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The Good Old Stuff
John D. MacDonald Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Good Old Stuff
"In the introduction to this book of short stories, mostly set in the late 1950's to mid 1960's, John D. McDonald, creator of the much lauded Travis McGee series of mystery books, is quoted as saying he wanted a writer "to have a bit of magic in his prose style, a bit of unobtrusive poetry." He certainly achieves that ideal in this collection of thirteen mesmerizing stories which range in style from straight detective stories to tales of psychological suspense. The good old stuff, indeed! "
Bill Brumlow, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Good Old Stuff
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain? - Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story: - 1960's-1970's
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - criminal's rise in a crime organization
Crime Thriller Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 8 or more
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Good Old Stuff
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In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Face of Trespass by Ruth Rendell
Perry Mason Solves the Case of the Deadly Toy by Erle Stanley Gardner
Maigret and the Dosser by Georges Simenon


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John D. MacDonald Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
BethG  

SCHOLARS:
Jennifer Sexton  Deepa  


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