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This page lists novels that feature the Florida based independent investigator Travis McGee.

Small sections at the end of the page list omnibus editions and non-fiction books about Travis McGee.

Cover images are usually of an early US edition and a more recent digital or paperback edition.

The Deep Blue Good-By

John D. MacDonald

1964

A Travis McGee novel. The title spelling is amended in some later editions to The Deep Blue Goodbye.

"Travis McGee isn’t particularly strapped for cash, but how can anyone say no to Cathy, a sweet 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. As Travis hunts for the ruthless man who steals women’s sensibilities and livelihoods, 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."

Nightmare in Pink

John D. MacDonald

1964

A Travis McGee novel.

"Travis McGee’s old army buddy needs a favour. His sister’s fiancé 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 looking too closely at his firm’s books, and he’d found that the numbers weren’t adding up. Travis is determined to get to the bottom of things, but just as he’s closing in on the truth he finds himself taken captive. Some people will go to any lengths to make sure their secrets don’t get out."

A Purple Place for Dying

John D. MacDonald

1964

A Travis McGee novel.

"32-year-old Mona is in love with a poor, young college professor, but is trapped in a marriage with a wealthy businessman whom she is convinced is stealing from her trust fund. To get out, she does what any self-respecting woman would do: She hires someone to steal her money back so she can run away with the man she loves. Travis McGee isn’t sure he wants to help out...until he sees Mona shot dead on the cliffs near her cabin. But when he arrives at the scene, her body is gone. And there’s no trace of them ever having met. Will Travis prove that what he saw was real, and unravel a complex murder web, in time to save his own skin?"

The Quick Red Fox

John D. MacDonald

1964

A Travis McGee novel.

"Hollywood’s leading lady Lysa Dean isn’t in the business of making mistakes. But a night involving a debauched party and some naked photos turns out to be one mistake too many. If the pictures get out, Lysa’s engagement to her rich, strait-laced fiancé won’t stand a chance. She needs someone to set her life back on track. Travis McGee has his own reasons for taking the job. He soon finds himself led on a wild chase across the country, trying to track down everyone associated with the fateful evening. But just when Travis thinks he knows exactly where things are headed, one big twist shakes his very core."

A Deadly Shade of Gold

John D. MacDonald

1965

A Travis McGee novel.

"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, his reckless, restless old friend, with the woman who’s been waiting for him. But the case takes a sinister turn when Sam shows up brutally cut and lying in a pool of his own blood. Travis is left to uncover the truth in a violent chase that takes him to dark but beautiful Mexico. But when the truth is as terrifying as this, does he really want answers at all?"

Bright Orange for the Shroud

John D. MacDonald

1965

A Travis McGee novel.

"Trouble has a way of finding Travis McGee, no matter where he hides. When an old friend, conned out of his life savings by his ex-wife, unexpectedly turns up at his door, he finds himself pursuing a violently twisted hustler to get it back. What starts out as a simple job soon turns into a dangerous mission when he comes face-to-face with a quick-thinking and quicker-fisted enemy. To beat him, Travis is going to have to play him at his own game."

Darker than Amber

John D. MacDonald

1966

A Travis McGee novel.

"Travis McGee and his friend are on a fishing trip when they witness a woman being tossed from a bridge into the open sea. Travis rescues her, but Evangeline is clearly no ordinary victim. Behind her darker-than-amber eyes is a seductive woman with her own agenda. Now that he’s saved her, Travis wants to help Evangeline make a new life. But to do so he must confront a gang of murderers so terrifying they make his blood run cold."

One Fearful Yellow Eye

John D. MacDonald

1966

A Travis McGee novel.

"An ex-girlfriend of Travis McGee’s is convinced she’s being watched. Her late husband, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, converted his considerable estate into cash before he died. The trouble is nobody can find it, including her. But there are those who don’t believe her and will stop at nothing to prove it. As Travis McGee tries to untangle the mess and protect his terrified ex-lover, he discovers that the doctor’s enemies are far more determined than even he could have imagined."

Pale Gray for Guilt

John D. MacDonald

1968

A Travis McGee novel.

"News reaches Travis McGee that Tush, an old football buddy of his, has committed suicide. But Travis suspects foul play. Tush had just discovered that his small plot of land was sat right in the middle of a highly profitable parcel of riverfront acres. Certain big-time movers and shakers had badly wanted him out of the way. But proving it suddenly looks a lot more difficult when Travis discovers a note from Tush’s wife saying she was leaving him. Travis must work fast to uncover the truth if he’s going to save what’s left of his friend’s family."

The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper

John D. MacDonald

1968

A Travis McGee novel.

"When Travis McGee enters the prosperous town of Fort Courtney he quickly realises that something’s not quite right. Here to rescue the suicidal daughter of a deceased friend, Travis is shocked by the string of murders and suicides that is taking over the town. Then, just when it seems that things can’t get any stranger, Travis becomes the lead suspect in the murder of a local nurse. To save the young woman, he’s going to have to save himself first."

Dress Her in Indigo

John D. MacDonald

1969

A Travis McGee novel.

"Travis McGee could never deny his old friend Meyer anything. So before he can even say please, Travis has agreed to accompany him to Mexico to look into the mysterious last months of the daughter of a rich friend. Expecting to find out that the young woman had fallen in with the usual misfits and rebels, what they actually discover is stranger, and far more deadly. The deeper Travis digs, the less accidental the death starts to seem."

The Long Lavender Look

John D. MacDonald

1970

A Travis McGee novel.

"A lovely young thing, wearing little more than a determined look, streaks out of the darkness and into Travis McGee’s headlights. McGee misses her, but lands upside down in ten feet of water – and right into the heart of a violent mystery. It turns out a local thug has just been killed, and Travis and his friend Meyer are suddenly promoted to lead suspects. To clear their names, they must gather their resources to fight against a deeply corrupt system that would rather see them dead than innocent."

A Tan and Sandy Silence

John D. MacDonald

1971

A Travis McGee novel.

"Travis McGee receives an unexpected guest, Harry Broll, who is convinced that he’s hiding his missing wife. The desperate man gets off a shot before Travis can wrestle his gun away. Worried that he’s losing his touch, Travis decides to get Harry off his case and prove he’s still in top form in one fell swoop. Travis’s search for the missing woman takes him to Grenada, where he’s soon tangling with con artists and killers. No longer wallowing in self-pity, Travis has more pressing concerns – like saving his own skin."

The Scarlet Ruse

John D. MacDonald

1973

A Travis McGee novel.

"An expert stamp collector is left frantic when he misplaces the extremely valuable collection of an important and shady client. Hirsh doesn’t know how he’s going to get it back. But fortunately for him, he’s got a friend in Travis McGee. It’s not long till Travis is hot on the trail of the missing collection. But Travis is going to have to play this game carefully – Hirsh’s client is liable to break some fingers if he doesn’t get what he’s owed."

The Turquoise Lament

John D. MacDonald

1973

A Travis McGee novel.

"The funny thing about favours: sometimes they come back to haunt you. And Travis McGee owes a friend a big one. Little surprise that he finds himself on a trip to Hawaii to help out his friend’s daughter, who is convinced her husband is trying to kill her. But Travis can’t find a single thing wrong and puts her paranoia down to simple anxiety. It’s not until he’s back home that he realises he may have overlooked a clue or two. And that she might be in very real danger."

The Dreadful Lemon Sky

John D. MacDonald

1975

A Travis McGee novel.

"Around four in the morning, Travis McGee is jarred awake by a ghost from his past: an old flame who needs a place to stash a package full of cash. He agrees to help. Two weeks later she’s dead. Left with a hundred grand and a nagging conscience, Travis goes to a seedy little town to look into Carrie’s previous life. But what Travis finds only pushes him further into the corrupt world she was trying to escape."

The Empty Copper Sea

John D. MacDonald

1978

A Travis McGee novel.

"As a boat captain, Van Harder’s reputation is his most valuable possession. But his wealthy employer has gone missing, presumed dead, and people are pointing the finger. They say he was drunk at the helm when his employer went overboard. But Harder insists he doesn’t drink . . . at least, not any more. And he wants his reputation back. But who would believe him? To help him, Travis McGee must do the impossible: prove that a dead man is actually alive."

The Green Ripper

John D. MacDonald

1979

A Travis McGee novel.

"Travis McGee has known his share of beautiful girls, but true love always passed him by – until Gretel. But suddenly, the woman who stole his heart dies of an unidentified illness. Convinced that she has been murdered, McGee finds himself pursuing a less-than-noble cause: revenge. Obsessed with his crusade, he becomes more and more unhinged. He has spent his life saving other people, but now he’ll need to find the strength to save himself - before he loses his mind."

Free Fall in Crimson

John D. MacDonald

1981

A Travis McGee novel.

"Ellis Esterland was rich, mean, and slowly succumbing to cancer – until someone hastened the inevitable by beating him to death. His son wants Travis McGee to find out who killed his estranged father. The ‘why’ seems obvious: his hotly contested, multimillion-dollar estate. McGee’s quest takes him from Hollywood to the Midwest, from prostitution rings to drug deals gone wrong. In the haze of violence surrounding him, McGee is in danger of losing himself. But one thing remains crystal clear: he is on the trail of a killer conjured from his worst nightmares."

Cinnamon Skin

John D. MacDonald

1982

A Travis McGee novel.

"In the Florida Keys, a houseboat explodes in a giant white flash, instantly killing those on board. The boat belonged to Travis McGee’s friend Meyer. But it’s not Meyer who’s dead – he’d lent it to his just-married niece, Norma, and her husband, hoping to give them the perfect honeymoon. When a group of Colombian terrorists take responsibility for the brutal act, Meyer and McGee travel to Mexico to seek justice. And Meyer, normally content in McGee’s shadow, is determined to avenge the one family member he had left . . . or die trying."

The Lonely Silver Rain

John D. MacDonald

1985

A Travis McGee novel.

"McGee knows the dangerous link between Florida boatjackings and the drug trade, and he’s vowed never to swim with the sharks. But when Billy Ingraham, a self-made tycoon, bets that McGee can locate his $700,000 custom cruiser, he decides to jump straight in. After a friend leads him to the stolen vessel, McGee immediately regrets not going with his gut. The yacht is no longer an ordinary boat. It’s a slaughterhouse. Shortly followed by the return of a ghost from his past, Travis realises that this case may be his last."

A Travis McGee Omnibus

John D. MacDonald

1982

An omnibus edition that brings together the three novels: The Quick Red Fox; A Deadly Shade of Gold; and Bright Orange for the Shroud.

Three Complete Novels

John D. MacDonald

1985

An omnibus edition that brings together the three novels: The Quick Red Fox; A Deadly Shade of Gold; and Bright Orange for the Shroud.

Five Complete Travis McGee Novels

John D. MacDonald

1985

An omnibus edition that brings together the five novels:

• The Dreadful Lemon Sky
• The Empty Copper Sea
• Free Fall in Crimson
• The Green Ripper
• A Tan And Sandy Silence

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Travis McGee & Me

D.R. Martin

2016

"Travis McGee & Me is D. R. Martin’s book-by-book personal take on the famous boat bum hero created by John D. MacDonald. The twenty-one McGee novels have been continuously in print since their original publication dates, from 1964 to 1985. Not only have they been tremendously popular with readers, they have inspired generations of crime fiction writers. These essays are partly book reports, and partly Martin’s analyses of McGee and his adventures. They originally appeared—sometimes in slightly different versions—in Martin’s blog, Travis McGee & Me."