A Deadly Shade of Gold Audiobook By John D. MacDonald cover art

A Deadly Shade of Gold

A Travis McGee Novel, Book 5

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Deadly Shade of Gold

By: John D. MacDonald
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

When McGee picks up the phone and hears a voice from the past, he can't help it. He has to meddle. Especially when he has the chance to reunite Sam Taggart, a reckless, restless man like himself, with the woman who's still waiting for him. But what begins as a simple matchmaking scheme soon becomes a bloody chase that takes McGee to Mexico, a beautiful country - and one from which he hopes to return alive.

©1965 John D. MacDonald Publishing, Inc. Renewal © 1993 Maynard MacDonald (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Crime Fiction Hard-Boiled Mystery Noir Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Heartfelt
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

"[T]he great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller." (Stephen King)
"[M]y favorite novelist of all time." (Dean Koontz)
"[W]hat a joy that these timeless and treasured novels are available again." (Ed McBain)

What listeners say about A Deadly Shade of Gold

Highly rated for:

Engaging Storyline Compelling Characters Complex Hero Intriguing Plot Twists Vivid Descriptions
Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    494
  • 4 Stars
    216
  • 3 Stars
    78
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    519
  • 4 Stars
    152
  • 3 Stars
    40
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    424
  • 4 Stars
    193
  • 3 Stars
    75
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

McGee grows on you

I suppose it is only fair: some books are chick lit, and some appeal equally to all. This one, however, was overloaded with testosterone. Yet, I did become involved in the story.

Travis McGee is clearly the right agent for the right job...and the right job had nothing to do with money. For him it has more to do with loyalty and doing what is right. But sometimes what is right may not look that way to others.

Robert Petkoff did a good job on the narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The author keeps coming up with such great plot twists

I am continuously impressed by the narrator. He has marked skills of making all the separate characters more alive by giving them individual voices , And he does it very well. I look forward to reading more of the Travis McGee mysteries.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Busted Flush

The narration was excellent. The story itself is a little weak with a lack of credibility for some parts. Still the book is an enjoyable diversion overall.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Travis is Elvis

Good long prose from Mr MacDonald.
McGee fightin’, fxxin’, and philosophy of the con , nobody beats Travis McGee

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Woo wee what a ride!!

Extremely entertaining. gritty and still a solid look into a time gone by, I am never disappointed by John D. MacDonald, as his insights in to the world and society are just a relevant today as they were almost 60 years ago.
This Travis McGee novel takes our hero into almost superhero status. He has developed from a some what undisciplined hero into ALMOST a kill 'em all let god sort 'em out vigilante. Lives and loves are lost but our hero swallows it all with a stiff drink and a grim determination to face the next day what ever it brings.
If anyone could come up with the proper voice and attitude of McGee it is definitely Robert Petkoff. He sounds and projects the exact voice and attitude I heard in my head when I first read these books back in the 70s.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book love t maghee

Love the narrator and gobble up all the books in this series I can. Still relevant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Confusing but enjoyable

I’m working my way through all the Travis McGee books. I liked this one but there were a lot of characters and you have to pay close attention.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly Good

Enjoyed the story-
Even though it was seven years old- well done & interesting . Would recommend

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

J Dickey's prose + I Fleming's narrative flourish

John D MacDonald presents a combination of James Dickey's prose with Ian Fleming's narrative flourish. With John D. MacDonald, however, you are also likely to find weird paragraphs sprinkled into the novel that deal with economics, politics, love, lust, the John Birch Society, and the ethics of hunting. Reading MacDonald is like having a surprisingly lucid conversation with a drunk economics professor who you recently discovered just killed a man with his golf club. You can't pull away from the conversation and aren't quite sure if the story is going to continue, or if he is going to explore a tangent more appropriate for an economics class or his therapist. HIs brain is amazing and his stories definitely titillate on several levels at once.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Travis McGee - a hero for all time

What did you love best about A Deadly Shade of Gold?

John D. MacDonald's writing is the ultimate in the craft. He's been my own (writer's) hero since I began reading his work decades ago. Yet now, I can be intimately engaged in his world through the brilliant interpretation of Robert Petkoff. Unbelievable talent - this man has more "accents" than most actors in Hollywood. I'm hooked for good and have bought and listened to many of the books and intend to buy them all, even though I read the print books years ago over and over again.

My favorite aspect of this particular title was the love Travis cultivated for Nora, and the scene painting he accomplished in Mexico.

OUTSTANDING!

What other book might you compare A Deadly Shade of Gold to and why?

All of the Travis McGee series are comparable, but there was something even a bit more compelling in this title than the rest. Just so intriguing. So sad in parts. So .... John D. MacDonald! (the master...)

What does Robert Petkoff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love his interpretations of female voices. It's truly amazing how he moves from one voice to the other (Trav's is very deep) and seems to flawlessly accomplish this transition. I especially loved his Mexican and Jewish Bronx accents!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. I want to listen to all the Travis McGee books.

Any additional comments?

Thank you, Mr. Petkoff, for bringing us a consistent list of all the books with the SAME narrator's voice. It is soothing and comforting to know ahead of time that you will portray our hero, Travis McGee!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful