30 August, 2001: Bright Orange for the Shroud
I think that something happened to pulp fiction after Red Harvest or The Postman Always Rings Twice; there was some line that was crossed, and ever after traditional morality could be effaced in favor of a purely America ideology of competence and machismo. The beauty of John MacDonald's Travis McGee series, of which Bright Orange for the Shroud is an excellent example, is that it reasserted a certain moral weight (the uncharitable might say "ponderousness") and contemplativeness while still asserting those dual pulp values. McGee is not averse to violence, nor is he scrupulously honest (Bright Orange for the Shroud has McGee attempting to con a group of con men who duped a friend out of his life savings; McGee, as per his standard practice, will take half of anything he can get back), but there's a moral rightness to his actions. The McGee books also have some sharply defined characterization, a strong supporting cast (McGee's best friend Meyer is sadly lacking in Bright Orange), well-written female characters, and some rather interesting musings on the state of Florida (environmentally) and America (socialy) in the late Sixties. Bright Orange's plot also features a clear explanation of the workings of a big con, a female lead who McGee doesn't sleep with, a nastier-than-usual villain, and (unusually) McGee screwing up at least twice. An excellent book in a quite good series.