Offering indisputable evidence of the early talent that was to lead him to the top of the bestseller lists everywhere, these fourteen tales of crime and corruption, of sleuthing and suspense, of treachery, intrigue, and revenge, by the incomparable John D. MacDonald, were selected from the hundreds that originally appeared in the immensely popular pulp magazines of the late 1940s. Superb entertainment from one of crime's most famous and accomplished writers. 'The stories share MacDonald's love of a buzz ending and the biting setup' Chicago Sun-Times
More Good Old Stuff, a classic collection of short fiction from crime writer John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook. The companion to The Good Old Stuff, this anthology features fourteen more early stories by one of America’s premier authors of hard-boiled noir. Culled from the hundreds that John D. MacDonald published in the wildly popular pulp magazines of the 1940s and ’50s, these are electrifying tales of murder, corruption, intrigue, and revenge: a serial widow making a fortune by murdering her husbands . . . an amnesiac being watched by the mob . . . an ex-cop trying to crack the case that nearly wrecked his life. All are told through MacDonald’s vivid language and taut storytelling—the hallmarks of a writer who holds a distinguished place in the popular canon. This collection includes “Deadly Damsel,” “State Police Report That . . . ,” “Death for Sale,” “A Corpse in His Dreams,” “I Accuse Myself,” “A Place to Live,” “Neighborly Interest,” “The Night Is Over,” “Secret Stain,” “Even Up the Odds,” “Verdict,” “The High Gray Walls of Hate,” “Unmarried Widow,” and “You Remember Jeannie.” Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz Praise for John D. MacDonald “The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King “My favorite novelist of all time.”—Dean Koontz “To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut “A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.”—Mary Higgins Clark
The Deceivers, one of many classic novels from John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook. Carl can’t get her out of his mind. Her name is Cindy, and she’s the wife of his next-door neighbor. They live in the kind of suburbia that doesn’t make headlines. In every way, Carl and Cindy are regular people—upstanding citizens, even—but they have been fighting desperately to keep from wanting each other. Had a perfect opportunity not presented itself, perhaps nothing would have happened. But suddenly it is the right time. The right place. And there’s no room left for pretense. In a moment, even as Cindy and Carl hate themselves for what they are about to do, all innocence drains out of their lives . . . and two regular people become creatures of passion—and astonishing guilt. Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz Praise for John D. MacDonald “The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King “My favorite novelist of all time.”—Dean Koontz “To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut “A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.”—Mary Higgins Clark
On the Run, one of many classic novels from crime writer John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook. Sid Shanley doesn’t stay in one place very long. He has to keep moving, changing towns, jobs, and women at a moment’s notice. He thinks he’s worked out the perfect setup—no attachments, no trails, no explanations. But now a girl has caught up with him. Her name is Paula, and if he accepts her strange proposition, there’s a million-dollar payoff. But first Sid needs answers. Who the hell does this Paula think she is? And why should Sid give up his life, forget his past, and believe her when she promises the impossible? Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz Praise for John D. MacDonald “The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King “My favorite novelist of all time.”—Dean Koontz “To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut “A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.”—Mary Higgins Clark
From a beloved master of crime fiction, The Lonely Silver Rain is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. Travis McGee has luck to thank for his reputation as a first-rate salvager of stolen boats. Now Billy Ingraham, a self-made tycoon, is betting that McGee can locate his $700,000 custom cruiser. McGee isn’t so sure. He knows all too well the dangerous link between Florida boatjackings and the drug trade, and he’s vowed never to swim with the sharks—but if he wants to keep his head (AKA finances) above water, swim he will. “As a young writer, all I ever wanted was to touch readers as powerfully as John D. MacDonald touched me.”—Dean Koontz Even though McGee doesn’t feel like sticking out his neck for this case, Billy’s wife, Millis, convinces him to step up to the challenge. Sort of. After a pilot 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. After witnessing the sordid scene, McGee realizes he’s knee-deep in the white-hot center of an international cocaine ring. In the midst of this terrifying ordeal and an affair with a very dangerous woman, McGee is shocked by the return of a secret from his past. Over the years, McGee has recovered many wrecks—now he’ll need to salvage his own life. Features a new Introduction by Lee Child
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 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 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, Dress Her in Indigo is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat. Travis McGee could never deny his old friend anything. So before Meyer even says please, McGee agrees to accompany him to Mexico to reconstruct the last mysterious months of a young woman’s life—on a fat expense account provided by the father who has lost touch with her. They think she’s fallen in with the usual post-teenage misfits and rebels. What they find is stranger, kinkier, and far more deadly. “To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut All Meyer’s friend wants to know is whether his daughter was happy before she died in a car accident south of the border. But when McGee and Meyer step foot in the hippie enclave in Oaxaca that had become Bix Bowie’s last refuge, they get more than they bargained for. Not only had Bix made a whole group of dangerous, loathsome friends, but she was also mixed up in trafficking heroin into the United States. By the time she died, she was a shell of her former self. And the more McGee looks into things, the less accidental Bix’s death starts to seem. Features a new Introduction by Lee Child
Murder at sea. No survivors, no evidence, no loose ends. Only a boatload of cash left for the taking. In this explosive novel from the author of the Travis McGee series, nothing is certain—not with enough money at stake to change a dozen lives . . . or end them. Introduction by Dean Koontz Crissy Harkinson knows all about the cash that left the Gold Coast of Florida, headed for the Bahamas on board a pleasure boat. It came from Texas, unrecorded, intended as a bribe. Now it is Crissy’s last chance for the big score she’s been working toward for years, using her brains and her body. Then other people get involved, including a Texas lawyer too cool to commit himself to anything or anybody, a beautiful Cuban maid who might not be as silly as she seems, and a pitifully broken girl, adrift and unconscious in a tiny boat on the giant blue river of the Gulf Stream. Turns out these are shark-infested waters. And none of them are going down without a fight. Praise for John D. MacDonald and The Last One Left “As a young writer, all I ever wanted was to touch readers as powerfully as John D. MacDonald touched me.”—Dean Koontz “A stunning adventure.”—Chicago Tribune “John D. MacDonald created a staggering quantity of wonderful books, each rich with characterization, suspense, and an almost intoxicating sense of place.”—Jonathan Kellerman
Where Is Janice Gantry?, one of many classic novels from crime writer John D. MacDonald, the beloved author of Cape Fear and the Travis McGee series, is now available as an eBook. Sam Brice is the perfect rugged hero, even with a face battered by eleven seasons in football, almost three in pro. He’s involved with a young widow named Janice Gantry. But when she vanishes, Janice leaves behind a trail of blackmail, murder—and a man at war with his own sense of duty. Sam is too curious to steer clear of the mystifying disappearances off the Florida Keys . . . too stubborn to avoid making enemies with a cunning criminal and killer . . . and perhaps too enraged to do what he knows he must to save the one woman who matters: become as cold, impersonal, and deadly as an assassin. Features a new Introduction by Dean Koontz Praise for John D. MacDonald “The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller.”—Stephen King “My favorite novelist of all time.”—Dean Koontz “To diggers a thousand years from now, the works of John D. MacDonald would be a treasure on the order of the tomb of Tutankhamen.”—Kurt Vonnegut “A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field. Talk about the best.”—Mary Higgins Clark
