Armister IV. Charles is married to Joanna Howlan. Teresa “Terry” Howlan Gernhardt Delancy Drummond is Joanna’s world-roaming bawdy sister.
Baynard Mulligan is the head of the legal staff for Armister; his first wife had been Elena Garrett. Lucius Penerra is the head of the accounting staff. Bonita Hersch is the scheming, affectionate secretary who has plans; Angela Morse is Bonita’s timid secretary whom she loves to torture. The mean (and stupid) Olan Harris is Charley’s chauffeur. Martha is the German cook. Wade is the male chauffeur-nurse-valet-attendant who will be needed.
Toll Valley Hospital
Drs Varn and Moore work at this private institution for the treatment of mental and nervous disorders. Dr Daska is the resident organic chemist. Aides include Jerry and Donald Swane. Doris Wrightson is a hideous example of what happens in the doctors’ experimentations. Other unfortunate Armister employees included George Raub and John Benjamin.
The Police
Detective Sergeant T Rassko and Lieutenant Bree had worked the murder case. Beggs is with an agency.
Arts and Talents Associates is a service for hookers that is run by Mrs Smith. Rossa Hendit works for her by night and in an airlines ticket office by day. Robert Imber used to work at Armister-Hawes. The “Snow Maiden” always wears a white sweater. Missy had been the woman McGee had been with back in the day. The Alabama Tigers have a perpetual floating house-party. I don’t know if Johnny Dow captains the house-party or another boat. I suspect Bunny Rodriguez is a friend of Terry’s. Walker is Bunny’s nephew. Bernie is a nasty barfly.
The Cover and Title
The cover is split in half with the top a black, smoke-filled background for the author’s name in white and the torn pink strip below that providing the series info. Below that is a deco-ish font for the title in white. Below that is the graphic, a bar scene with a martini, its stir stick, and olive to the left of a red ashtray on top of a shining brown bar top. I suspect it’s Rossa leaning against Travis behind that martini.
The title definitely reflects the nightmares Travis suffers, all of them edged in pink in that Nightmare in Pink.
