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Cry Hard, Cry Fast
A gunman on the run...
A sixteen-year-old chick...
A used-up B-girl...
A Guilt-stricken widower...
A leftover mistress...
All zeroing in on a route to sudden death!
A sixteen-year-old chick...
A used-up B-girl...
A Guilt-stricken widower...
A leftover mistress...
All zeroing in on a route to sudden death!
158 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
95 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
John D. MacDonald
567 books1,373 followersJohn D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and educated at the Universities of Pennsylvania, Syracuse and Harvard, where he took an MBA in 1939. During WW2, he rose to the rank of Colonel, and while serving in the Army and in the Far East, sent a short story to his wife for sale, successfully. He served in the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations. After the war, he decided to try writing for a year, to see if he could make a living. Over 500 short stories and 70 novels resulted, including 21 Travis McGee novels.
Following complications of an earlier heart bypass operation, MacDonald slipped into a coma on December 10 and died at age 70, on December 28, 1986, in St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was survived by his wife Dorothy (1911-1989) and a son, Maynard.
In the years since his death MacDonald has been praised by authors as diverse as Stephen King, Spider Robinson, Jimmy Buffett, Kingsley Amis and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. Thirty-three years after his passing the Travis McGee novels are still in print.
Following complications of an earlier heart bypass operation, MacDonald slipped into a coma on December 10 and died at age 70, on December 28, 1986, in St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was survived by his wife Dorothy (1911-1989) and a son, Maynard.
In the years since his death MacDonald has been praised by authors as diverse as Stephen King, Spider Robinson, Jimmy Buffett, Kingsley Amis and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. Thirty-three years after his passing the Travis McGee novels are still in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 12, 2016
*2.5 Stars*
My first read by the famous pulp writer and Gold Medal star John D. Macdonald follows a large cast of disparate characters who's lives are not only altered but brought together after a horrific multiple car crash on a highway. The book looks at the characters before, during, and after the crash, and how the accident affects them all.
My first read by the famous pulp writer and Gold Medal star John D. Macdonald follows a large cast of disparate characters who's lives are not only altered but brought together after a horrific multiple car crash on a highway. The book looks at the characters before, during, and after the crash, and how the accident affects them all.
His frequent use of her weary body was as quick and impatient and selfish as his anger. He had lost all the words of love.In a novel this length and with this number of characters, this type of story hinges on those characters being really engaging. And although it's a great concept with some well-written passages, almost none of the character were all that interesting. I found myself skimming a lot. The backstory sections turn out to be the only interesting parts as all of the post-crash material falls flat and contrived. I got a sense here that MacDonald is a talented writer, and hopefully my next novel from him is more engaging. Maybe I can get some recommendations for his best non-McGee work?
His childhood had been served, as a sentence is served, in that emotional wasteland of a home which should have been broken and was not—a home where hate is a voice beyond a closed door, where contempt is a long intercepted look, where violence is a palpable thing in silent rooms.
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December 13, 2022You can’t talk about MacDonald’s 1955 standalone novel without commenting on the story structure. It’s not a classic novel. It’s the anatomy of a massive multi-car crash on the interstate.
At its best is the first half which offers chapters to each of the carloads of people. MacDonald excels at giving the reader a deep understanding of his characters, where they came from, and what decisions led them to that fateful day on the highway. You get the married couple who were once madly in love and seem to have lost their mojo and are out to recreate their honeymoon and rekindle the passion. You get the small angry man, his wife, and two daughters and their determination for a family outing. You get the young secretary from San Francisco who had a torrid affair with her executive boss until he ends things suddenly and she heads back home. You get the pair of crooks in a stolen car with a drunken floozy they picked up in a bar and continued on their journey with. MacDonald delves deep into each set of characters.
The second half is a play by play enactment of the accident and who ended up where and why. The story continues with the ambulances and the rescue crew and the tow yards. Next of kin are contacted and the insurance adjusters descend like vultures on the scene. This half of the book though isn’t quite as compelling as the first half.
At its best is the first half which offers chapters to each of the carloads of people. MacDonald excels at giving the reader a deep understanding of his characters, where they came from, and what decisions led them to that fateful day on the highway. You get the married couple who were once madly in love and seem to have lost their mojo and are out to recreate their honeymoon and rekindle the passion. You get the small angry man, his wife, and two daughters and their determination for a family outing. You get the young secretary from San Francisco who had a torrid affair with her executive boss until he ends things suddenly and she heads back home. You get the pair of crooks in a stolen car with a drunken floozy they picked up in a bar and continued on their journey with. MacDonald delves deep into each set of characters.
The second half is a play by play enactment of the accident and who ended up where and why. The story continues with the ambulances and the rescue crew and the tow yards. Next of kin are contacted and the insurance adjusters descend like vultures on the scene. This half of the book though isn’t quite as compelling as the first half.
November 4, 2019
I love MacDonald's 1950's take on noir fiction. This was very different than the other novels I had read such as "Cape Fear" although he had done something similar but much, much better in "The Damned". In this case none of the multiple stories were very interesting in themselves including the lame one about the escaping criminals. He tried to tie some of it together with the guy who created the accident with his tire blowing out but that seemed very weak also.
August 4, 2008
This is a wonderful book, which brings a bunch of folks with different stories all together to the same spot on the highway, where an accident will occur. Great book.
December 26, 2015
25 dec 15, #71 from macdonald for me. kindle. another take on the multiple character telling...about 25% into story and each chapter is a take on life prior to the main event a multi-vehicle traffic accident. after 71 stories, i've read and enjoyed this type of narrative before...and too...one of the last multi-char p.o.v stories, didn't enjoy it as much. go figure. and with the kindle, it's not like you handle a book with pages each time you set to read so titles and covers are not bright and fresh, or spine-cracked, in memory or on the shelf behind you.
26 dec 15 finished. an okay story. macdonald has done better and this was only so-so. guess i don't like the multiple-character p.o.v. stories as much as the others, the stories where he focuses the story through one main character. uncle bernie is strange, macabre. there was something else that seemed...off...what was it? ummmm....forget. was it to-do w/the money? oh...now i remember. the authorities would have caught the "bad guy" much easier had they done what they would have done, had this been "real"...by simply checking the area lodging. they did not. so we had that scene at the yard where the vehicles are behind a fence. so almost a three-star. best read it without too much in the way of attention, possibly enjoy it more. okay story nothing more nothing less.
onward upward.
26 dec 15 finished. an okay story. macdonald has done better and this was only so-so. guess i don't like the multiple-character p.o.v. stories as much as the others, the stories where he focuses the story through one main character. uncle bernie is strange, macabre. there was something else that seemed...off...what was it? ummmm....forget. was it to-do w/the money? oh...now i remember. the authorities would have caught the "bad guy" much easier had they done what they would have done, had this been "real"...by simply checking the area lodging. they did not. so we had that scene at the yard where the vehicles are behind a fence. so almost a three-star. best read it without too much in the way of attention, possibly enjoy it more. okay story nothing more nothing less.
onward upward.
November 23, 2025
An admirable noir thriller about the effects of a devastating highway crash on the survivors, who are each desperate for different reasons. This classic 1956 novel by MWA Grand Master John D. MacDonald is worth reading for its structure and style alone. Each of the first six chapters takes the point-of-view of someone involved in the accident: a grief-stricken widower, a moody 17-year-old girl desperate to flee her boring family vacation, a woman confronting the lonely existence of a cheap adulterous affair with her coworker, a young couple leaving on a second honeymoon to save their marriage, a bank robber and his partner fleeing in a stolen car with more than $40K in cash, and a good-hearted big rig trucker who worries about others’ safety before his own. MacDonald quickly fills in the backstory for events leading up to the crash. Subsequent chapters take the point-of-view of other characters—an insurance agent, a doctor, a tow-truck driver, a greedy (and creepy) uncle to the surviving teen, a waitress at a diner, and other witnesses to the crash—who describe what happens in the aftermath of the crash. The novel is only 162 pages, but it provides a few hours of fun, although it's not as engaging or as unpredictable as most other standalone thrillers from MacDonald.
Reading this book forced me to contemplate the terrifying danger of driving on the highway in the 1950s when cars were death traps without standard seat belts or air bags. Yikes! No wonder they forced teenagers to watch gruesome documentaries like Death on the Highway in high school Driver Education classes in the 1970s.
Reading this book forced me to contemplate the terrifying danger of driving on the highway in the 1950s when cars were death traps without standard seat belts or air bags. Yikes! No wonder they forced teenagers to watch gruesome documentaries like Death on the Highway in high school Driver Education classes in the 1970s.
April 25, 2022
After reading all the McGee novels over a few weeks, I started the non-McGee novels.
Because there are so many choose from, I followed the list of MacDonald novels recommended by Dean Koontz in “How to Write Best-Selling Fiction.”
This is the second one on the list. The first is The Damned. I enjoyed The Damned. I also enjoyed Cry Hard, Cry Fast.
Both of them are similar. In The Damned, there is a lot of damnification and crying. In Cry Hard, Cry Fast, there is a lot of crying and damnification.
The author masterfully introduces multiple characters in both novels, he gives you their backgrounds, and he gives you unhappy endings for each of them.
It’s almost as if both novels are essentially the same story. You just have different characters in a different setting.
Still, both are worth reading.
Because there are so many choose from, I followed the list of MacDonald novels recommended by Dean Koontz in “How to Write Best-Selling Fiction.”
This is the second one on the list. The first is The Damned. I enjoyed The Damned. I also enjoyed Cry Hard, Cry Fast.
Both of them are similar. In The Damned, there is a lot of damnification and crying. In Cry Hard, Cry Fast, there is a lot of crying and damnification.
The author masterfully introduces multiple characters in both novels, he gives you their backgrounds, and he gives you unhappy endings for each of them.
It’s almost as if both novels are essentially the same story. You just have different characters in a different setting.
Still, both are worth reading.
May 21, 2020
Round up to four-and-a-half stars. I liked this very much and it's funny to think that a plot summary for this novel would not have piqued my interest at all. It goes something like this: We meet a bunch of characters in different cars. The cars crash at the midpoint of the novel and the rest of the story is about what happens to the characters who survived. MacDonald makes it sing.
For those who have read other books by JDM and need some assurance, there's none of the puritanical sermonizing in the this one. MacDonald keeps the characters front and center. It makes for a nice bonus. Also, I can't leave off without mentioning that the author does a surprisingly good job at writing some of the story from the point-of-view of a teenage girl.
For those who have read other books by JDM and need some assurance, there's none of the puritanical sermonizing in the this one. MacDonald keeps the characters front and center. It makes for a nice bonus. Also, I can't leave off without mentioning that the author does a surprisingly good job at writing some of the story from the point-of-view of a teenage girl.
April 20, 2019
Lives joined by the unexpected
We get to know those involved in the accidentally before the event so it's outcome becomes the next or final step in their lives. Certainly automobiles and driving is safer now than it was then. Human error remains a central factor even when there is a mechanical failure like a blown tire. The reader is led into various degrees of sympathy and in a couple cases dislike. It becomes a story to the reader gets involved and MacDonald accomplishes that well.
We get to know those involved in the accidentally before the event so it's outcome becomes the next or final step in their lives. Certainly automobiles and driving is safer now than it was then. Human error remains a central factor even when there is a mechanical failure like a blown tire. The reader is led into various degrees of sympathy and in a couple cases dislike. It becomes a story to the reader gets involved and MacDonald accomplishes that well.
August 19, 2023
As recommended by Gerry and Kurt. It puts me in mind of Margaret Kennedy's excellent The Feast, in that a cast of characters is introduced prior to a looming catastrophe which sets off all sorts of musings in the reader - and Kennedy is much better of course but for intelligent pulp, this was also pretty good. Thanks Gerry, and Kurt (Vonnegut).
October 21, 2023
a thoughtful indictment of humankind
this book seems to be about how quickly society forgets. about accident victims, war heroes, aborted babies, etc. but it is also about the sometimes elusive graces of kindness, compassion, honesty, and above all, hope. it's a depressing indictment. but a positive reminder of the opportunities of catastrophe. and an age-old invitation: part of the problem, or part of the solution?
this book seems to be about how quickly society forgets. about accident victims, war heroes, aborted babies, etc. but it is also about the sometimes elusive graces of kindness, compassion, honesty, and above all, hope. it's a depressing indictment. but a positive reminder of the opportunities of catastrophe. and an age-old invitation: part of the problem, or part of the solution?
January 1, 2018
Starts somewhat macabre with a bad accident, almost put it down. Glad I continued though, JDMc came through yet again with some real life people with real life problems and situations. One of the better of his non-McGee books.
December 9, 2021
A massive car crash changes people's lives.
Not the usual detective story, although there is a bit of criminal and law enforcement activity thrown in.
Really quick read at 158 pages... novella length.
Unusual book. I enjoyed it.
Not the usual detective story, although there is a bit of criminal and law enforcement activity thrown in.
Really quick read at 158 pages... novella length.
Unusual book. I enjoyed it.
November 26, 2024
I just finished saying how much I like John D. MacDonald books. This is one I had never read, not a Travis mcGee novel, and I was too freaked out by this horrific car accident. Got me all worried about having my own so I quit reading.
July 1, 2020
A before, during, and after account of a multi-vehicle accident told from multiple viewpoints.
Well structured and well written, although dated.
Well structured and well written, although dated.
August 31, 2022
All the characters in a muliple car truck accident deeply fleshed out
August 26, 2023
Fast read, but Jamison is out of his damn mind.
September 9, 2023
Good craft; less art. Wear your seatbelt!
Want to read
October 12, 202479: P8
He summoned, and called out, and said: “I am your supreme Lord!” God seized him as an example in both the Hereafter and from the First life.
He summoned, and called out, and said: “I am your supreme Lord!” God seized him as an example in both the Hereafter and from the First life.
November 20, 2024
If you have a car crash fetish,
this might be for you,
not on my top 10 or even top 20,
MacDonald stories.
this might be for you,
not on my top 10 or even top 20,
MacDonald stories.
January 1, 2024
Another classic JDM novel. The characters are vividly developed and described. Their separate lives converge in a deadly traffic accident - which changes the course of all of the survivors futures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2012
This is a very unusual and unique book. It is often classified as a mystery, however, it is really about people and their very moving strengths and obvious frailties. I had two separate recommendations to read this author from friends that do not know each other and are separated by hundreds of miles. The author passed away over 25 years ago and among his dozens of books he wrote this effort in 1955. It holds up well over time for it's basic truths, but is cute when refering to filling up a gas tank for $7.80 and for the "yellow octagan stop signs". Without giving the story away it is basically about a dozen people that meet on a freeway in the eastern U.S., how they got there and how they dealt with their meeting. The punch line, however, was that half of them died in the meeting which was a terrible high-speed multi-car accident. The only thing that makes this book a mystery is that one of the cars were driven by criminals. A hard to put down and easy read which I would recommend to anyone with an interest in this genre and a strong stomach.
March 17, 2015
The catastrophe is the main character. The lives of different people are brought together in a tragic, fatal automobile pileup. MacDonald summarizes the lives of each of these people and their thoughts and emotions just before the accident. There is a runaway bank robber-gunman and his partner; their passenger, a aging bar girl; a mistress to an executive trying to break off on her own, a couple trying to iron out problems by going on vacation, a truck driver, and a business executive with his mistress.
This is a very cleverly constructed book. The characters are interesting as their individual lives and problems are further affected by the catastrophe, the main character. In a little over 150 pages, MacDonald creates suspense and covers the wide range of emotions humans experience every day. The wrong place at the wrong time, life is a game of inches, an unsafe condition and an unsafe act, no matter what you think an accident is, it is all on display. Then the aftermath—guilt, anger, sorrow, avarice. This is one that I enjoyed immensely.
This is a very cleverly constructed book. The characters are interesting as their individual lives and problems are further affected by the catastrophe, the main character. In a little over 150 pages, MacDonald creates suspense and covers the wide range of emotions humans experience every day. The wrong place at the wrong time, life is a game of inches, an unsafe condition and an unsafe act, no matter what you think an accident is, it is all on display. Then the aftermath—guilt, anger, sorrow, avarice. This is one that I enjoyed immensely.
August 22, 2012
Superior storytelling. John D. MacDonald's skill as a short story writer are evident as he deftly sketches the back stories of the individuals, families or groups in each of the vehicles involed in a multi-car, fatal accident.
Riveting novel about an auto accident. The backstories tell the tales of the occupants of the involved vehicles and how they came to be on the road. A series of chapters witness the accident from different perspectives and take a look at some of the responders. Finally, the novel follows the survivors in the accidents aftermath: the recovery from injuries; dealing with loss and insurance issues; and, for one person, plotting to recover contraband from one of the wrecks. A mixture of The Bridge at San Luis Rey, Rashomon, and pure John D. MacDonald.
Riveting novel about an auto accident. The backstories tell the tales of the occupants of the involved vehicles and how they came to be on the road. A series of chapters witness the accident from different perspectives and take a look at some of the responders. Finally, the novel follows the survivors in the accidents aftermath: the recovery from injuries; dealing with loss and insurance issues; and, for one person, plotting to recover contraband from one of the wrecks. A mixture of The Bridge at San Luis Rey, Rashomon, and pure John D. MacDonald.
March 26, 2014
Cry Hard, Cry Fast: A Novel (Kindle Edition)
Everyone today in the modern world is familiar with what happens in a high speed multi vehicle accident, as we are bombarded with news 24/7. I imagine this book was quite shocking when it was published in 1955, since the interstate highway system was a very new thing, as was high speed transit via automobile. This novel chronicles a brief intersection of separate lives brought together in multi car accident. We get back stories, character study, and how individuals cope with grief and guilt. All in all, this is a well told drama, tense and touching, at times, and gives one pause to think about a modern tragedy that has become not much more than background noise on the evening news or an inconvenience during the morning commute. Worth a read.
Everyone today in the modern world is familiar with what happens in a high speed multi vehicle accident, as we are bombarded with news 24/7. I imagine this book was quite shocking when it was published in 1955, since the interstate highway system was a very new thing, as was high speed transit via automobile. This novel chronicles a brief intersection of separate lives brought together in multi car accident. We get back stories, character study, and how individuals cope with grief and guilt. All in all, this is a well told drama, tense and touching, at times, and gives one pause to think about a modern tragedy that has become not much more than background noise on the evening news or an inconvenience during the morning commute. Worth a read.
July 11, 2025
Buckle Up for Safety!
Safety is No Accident. Safety First. An excellent choice for this Americateenth weekend.
When you read this book you are reminded that Safety is the principle our great nation was founded upon. E Pluribus Safetum.
If you're looking for a real train-wreck, look elsewhere. This is a car-wreck.
"No Good Ending for You." - The Ending Nazi
Safety is No Accident. Safety First. An excellent choice for this Americateenth weekend.
When you read this book you are reminded that Safety is the principle our great nation was founded upon. E Pluribus Safetum.
If you're looking for a real train-wreck, look elsewhere. This is a car-wreck.
"No Good Ending for You." - The Ending Nazi
August 13, 2014
I wonder if this is where Koontz got the idea for "Strangers".
March 30, 2021
MacDonald is a pure storyteller. No frills. No bells and whistles. He just delivers great characters and fun storylines.
August 29, 2015
Brief, slightly twisted, enjoyable 50s pulp.
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May 16, 2018Good read
Typical John MacDonald.
Very good and entertaining. I don't know how he was able to go into so much detail on so many different subjects
Typical John MacDonald.
Very good and entertaining. I don't know how he was able to go into so much detail on so many different subjects
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews