The Deep Blue Good-by

Published in 1964, John D. MacDonald’s novel introduced Travis McGee, a self-styled salvage consultant who lives on a houseboat in Fort Lauderdale and recovers what others have lost, keeping half its value. Here he goes after a charming, brutal thief who has made off with a fortune hidden by a dead soldier. It began a series of 21 novels, each with a color in its title, and influenced many of the crime writers who followed.