Pale Gray for Guilt

Pale Gray for Guilt: by John D. MacDonald.  One of the many Travis McGee novels by MacDonald.  I've been (slowly) working my way through them.  (Slowly not because of the quality of the book, but because I always seem to get sidetracked onto something else and then forget about them.)  I like these books a lot and not the least in part because they are a little dated in setting.  Again, don't think I'm talking poorly of them.  Even though they were originally written in the late 60's, they could just as easily have been written yesterday by somebody setting the story in the 60's.  (Only if somebody had written them yesterday, they wouldn't have gotten all of the tiny details exactly right.)  This entry into the series is typical of the tales.  McGee (a sort of societal drop out who drops back in again when he needs money) is helping out the widow of an old friend in a story that starts out slowly and like most of the books picks up steam slowly, but quick enough and well told so that you are hooked into the tale before you realize it.  There is the usual McGee/MacDonald bash on society and the modernization of the world, but I always take that as something that lets you understand McGee's philosophy of life more than a glimpse at MacDonald's.  The story gives a good lesson on the confidence scam called the 'pigeon drop' and perhaps there's a bit more stock market, money and business talk than the ordinary reader would want out of a suspense novel, but there's plenty of the usual McGee action as well (fists and girls).  Overall not the best in this series that I have read, but still a good book.

Pale Gray for Guilt: B+