Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Hard-Boiled Detectives |
1953 |
Buy |
| Worlds to Come: New Science Fiction Adventures |
1967 |
Buy |
| Tomorrow 1 |
Science Fiction by the Masters |
1971 |
| Space Suits & Gumshoes |
1972 |
Buy |
| The Late Great Future |
1976 |
Buy |
| Dark Crimes 2 |
1993 |
Buy |
| Florida Stories |
1993 |
Buy |
| Law and Order |
1997 |
Buy |
| Murder Most Merry |
2002 |
Buy |
Masters of Noir#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Masters of Noir |
2010 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The House Guests |
1965 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Murder Run-Around |
2015 |
N/A |
| In a Small Motel |
2017 |
N/A |
| What Christmas Did for Jerusha Grumble |
2019 |
N/A |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Good Old Stuff |
1961 |
Buy |
| End of the Tiger and Other Stories |
1966 |
Buy |
| Seven |
1971 |
Buy |
| Other Times, Other Worlds |
1978 |
Buy |
| More Good Old Stuff |
1984 |
Buy |
| Death Quotient and Other Stories |
2010 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Brass Cupcake |
1950 |
Buy |
| Judge Me Not |
1951 |
Buy |
| Weep For Me |
1951 |
Buy |
| Wine of the Dreamers |
1951 |
Buy |
| Murder for the Bride |
1951 |
Buy |
| The Damned |
1952 |
Buy |
| Ballroom of the Skies |
1952 |
Buy |
| Planet of the Dreamers |
1953 |
Buy |
| Cancel All Our Vows |
1953 |
Buy |
| Neon Jungle |
1953 |
Buy |
| Dead Low Tide |
1953 |
Buy |
| Area of Suspicion |
1954 |
Buy |
| All These Condemned |
1954 |
Buy |
| Contrary Pleasure |
1954 |
Buy |
| A Bullet for Cinderella |
1955 |
Buy |
| On the Make |
1955 |
Buy |
| Cry Hard, Cry Fast |
1955 |
Buy |
| Border Town Girl / Five Star Fugitive / Linda |
1956 |
Buy |
| Murder in the Wind / Hurricane |
1956 |
Buy |
| April Evil |
1956 |
Buy |
| A Man of Affairs |
1957 |
Buy |
| Death Trap |
1957 |
Buy |
| The Empty Trap |
1957 |
Buy |
| The Deceivers |
1958 |
Buy |
| Clemmie |
1958 |
Buy |
| Soft Touch |
1958 |
Buy |
| Cape Fear / The Executioners |
1958 |
Buy |
| The Beach Girls |
1959 |
Buy |
| You Live Once / Kill Me |
1959 |
Buy |
| The Crossroads |
1959 |
Buy |
| Please Write for Details |
1959 |
Buy |
| The End of the Night |
1960 |
Buy |
| The Only Girl in the Game |
1960 |
Buy |
| Slam the Big Door |
1960 |
Buy |
| Where is Janice Gantry? |
1961 |
Buy |
| One Monday We Killed Them All |
1961 |
Buy |
| A Key to the Suite |
1962 |
Buy |
| On the Run |
1962 |
Buy |
| A Flash of Green |
1962 |
Buy |
| The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything |
1962 |
Buy |
| The Drowner |
1963 |
Buy |
| I Could Go on Singing |
1964 |
Buy |
| Deadly Welcome |
1965 |
Buy |
| The Last One Left |
1967 |
Buy |
| No Deadly Drug |
1968 |
Buy |
| The Price of Murder |
1972 |
Buy |
| Condominium |
1977 |
Buy |
| Two |
1983 |
Buy |
| One More Sunday |
1984 |
Buy |
| Barrier Island |
1986 |
Buy |
| Hurricane |
2014 |
Buy |
Travis McGee Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Deep Blue Good-By |
1964 |
Buy |
| Nightmare in Pink |
1964 |
Buy |
| A Purple Place for Dying |
1964 |
Buy |
| The Quick Red Fox |
1964 |
Buy |
| A Deadly Shade of Gold |
1965 |
Buy |
| Bright Orange for the Shroud |
1965 |
Buy |
| Darker Than Amber |
1966 |
Buy |
| One Fearful Yellow Eye |
1966 |
Buy |
| Pale Gray for Guilt |
1968 |
Buy |
| The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper |
1968 |
Buy |
| Dress Her in Indigo |
1969 |
Buy |
| The Long Lavender Look |
1970 |
Buy |
| A Tan and Sandy Silence |
1971 |
Buy |
| The Scarlet Ruse |
1972 |
Buy |
| The Turquoise Lament |
1973 |
Buy |
| The Dreadful Lemon Sky |
1974 |
Buy |
| The Empty Copper Sea |
1978 |
Buy |
| The Green Ripper |
1979 |
Buy |
| Free Fall in Crimson |
1981 |
Buy |
| Cinnamon Skin |
1982 |
Buy |
| The Lonely Silver Rain |
1984 |
Buy |
John D. MacDonald (1916-1986) was one of the most respected American crime writers of the 20th century. He published more than 70 novels and hundreds of short stories over a career spanning three decades. His work ranged from noir thrillers and suspense novels to science fiction, though he is remembered primarily for his crime fiction.
His most famous creation is Travis McGee, the protagonist of 21 novels published between 1964 and 1984. Each Travis McGee title includes a color (The Deep Blue Good-By, Bright Orange for the Shroud, The Green Ripper, etc.). Beyond the McGee books, MacDonald wrote dozens of standalone novels including Cape Fear (originally titled The Executioners) and Condominium. Stephen King called him “the great entertainer of our age.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has John D. MacDonald written?
John D. MacDonald has written 92 books across seven series.
What was John D. MacDonald's first book?
John D. MacDonald’s first book is The Brass Cupcake, published in 1950.
What is John D. MacDonald best known for?
He is best known for the 21-book Travis McGee series, featuring a self-described ‘salvage consultant’ living on a houseboat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Each title includes a color in the name.