Avid Series Reader's Reviews > The Deep Blue Good-By

The Deep Blue Good-By by John D. MacDonald is the first book of the Travis McGee mystery series set in 1960s Florida. Travis McGee lives at Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale on a houseboat he won in a poker game. He rejects the consumerism of society, preferring to just get by on the minimum basic needs. He is not ambitious; he works only when money for supplies runs low. He calls himself a "Salvage Consultant". His specialty is to recover stolen items whose theft can't be reported to police because they were illegally obtained in the first place. His fee for successful recovery is half the value of the recovered items.

Cathy Kerr asks Travis to recover an unknown treasure that her father had hidden at their home between his military service and prison term. He had assured the family they would be rich when he got out - but he died in prison. Fellow inmate Junior Allen did get out of prison, came to meet the family, charmed Cathy for awhile, then turned nasty and absconded. Clearly he had found the treasure. Cathy knows it's a very long shot to recover, but Travis agrees to try.

As Travis tracks down Junior Allen, he learns that in addition to being a con man and a bully, Allen is a serial rapist. Travis rescues another of Allen's victims, Lois, from suicide. She comes to stay in "The Busted Flush" with Travis, to recover in health and spirit.

Travis locates Junior aboard the Play Pen, a luxury cruiser. Junior's tastes have become more perverted: now he's after jail bait. He's about to take off for Bimini with a teenager. Patty has no idea what a monster he is, or that he manipulated her friends to get her on the cruise. Travis and Lois plan a trap for Junior: while Lois lures Junior away from the boat, Travis will find the treasure, then capture Junior when he returns.

Of course, not all goes as planned. Travis must fight Junior for his life, then chase after him in a borrowed speedboat during a storm.

A fast-paced read, light entertainment, obviously dated (no modern technology). Its enduring appeal is the author's commentary (the anti-hero protagonist's rants).