Mel Odom's interesting take on A Purple Place for Dying by John D. MacDonald (scroll down)

A Purple Place for Dying is one of the more twisted Travis McGee novels. The third in the series, it’s one of the landlocked adventures in the early books. The novel is also one of the most surprising with the shocking murder taking place in the opening pages.

The cast of characters that glide through the pages are an interesting and over-the-top bunch, but they’re also very true to the kind of people they are. I grew up in an area that feels a lot like the setting for the book. Jass Yeoman is a lot like the tough cowboy types I grew up with, hard drinking, hard fisted men that didn’t back down from anything. The college professor and his doting sister seem really out of place in today’s world, but I can remember when people like this were almost – but not quite – the norm.

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