John D. MacDonald

From a beloved master of crime fiction, Darker Than Amber is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. A fishing trip is anything but relaxing when Travis McGee is involved. As McGee and his friend Meyer settle down to some midnight casting, a woman falls into the water from the bridge above them. Her name is Evangeline, and the hints she gives about the events leading to her near drowning suggest a less than pristine past. But McGee has saved her, and now he wants to see her make a new life--even if it means confronting a gang of murderers that makes his blood run cold. "John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in his field."--Mary Higgins Clark Evangeline may be the intended target in a complex scheme, but she's no ordinary victim. Behind her darker than amber eyes is a woman who lures men onto her boat and robs them, throwing them overboard when she's done with them. And now she's enlisted the resistant Travis and Meyer to rescue her "savings" from her partners in crime. When Evangeline winds up dead, McGee and Meyer must get involved. But the stakes are high--and Evangeline may not be the only casualty of her cruel game. Features a new Introduction by Lee Child

From a beloved master of crime fiction, Bright Orange for the Shroud is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. Travis McGee is looking forward to a "slob summer," spending his days as far away from danger as possible. But trouble has a way of finding him, no matter where he hides. An old friend, conned out of his life savings by his ex-wife, has tracked him down and is desperate for help. To get the money back and earn his usual fee, McGee will have to penetrate the Everglades--and the mind of a violently twisted grifter. "John D. MacDonald was the great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller."--Stephen King McGee has never seen a man so changed by one year of life. Arthur Wilkinson had been an amiable and decent young man looking to invest some of his considerable inheritance in a marina enterprise. Then a pretty blonde named Wilma Ferner showed up. She was soon Mrs. Wilkinson, and it took her only a year to leave Arthur bankrupt and broken. But what starts out as a simple job turns into a dangerous situation when McGee comes face-to-face with a quick-thinking and quicker-fisted foe in the Florida swamps. Now Arthur's fortune isn't the only thing on the line: This job may mean McGee's life. Features a new Introduction by Lee Child

From a beloved master of crime fiction, The Quick Red Fox is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. She's the opposite of a damsel in distress: a famous movie star, very beautiful, very much in control of her life. She's just made one little mistake and now she needs Travis McGee to set it right. The money is good and Travis's funds are in need of replenishing. But that's not the only reason he takes the case. There is the movie star's assistant--efficient and reserved, with a sadness underneath that makes McGee feel he'd brave any danger to help her. "John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all us in the field. Talk about the best."--Mary Higgins Clark Sultry movie star Lysa Dean has gotten herself into a spot of blackmail, posing for naked photos while participating in a debauched party near Big Sur. If the pictures get out, Lysa's engagement to her rich, strait laced fianc doesn't stand a chance. Enter Travis McGee, who's agreed to put a stop to the extortion, working alongside Lysa's assistant, Dana Holtzer. They begin by tracking down everyone associated with the lurid evening, and soon enough they're led on a chase across the nation as murder after murder piles up. Further complicating matters, Travis and Dana's relationship soon turns steamy. And just when he thinks he knows exactly where things are headed, one big twist shakes McGee's life to the very foundation. Features a new Introduction by Lee Child

"John D. MacDonald was the great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller."--Stephen King With an Introduction by Lee Child When Travis McGee picks up the phone and hears a voice from his past, he can't help it: He has to meddle. Especially when he has the chance to reunite Sam Taggart, a reckless, restless man like himself, with the woman who's still waiting for him. But what begins as a simple matchmaking scheme soon becomes a bloody chase that takes McGee to Mexico, a beautiful country from which he hopes to return alive. Deception. Betrayal. Heartbreak. When Sam left his girlfriend, Nora, and vanished from Fort Lauderdale, no one was surprised. But when he shows up three years later lying in a pool of his own blood, people start to ask questions. And his old friend Travis McGee is left to find answers. But all he has to go on are a gold Aztec idol and a very angry ex-girlfriend. Is that enough to find his friend's killer? And when the truth is as terrifying as this, does he really want answers after all? Praise for A Deadly Shade of Gold "Travis McGee is the last of the great knights-errant: honorable, sensual, skillful, and tough. I can't think of anyone who has replaced him. I can't think of anyone who would dare."--Donald Westlake "John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field."--Mary Higgins Clark

From a beloved master of crime fiction, Nightmare in Pink is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. Travis McGee's permanent address is the Busted Flush, Slip F-18, Bahia Mar, Lauderdale, and there isn't a hell of a lot that compels him to leave it. Except maybe a call from an old army buddy who needs a favor. If it wasn't for him, McGee might not be alive. For that kind of friend, Travis McGee will travel almost anywhere, even New York City. Especially when there's a damsel in distress. "As a young writer, all I ever wanted was to touch readers as powerfully as John D. MacDonald touched me."--Dean Koontz The damsel in question is his old friend's kid sister, whose fianc has just been murdered in what the authorities claim was a standard Manhattan mugging. But Nina knows better. Her soon-to-be husband had been digging around, finding scum and scandal at his real estate investment firm. And this scum will go to any lengths to make sure their secrets don't get out. Travis is determined to get to the bottom of things, but just as he's closing in on the truth, he finds himself drugged and taken captive. If he's being locked up in a mental institution with a steady stream of drugs siphoned into his body, how can Travis keep his promise to his old friend? More important, how can he get himself out alive? Features a new Introduction by Lee Child

From a beloved master of crime fiction, A Purple Place for Dying is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. Travis McGee's taking his retirement in installments while he's still young enough to enjoy it. But sooner or later, his money runs out and he has to work. This time McGee's lured out West to a strangely secretive meeting with a woman in trouble, in a place whose beauty hides some ugly, dangerous secrets. "John D. MacDonald created a staggering quantity of wonderful books, each rich with characterization, suspense, and an almost intoxicating sense of place."--Jonathan Kellerman Mona is in love with a poor, young college professor and married to a wealthy man whom she is convinced is stealing from her trust fund. So she does what any self-respecting girl would do: She hires someone to steal her money back so she can run away with the love of her life. Travis isn't sure he wants to help out until he sees Mona getting shot and killed out on the cliffs near her cabin. Now he's a lead suspect in a plot to help her escape, and to clear his name, he needs to get to the bottom of things. But the murders just keep mounting, and for Travis, even working with Mona's husband doesn't seem to help matters. Will he be able to uncover the complex plot in time to save his own skin? Features a new Introduction by Lee Child

From a beloved master of crime fiction, The Deep Blue Good-by is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. Travis McGee is a self-described beach bum who won his houseboat in a card game. He's also a knight-errant who's wary of credit cards, retirement benefits, political parties, mortgages, and television. He only works when his cash runs out, and his rule is simple: He'll help you find whatever was taken from you, as long as he can keep half. "John D. MacDonald was the great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller."--Stephen King McGee isn't particularly strapped for cash, but how can anyone say no to Cathy, a sweet backwoods girl who's been tortured repeatedly by her manipulative ex-boyfriend Junior Allen? What Travis isn't anticipating is just how many women Junior has torn apart and left in his wake. Enter Junior's latest victim, Lois Atkinson. Frail and broken, Lois can barely get out of bed when Travis finds her, let alone keep herself alive. But Travis turns into Mother McGee, giving Lois new life as he looks for the ruthless man who steals women's spirits and livelihoods. But he can't guess how violent his quest is soon to become. He'll learn the hard way that there must be casualties in this game of cat and mouse. Features a new Introduction by Lee Child

Tal Howard, a disillusioned Korean War veteran, breaks away from his old life, looking for answers. He's convinced he's going to find them in the small town of Hillston, the location of 60 grand in embezzled funds that Howard learned about from a dying friend in a POW camp. He just needs to find out where the money is hidden and contend with another former POW who has come looking for it--Earl Fitzmartin, a psychopath of whom they were all terrified in the camp. Howard soon learns that the secret to the money's location lies in the dead man's past, which must be discovered through the women he knew, such as the respectable Ruth Stamm and the sultry and dangerous Toni Rassele. Now featuring a new biography of John D. MacDonald and an essay exploring the paperback revolution of the mid-20th century, this early novel by a crime writing legend features classic hard-boiled writing, brutal action, tough characters, and a plot in which no one is spared.