Slam the Big Door (1960) - John D. MacDonald

Written by John D. MacDonald
Read by Stephen Hoye
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
Publisher: Brilliance: Audible Studios,

When Mike Rodenska, a former journalist still grieving the loss of his wife, pays his old war buddy Troy Jamison a long overdue visit in Florida, he’s shocked at what he finds.

Behind the indulgent exterior of Troy’s lush beach life - the parties, the year-round suntans, the shapely women, the infectious devil-may-care attitude of Troy and his friends - Mike senses inevitable disaster. Troy surrendered his life to drink once before. But now his second marriage is failing, his career is in shambles, his stepdaughter is making passes at him, and he seems to be losing his mind. The only question is: Why?

His old friend’s downfall is one story that Mike feels compelled to investigate - for Troy’s sake, and for his own.

“What MacDonald does so cleverly is show bit by bit how phoney and empty the country club and yacht set is. And how fragile decency really is in a world of vultures and sharks circling around, ready to chew the still breathing corpse to bits.

There are a couple of points MacDonald opens up that could have been pursued further as to the nature of evil, but the choice was to focus on Troy’s rise and fall.

This is one of MacDonald’s character-driven novels that are hard to classify. While not exactly crime fiction, it contains elements here that give a flavor of such novels, particularly in the portrayals of people with seemingly no conscience.”—goodreads

Cover – 1960 paperback