19th out of 63 books
—
15 voters
Cinnamon Skin (Travis McGee #20)
When Travis McGee's friend Meyer lent his boat to his niece Norma, and her new husband Even, the boat exploded out in the waters of the Florida Keys. Travis McGee thinks it's no accident, and clues lead him to ponder possibilities of drugs and also to wonder where Evan was when his wife was killed....
"Proves again that MacDonald keeps getting better with each new adventure...more
"Proves again that MacDonald keeps getting better with each new adventure...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
April 20th 1996
by Fawcett
(first published 1982)
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Jan 26, 2013
Harv Griffin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
novelists who want to up their game
Recommended to Harv by:
Dad
In DREADFUL LEMON Trav’s boat gets wrecked by a bomb: Trav wakes up in the hospital; ditto Busted Flush, which still floats. But John D. is on a roll here. In CINNAMON SKIN Meyer’s boat John Maynard Keynes is blasted into tiny scraps of floating debris, while Meyer was giving a speech ashore, but Meyer’s niece Norma and new hubby were borrowing the boat.
Meyer: “We’re each expert in our own death.”
The Feds descend on an incompetent terrorism investigation that changes into a drug smuggling invest...more
I've been working my way through the Travis McGee series. I've been a fan for years and decided to re-read them in order. This is a satisfying entry, the next to the last. McGee and Meyer search for the person who blew up Meyer's boat with Meyer's niece, her new husband and a crew member aboard. Along the way McGee is dealing with his current love, Anne Renzetti from "Free Fall in Crimson" who is deciding to stay in McGee's life or move on with her own.
The search for the culprit takes McGee and...more
The search for the culprit takes McGee and...more
Aug 01, 2011
Andrea
added it
Cinnamon Skin is the next-to-last installment of the Travis McGee series.
I loved it!
WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!
First and foremost, how wonderful to see Meyer back to his old self, and how nice to see most of the intrigue and drama staged locally. I love that the John D MacDonald has taken me all over the world, but so close to the end of the series, it's a comfort to see Travis returning to his roots - helping out a good friend with a mostly-local problem.
It broke my heart when Meyer's boat ble...more
I loved it!
WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!
First and foremost, how wonderful to see Meyer back to his old self, and how nice to see most of the intrigue and drama staged locally. I love that the John D MacDonald has taken me all over the world, but so close to the end of the series, it's a comfort to see Travis returning to his roots - helping out a good friend with a mostly-local problem.
It broke my heart when Meyer's boat ble...more
You are going to be so sick of me telling you how much I love Travis McGee. No really, you are. There are 21 books, and having just read the penultimate novel, I've decided to start at the beginning again, rather than read the last book. I'm just not ready to live in a world where there are no new McGees for me to read.
But more on that later. Today, we're gushing over Cinnamon Skin, which was written in 1982 and is the next-to-last book in the series. Quick plot recap, because apparently some pe...more
But more on that later. Today, we're gushing over Cinnamon Skin, which was written in 1982 and is the next-to-last book in the series. Quick plot recap, because apparently some pe...more
I do not remember which Travis McGee mystery I read first, but I can assure you I read them all. I remember this color in MacDonald's color-themed mysteries--but that only means it was probably a more recent one. There was something comforting about returning over and over again to his world on the water, on the Busted Flush, his houseboat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I liked his best friend Meyer, the economist, his neighbor, on the John Maynard Keynes. Meyer was as well-known and well-regarded...more
Meyer has come apart and needs to be put back together. The book travels to Dallas, Houston, Harlingen, Utica NY, and Cancun in search of a misogynistic, serial killer. The book has less derring-do and more detective work. Characters are brought in with a quick backstory and then fade back out. MacDonald is a good enough story teller to pull it off. This book has a different feel than the others in the Travis McGee series – it felt thrown together and Meyer was the main character rather than McG...more
McGee has changed a lot from the first books of the series. He seems to take life and relationships more seriously. Nice to see a character grow. Writing has changed some too, with a lot less social commentary. Plot is great, kept me going until the last page and I met lots of interesting characters on the way. The villian stays in the background and I only learnt about him second-hand; nice to stay away from a creepy mind. Meyer plays an important role; McGee and Meyer make a nice buddy pair fo...more
Dec 02, 2012
Jenna
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thriller,
bought-it-from-the-bookstore
Another breathtaking adventure of Travis McGee down Yucatan, Mexico with an economist friend Meyer. Hunting the hunters of women..... a big, bad, predator. A jack-of-all-trades, a con man whom able to device his guiles to ensnare vulnerable women, and used his charisma as a gambit then kill them for it.
His motive:
He's a hunter a loner, and women are the game he specializes. A man who seems affable, agreeable, gregarious, fun to have around. That is his act. That is his camouflage suit, and every...more
His motive:
He's a hunter a loner, and women are the game he specializes. A man who seems affable, agreeable, gregarious, fun to have around. That is his act. That is his camouflage suit, and every...more
I've read all of this series and loved every one. I read them in order - I always read a series in order, in fact, I'm compulsive about it - because I like to follow the character's life and the author's writing as they both grow. Mr. MacDonald never disappointed - each one is a great thrill ride and they got better each time. Read my review on "The Deep Blue Good-by" (from Wikipedia) to meet Travis, and get ready for some great reading!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The Travis McGee novels were written over a span of three decades. I much preferred this one, published in 1982, to one published in 1964 I read recently. Set in the '80s of Florida cocaine runners, big Texas oil and the beginning of the current computer age it somehow keeps it's noir intact. (Maybe not so much with the terry cloth headbands and braided belts.) One of his earlier novels had been made into the movie CAPE FEAR which changed very little when it was remade by Martin Scorcese in the...more
Not the best of the Travis McGee tales by John D. MacDonald, but reasonably satisfying nevertheless. Someone has blown up the boat owned by McGee's economist friend, Meyer. Meyer was not aboard, but his niece was -- on her honeymoon -- and Meyer is determined to find out who is responsible, in part to recover the sense of self he lost in Free Fall in Crimson.
MacDonald was one of the best of the post-World War II pulp fictioneers. He introduced Travis McGee in 1964, nearly two decades after est...more
MacDonald was one of the best of the post-World War II pulp fictioneers. He introduced Travis McGee in 1964, nearly two decades after est...more
I picked up my first John MacDonald more or less at random -- now I have to go back and start at the beginning! MacDonald mixes hard-boiled detective style (Magee is not technically a detective -- he just 'looks into things') with a strong moral stance and an even stronger sense of place. This book comes fairly late in the Travis magee sage. It should be fascinating to find out how he got there. A friend of mine said my books -- Defining Diana and Steel Whispers -- reminded him of MacDonald. I d...more
Apr 06, 2009
Michael Hames
added it
my favorite writer.Tells stories in a very realistic way,not your typical hero.
Aug 11, 2011
Terryann Saint
added it
Read them as a tween. Love them all.
Jul 05, 2010
Kathy Petersen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
x-feb-10-thru-jan-11,
read-mysteries
I randomly pick up a Travis McGee when the macho spirit moves me. Cinnamon Skin is one of the better ones. It takes him out of Florida, through Texas, down to Mexico, even up to Utica, New York, with passing references to Toronto, looking for the tricky killer of his economist friend's niece and a string of other enchanted women. It's amazing how easily people tell McGee what he needs to hear ... amazing, too, how gorgeous women always fall into his bed. But, hey, it's supercharged adventurous r...more
Mar 23, 2009
Bill Holmes
added it
Good escape literature.
Travis McGee is loyal to the bone. He would do anything for his friend Meyer, anything. Meyer’s boat exploded into a million little pieces, taking with it the last of his family, his niece was honeymooning on the boat. Suspicion mounts that her new husband was not part of the million little pieces. Meyer wants Travis to help him find out who set the bomb and track a killer.
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John D MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pa, and educated at the Universities of Pennsylvania, Syracuse and Harvard, where he took an MBA in 1939. During WW2, he rose to the rank of Colonel, and while serving in the Army and in the Far East, sent a short story to his wife for sale, successfully. After the war, he decided to try writing for a year, to see if he could make a living. Over 500 short stori...more
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Jan 26, 2013 04:10am