I wonder if McDonald's appeal, or lack of same, is generational as much as it is geographical. I know I read most of the McGee books when they were brand-new, buying them off the spinner rack at the local drugstore. I wasn't part of any sort of mystery fandom at the time, didn't know anybody who read the books that I read and didn't discuss them with anybody. Later when I came across complaints about McGee's lectures and rants, my reaction was "Huh?" I didn't even remember them. I guess they were just a seamless part of the books to me.
That said, I've never reread any of the McGees. I don't know how they would hold up. In recent years, though, I've read some of JDM's stand-alones for the first time and didn't care for a few of them.
James Reasoner
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