In the March issue of Mystery Scene magazine, Ed Gorman wrote an article on “My 10 Favorite John D. MacDonald Standalone Novels.” And here’s Ed’s list:
1. Dead Low Tide
2. Soft Touch
3. Deadly Welcome
4. Murder in the Wind
5. The Executioners
6. Slam the Big Door
7. The End of the Night
8. A Key to the Suite
9. A Flash of Green
10. The Drowner
We’re at Number One on Ed’s list: Dead Low Tide, published in 1956. The novel is narrated by Andy McClintock, a 28-year-old contractor’s assistant, who’s embedded in this a tale of murder and suspense. When Andy’s boss is found dead with a harpoon from Andy’s spear gun, Andy becomes the Prime Suspect. Dead Low Tide has a clever mystery, a major plot twist (that fooled me!), and a great chase scene. Dead Low Tide ranks as one of JDM’s best books and worthy of Ed’s top ranking! However, after rereading all the JDM novels on Ed’s list, I’d suggest an alternative list:
GEORGE’S LIST:
1. Dead Low Tide
2. Soft Touch
3. Deadly Welcome
4. A Key to the Suite
5. The Executioners
6. Slam the Big Door
7. The End of the Night
8. Murder in the Wind
9. A Flash of Green
10. One More Sunday
One More Sunday is one of JDM’s later novels, but it sure packs a punch! John D. MacDonald explores the Eternal Church of the Believer, a multi-million dollar operation in the religion business. State-of-the-art computers and data mining are used to solicit “gifts” from believers. The Church processes thousands of dollars daily to keep the organization profitable. But, the head of the Church becomes an issue and crisis after crisis powers the novel to a shattering conclusion. John D. MacDonald may be the best suspense novelist who understands the inner workings of businesses. It was fun to review Ed Gorman’s picks over the past few months for FFB. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
A great feature. I enjoyed it!
Thanks, Bill! I had fun rereading those JDM novels. And Ed Gorman’s rankings and mine are fairly close.
George, I’m going to have to read the top three novels with matching ranks on yours and Ed Gorman’s lists. Thanks for taking me through all the ten books. It’s time for a JDM book festival.
Prashant, John D. MacDonald is almost forgotten in the U.S. JDM wrote books that suspense fans still cherish.
Nice job. ONE MORE SUNDAY is one I haven’t read.
Jeff, ONE MORE SUNDAY really exposes the workings of a televangelist church. No one knew the business processes of organizations better than JDM!
I enjoyed it a lot too. I picked up a few of them and now just need to find the right slot in my reading schedule for them. Thanks very much, George!
You’re welcome, Rick! Reviewing Ed Gorman’s JDM list provided me with plenty of fun! I’m glad others enjoyed it as well.
I’ve been meaning to read ONE MORE SUNDAY (and several dozen other non-McGees) for some years now…it’s well past time…one Rebecca Gordon, whose father introduced her to JDM in person when she was a child, noted wistfully in email today how obscure he and his work has become…I lack perspective thus, given how much his work stays with me, but I fear she and you are too correct…and thanks for doing your part here (as Ed has done his)…