Every now and then, I like to dip into the nostalgia and select a "color" title from John D. MacDonald's Travis McGree mystery series. Right now I'm reading Pale Gray for Guilt. I'm no expert by any long shot, just a long-time fan of Travis.

In fact, the first "adult" mystery title I can ever remember reading from cover to cover was The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper. I was hooked, and the snazzy title stayed with me forty years later.

Like all of us, Travis has his good points and his not-so-good points. He grows a bit didactic and long-winded, especially in the later entries. Even so, I'd've liked to met him in real life. You know, bend a few elbows with him in a clean, bright bar. Or if I ever got in a tight jam, who couldn't use a friend of his tough caliber? Just hit him on your speed dial.

And write. My God, couldn't John D. MacDonald spin a tale in prose so crisp you could taste it. He was the first Florida author, a debt the other Sunshine State authors so popular now (you know the ones) freely acknowledge. JDM understood the grit, venality, and greed seething under all the sun and surf.

If I ever get down to Fort Lauderdale, I'll be sure to look for Slip F-18 at the Bahia Mar Marina. Travis might be on his large houseboat, Busted Flush, telling yet another stirring yarn.

Ed Lynskey
@edlynskey
Author of Lake Charles and Quiet Anchorage