publisher bright orange for the shroud
Travis McGee is a fictional character , created by prolific American mystery writer John D . ___MASK3___ . Unlike most detectives in mystery / detective fiction , McGee is neither a police officer nor a private investigator ; instead , he is a self - described " salvage consultant " who recovers others ' property for a fee of 50 %. McGee appeared in 21 novels , from " The Deep Blue Good - by " in 1964 to " The Lonely Silver Rain " in 1984 . In 1980 , the McGee novel " The Green Ripper " won the National Book Award . All 21 books have the theme of a color in the title , one of the earliest examples of detective / mystery fiction series to have a ' title theme ' ( e . g . the Sue ___MASK30___ ] ' alphabet ' series ; Janet Evanovich ' s ' number ' series of Stephanie Plum books , etc .) Sue Taylor ___MASK30___ ( born April 24 , 1940 ) is a contemporary American author of detective novels . She is best known as the author of the ' alphabet series ' ("" A " Is for Alibi ", etc .) featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa , California . The daughter of detective novelist C . W . ___MASK30___ , she has said the strongest influence on her crime novels is author Ross Macdonald . Prior to ___MASK96___ with this series , she wrote screenplays for television movies . Bright Orange for the Shroud ( 1965 ) is a sixth novel in the Travis McGee series by John D . ___MASK3___ . The plot follows McGee as he attempts to salvage the money of friend Arthur Wilkinson after the man is defrauded in a semi - legal confidence scheme involving a land deal . The Lonely Silver Rain ( 1985 ) is the 21st and final novel in the Travis McGee series by John D . ___MASK3___ . The work was published a year prior to the author ' s death , and was not intentionally the end of the series . It is also notable for the introduction of McGee ' s daughter Jean , who he unwittingly ( but not unwillingly ) sired with the now - deceased love interest Puss Killian from the ninth book in the series : " Pale Gray for Guilt ". At the end of the book McGee has taken all of his cash in hand except for a few hundred dollars and placed it in a trust fund for his newly met teenage daughter , and needs to go back to work as a " salvage consultant ." The author ' s death prevented any further development of this new character and plot line . John Dann ___MASK3___ ( July 24 , 1916  December 28 , 1986 ) was an American writer of novels and short stories , known for his thrillers . The Deep Blue Good - by is the first of 21 novels in the Travis McGee series by American author John D . ___MASK3___ . Commissioned in 1964 by ___MASK12___ editor Knox Burger , the book establishes for the series an investigative protagonist in a residential Florida base . All titles in the 21 - volume series include a color , a mnemonic device which was suggested by his publisher so that when harried travelers in airports looked to buy a book , they could at once see those ___MASK3___ titles they had not yet read . ( ___MASK3___ also included color in a further two unrelated novels : " A Flash of Green " and " The Girl , the Gold Watch & Everything ".)