April Evil: A Novel

By John D MacDonald and Dean Koontz

April Evil, one of many classic novels from crime writer John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook.
 
Springtime in Florida. The vacation season is over. It’s a hot day . . . too hot for April. The sun beats relentlessly down on the sidewalks. Most of the tourists have gone back north, and the residents of Flamingo have the town pretty much to themselves. They can play golf on empty courses, relax on pristine beaches. Kids can play hide-and-seek in the tall grass around the vacant winter houses. The real estate men, the car salesmen, and the police can all relax. But at 11:30 this morning, a man and a woman in a dusty gray Buick with Illinois plates drive into town. And they’re about to hit like a hurricane. The evil days have begun.
 
Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz
 
Praise for John D. MacDonald
 
“The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King
 
“My favorite novelist of all time.”—Dean Koontz
 
“To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut
 
“A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.”—Mary Higgins Clark

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9780307827005

Reviews for April Evil

[datrappert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one has a lot going for it: an escaped bank robber and murderer (although the murder was an accident--who knew that bullet fired at the floor would ricochet into someone's throat?); a woman scheming to get her rich uncle's money (over a million bucks that he keeps in his house!); a young innocent; a philandering husband or two; a used car salesman; a clever lawyer; an ex-porn starlet; and even an 11-year-old in peril. And I forgot to mention the most memorable character of all, a psychopath who truly enjoys his job as a hit man. Alas, despite how fast it moves and some great scenes, the whole story is just a little too contrived to rise to the level of MacDonald's best work, but it sure is entertaining.

[andyray_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A tale about five people who commit a bank robbery and their eventual demise. JDM is often criticized for his sexist portrayal of women. I suggest these critics read this with particular attention as to how he "got inside" the female Ronnie.