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The Quick Red Fox: a Travis McGee Novel
Paperback
Published March 12, 2013
About the author
John D. MacDonald
590 books1,468 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 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 4, 2025
“HOOKED TO THE HUNT”
‘The Quick Red Fox’ is Mr. MacDonald’s (1916-1986) third installment in his Travis McGee series. There are 21 books about his adventures. I’ve been reading them in the order they were originally published. The first three books are independent of each other. It is not necessary to read the previous installments. He apparently had a huge influence on many future authors. I can see why. Mr. MacDonald’s tightly written stories pack a lot of weighty thoughts while also serving up a good mystery. These Travis McGee stories contain a lot of angst.
‘The Quick Red Fox’ begins with McGee asked to take on a blackmail case that involves a celebrity involved in an orgy. Put your pee-pee or vibrator away. There are no explicit sex scenes in the thing. If the photos secretly taken during the flesh bonanza are released, her career is finished. Events occur during the early nineteen sixties. Some of the vernacular and options will be offensive to today’s sensibilities if you embrace the concept of trigger warnings where no objectionable material should darken your snowflake world. Its terms of endearment also come across as hokey compared to today’s vernacular. The late author was a keen observer of humans. The story is seen through the eyes of McGee.
The tall muscular McGee is a self-professed lazy dude who only takes on cases when his cash is running low. His lifestyle is very modest. He lives on an old houseboat in Florida. McGee is described as a “big rough-looking and sour and sometimes dangerous” man. His inner thoughts convey a more analytical laid-back vibe. He does certainly have a sharp eye for details and a cynical view of many people. McGee also has a kind heart. The story addresses such topics as the nature of celebrity, sexual allure, manipulation, and possibly religious righteousness and retribution. For people only familiar with our digital world, they may find it interesting as the author describes photo development, using negatives. The story has McGee traveling from Florida to New York, then California and Las Vegas.
McGee, who is a loner when it comes to investigations, finds the case requires him to take on a female assistant who is the celebrity’s aide. Initially, this did not go down well for either of them. ‘The Quick Red Fox’ is equal parts mystery and the sexual tension between the two main protagonists. McGee is also always second guessing his celebrity client’s actions. Part of her trade has made the Quick Red Fox very adept at conveying believable but fake emotions and using her beauty to manipulate men. However, the celebrity is more a background character that makes cameos. Her function is to move the story’s plot along. The mystery has a nice twist to it and the story concludes on a depressing note.
‘The Quick Red Fox’ is Mr. MacDonald’s (1916-1986) third installment in his Travis McGee series. There are 21 books about his adventures. I’ve been reading them in the order they were originally published. The first three books are independent of each other. It is not necessary to read the previous installments. He apparently had a huge influence on many future authors. I can see why. Mr. MacDonald’s tightly written stories pack a lot of weighty thoughts while also serving up a good mystery. These Travis McGee stories contain a lot of angst.
‘The Quick Red Fox’ begins with McGee asked to take on a blackmail case that involves a celebrity involved in an orgy. Put your pee-pee or vibrator away. There are no explicit sex scenes in the thing. If the photos secretly taken during the flesh bonanza are released, her career is finished. Events occur during the early nineteen sixties. Some of the vernacular and options will be offensive to today’s sensibilities if you embrace the concept of trigger warnings where no objectionable material should darken your snowflake world. Its terms of endearment also come across as hokey compared to today’s vernacular. The late author was a keen observer of humans. The story is seen through the eyes of McGee.
The tall muscular McGee is a self-professed lazy dude who only takes on cases when his cash is running low. His lifestyle is very modest. He lives on an old houseboat in Florida. McGee is described as a “big rough-looking and sour and sometimes dangerous” man. His inner thoughts convey a more analytical laid-back vibe. He does certainly have a sharp eye for details and a cynical view of many people. McGee also has a kind heart. The story addresses such topics as the nature of celebrity, sexual allure, manipulation, and possibly religious righteousness and retribution. For people only familiar with our digital world, they may find it interesting as the author describes photo development, using negatives. The story has McGee traveling from Florida to New York, then California and Las Vegas.
McGee, who is a loner when it comes to investigations, finds the case requires him to take on a female assistant who is the celebrity’s aide. Initially, this did not go down well for either of them. ‘The Quick Red Fox’ is equal parts mystery and the sexual tension between the two main protagonists. McGee is also always second guessing his celebrity client’s actions. Part of her trade has made the Quick Red Fox very adept at conveying believable but fake emotions and using her beauty to manipulate men. However, the celebrity is more a background character that makes cameos. Her function is to move the story’s plot along. The mystery has a nice twist to it and the story concludes on a depressing note.
August 14, 2026
Another great, MacDonald book! The crime and intregue are interesting, but what really makes this book shine, like many of his other books, is his philosophic commentaries. His prose is also very unique. One of noir's great writers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews