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  • Published: 10 October 2013
  • ISBN: 9781448170364
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 320

The Scarlet Ruse: Introduction by Lee Child

Travis McGee, No.14



Another impeccable edge-of-your-seat thriller from bestselling author John D MacDonald that has inspired a generation of crime writers. Well-paced, intelligently written and with a penchant for characterisation, this series is not one to miss. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, James Patterson and John Grisham.

'MacDonald had a huge influence on me . . . Reacher is like a fully detached version of Travis McGee' - LEE CHILD
'The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller' - STEPHEN KING
'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
'. . . my favorite novelist of all time' - DEAN KOONTZ
'A treasure of a book' -- ***** Reader review
'John D MacDonald has done it again: another page-turner' -- ***** Reader review
'Compelling' -- ***** Reader review
'Another Macdonald masterpiece' -- ***** Reader review

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Travis McGee isn't your typical knight in shining armour. 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.

An expert stamp collector is left frantic when he misplaces the extremely valuable collection of an important and shady client. Hirsh doesn't know how he's going to get it back. But fortunately for him, he's got a friend in Travis McGee.

It's not long till Travis is hot on the trail of the missing collection. But Travis is going to have to play this game carefully - Hirsh's client is liable to break some fingers if he doesn't get what he's owed . . .

First published in 1972, The Scarlet Ruse features an introduction by Lee Child
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Further Praise for the Travis McGee series:
'The consummate pro, a master storyteller and witty observer . . . The Travis McGee novels are among the finest works of fiction ever penned by an American author and they retain a remarkable sense of freshness' - Jonathan Kellerman

'Travis McGee is my favourite fiction detective. He's great because he has a philosophical side - he will fight a bunch of mobsters in a car park and then have a muse about life, the universe and everything' - Tony Parsons

'A dominant influence on writers crafting the continuing series character . . . I envy the generation of readers just discovering Travis McGee' - Sue Grafton

'A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field' - Mary Higgins Clark

'What a joy that these timeless and treasured novels are available again' - Ed McBain

'There's only one thing as good as reading a John D. MacDonald novel: reading it again . . . He is the all-time master of the American mystery novel' - John Saul

  • Published: 10 October 2013
  • ISBN: 9781448170364
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 320

About the author

John D MacDonald

John D. MacDonald was an American novelist and short-story writer. His works include the highly influential and iconic Travis McGee series and the novel The Executioners, which was adapted into the film Cape Fear. In 1972, MacDonald was given The Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America; in 1980, he won a National Book Award for the Travis McGee title The Green Ripper. In print, he delighted in smashing the bad guys, deflating the pompous, and exposing the venal. In life, he was a truly empathic man; his friends, family, and colleagues found him to be loyal, generous, and practical. In business, he was fastidiously ethical. About being a writer, he once expressed with gleeful astonishment, 'They pay me to do this! They don’t realize, I would pay them.' He spent the later part of his life in Florida with his wife and son, and died in 1986.

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Praise for The Scarlet Ruse: Introduction by Lee Child

The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller

Stephen King

A dominant influence on writers crafting the continuing series character . . . I envy the generation of readers just discovering Travis McGee

Sue Grafton

The consummate pro, a master storyteller and witty observer . . . The Travis McGee novels are among the finest works of fiction ever penned by an American author and they retain a remarkable sense of freshness

Jonathan Kellerman

...my favorite novelist of all time

Dean Koontz

A master storyteller, a masterful suspense writer . . . John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all of us in the field

Mary Higgins Clark

What a joy that these timeless and treasured novels are available again

Ed McBain

There’s only one thing as good as reading a John D. MacDonald novel: reading it again . . . He is the all-time master of the American mystery novel

John Saul