_The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything_
by John D. MacDonald
read by Steven Hoye
Kirby Winter doesn't find himself particularly heroic, or much of anything else.
He's afraid of women, and tends to "run like a rabbit" when he's face-to-face
with one. Even his Uncle Omar's other employee in O.K. Endeavors, Wilma Farnum,
scares him for all her untouchable, ice-virgin, school marm appearance. But
when Uncle Omar suddenly dies of a heart attack, Kirby finds himself in a
terrible situation. A beautiful, sensuous, and obviously dangerous older woman
is suddenly fascinated by him, and the trustees of his uncle's foundation are
convinced that between them Kirby and Wilma Farnum must have embezzled all of
Uncle Omar's twenty-seven million dollars. Running for his life and safety,
Kirby awakens to find himself being ravished by a beautiful entertainer from
South Carolina, and the two of them finally realize how Uncle Omar went from
high school math teacher to international financier and secret philanthropist.
But can he, with the help of Bonny Lee Beaumont and Uncle Omar's fantastic gold
pocket watch, manage to save everybody's hide?
A hilarious book, full of high and low humor, very tongue-in-cheek at times.
You all know how much I enjoyed MacDonald's Travis McGee novels. This shows a
different side of MacDonald's writing style. At times it reminds me of the
slapstick I always enjoyed in Thorne Smith's novels, particularly in _Topper
Takes a Trip_. Seeing the havoc Kirby and Bonny Lee wreak on a Florida beach
and how he deals with the dangerous older woman and her paramour, I was happily
reminded of Marion Kirby hanging onto a horse's tail singing "I'm a grand old
flag, and I'm tied to a nag!" or Neptune, in "The Night-Life of the Gods" lying
at the bottom of a swimming pool, jabbing playfully at the other people swimming
above him. Steven Hoye does a marvelous job reading the book, and his timing is
perfect.
Definitely a wonderful addition to my collection. I have it both in a
collection of MacDonald's SF books in print and from Audible. Well recommended.
Bonnie L. Sherrell
Teacher at Large
"Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very
wise cannot see all ends." LOTR
"Don't go where I can't follow."
We gave the Goblin King control of our nation!
