2010: My Year of John D MacDonald

2009 was the year when I read a book by Donald Westlake, under his name or one of his pen names, each month. For 2010 the plan was to read a John D MacDonald each month, and well it didn't go that entire well. Not that I don't like MacDonald's work, it was just that I struggled to sit down and read his work several months during the past year.

Here is the list of what was read:

Dec: I started to read The Neon Jungle in December but didn’t finish it

Nov: A Deadly Shade of Gold

Oct: Murder in One Syllable by John D. MacDonald (short Story)

Sept: On the Run by John D MacDonald

Aug: Barrier Island

July: Deadly Welcome by John D MacDonald

June: The Quick Red Fox

May: Purple Place For Dying

April: Soft Touch

March: A Man of Affairs

Feb: The Brass Cupcake

Jan: Nightmare in Pink

I gave up on Write for More Details part way though, and I think that might give a hint to the fact that I had a hard time with MacDonald. Some of the books I really liked, and some of them just dragged. I think the shorter earlier books were the ones that really held my attention, however I really did like Barrier Island. What I found that MacDonald excelled at was the financial and business end of crime, and not just crime but white-collar crime.

Will I read another MacDonald? I will at some point, there are a few on my shelf that I am interested in, but over all, I don’t think he is going to be like Donald Westlake where I a looking forward to each and every of his books.