Books with author John Frederick Macdonald

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.“The Travis McGee novels are among the finest works of fiction ever penned by an American author.” —Jonathan KellermanMcGee 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.“John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.” —Mary Higgins Clark

"McGee has become part of our national fabric."SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCERA lovely young girl steps in front of Travis McGee's headlights. McGee misses the girl but lands in ten feet of swamp water. As he's limping along the deserted road, someone in an old truck takes a few shots at him. And, when he goes to the local sheriff to complain, the intrepid Travis McGee finds himself arrested and charged with murder. And he can't help but ask himself, is this what they call southern hospitality...?From the Paperback edition.

TRAVIS McGEEHe's 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....With an introduction by CARL HIAASENJOHN D. MACDONALD"....the great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller." --STEPHEN KING"....a master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer."--MARY HIGGINS CLARK"....a dominant influence on writers crafting the continuing series character."--SUE GRAFTON"....my favorite novelist of all time."--DEAN KOONTZ"...the consummate pro, a master storyteller and witty observer."--JONATHAN KELLERMAN"...remains one of my idols."--DONALD WESTLAKETHE TRAVIS McGEE SERIES"...one of the great sagas in American fiction."--ROBERT B. PARKER"...what a joy that these timeless and treasured novels are available again."--ED McBAIN

This intriguing book is a study of the rise and fall of an American genre of entertainment and communication whose symbols and rhetoric helped define American society for decades. Flourishing in the 1950s and 1960s, the television Western has deteriorated to the point where it is now irrelevant and meaningless. Tracing the evolution of the Western from the late 1940s to the 1980s, the author ties the genre to the political innocence and confidence of the Cold War years and suggests that the social reevaluations that began in the 1960s undermined the believability of Westerns and their entertainment value. Seeking to understand the demise of the TV Western, the book offers an analysis of the interrelationships between popular culture, television, and sociopolitical development in the United States during the past four decades.

"The professional's professional of suspense writers."THE NEW YORK TIMESTravis McGee has been offered easy money by a longtime lady friend. But when she gets killed, McGee's got a boatload of mystery. Navigating his boat into troubled waters, he heads for the seamier side of Florida--where drug dealing, twisted sex, and corruption are easy to find--but murderous riddles are hard to solve....

"The professional's professional of suspense writers."THE NEW YORK TIMESVan Harder, once a hard drinker, has found religion. But that doesn't keep folks from saying he murdered his employer, Hub Lawless, whose body hasn't been found. To clear his name, and cear up the mystery, Van asks friend-in-need Travis McGee to find out what really happened. What McGee finds is that Timber Bay is a toug h town to get a break in when you're a stranger asking questions. But what he also finds is that, dead or alive, Hub Lawless is worth a lot of money. Some are eager to get a piece of that action--and some are willing to take more than a piece out of anyone who gets in the way....

War is threatening. The grey parrot with the bright red tail named Kasuku is flying as fast as he can to reach the village of Kiritiri and the hut of the powerful and aging warrior, Chief Pachunga. But if Kjaz-Barbaroi, an evil leader with designs on ruling Africa, gets to the hut first, it will be too late for all of them. Kasuku carries orders from Olugbala to tell the chief, who has been held prisoner for three rainy seasons, that he must raise an army to fight against Kjaz-Barbaroi and his contingent of Dark Creatures. Pachunga and the parrot narrowly escape the village, and with Kjaz-Barbaroi close behind, they face constant danger. Joined by Muriel Sniggins, the trio travels through the jungle, descend into a cave system inhabited by a long-lost race of people, and finally reach the savannah. As they journey, Pachunga's army continues to grow person by person, group by group. In the meantime, Kjaz-Barbaroi's army also gets larger and larger. Each day brings them closer and closer to the final battle. Pachunga wonders if his army will be large enough, strong enough, and brave enough to defeat the evil Kjaz-Barbaroi.