The Long Lavender Look by John D. Macdonald

A Midnight Florida Swamp Ambush Plunges Travis McGee into Murder, Small-Town Police Brutality, and an Armored Car Heist

Driving late at night along a deserted rural Florida highway in his customized vintage Rolls-Royce pickup, "Miss Agnes," freelance salvage consultant Travis McGee and his economist companion Meyer swerve violently to avoid a barefoot young woman running through their headlights. Miss Agnes rolls into ten feet of murky canal water, and before they can drag themselves from the submerged cab, a hidden gunman opens fire on them from the dark tree line. When they finally reach the local authorities, corrupt deputies arrest them, hospitalize Meyer in a brutal jailhouse interrogation, and frame McGee for the murder of a local man.

Refusing to leave Cypress County until he clears their names and avenges Meyer's beating, McGee digs beneath the small town's insular power structure. He uncovers that the roadside ambush, the runaway girl, and the murder are tied to the violent aftermath of an unsolved armored car robbery involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen cash. Navigating hostile lawmen, manipulative local players, and a mounting body count, McGee races to expose the mastermind pulling the strings before he and Meyer become the next casualties.

Why You’ll Love This Book

John D. MacDonald delivers hard-edged Florida noir and high-stakes detective work in this standout 1970 mystery. The 12th entry in the acclaimed Travis McGee series, The Long Lavender Look is essential reading for fans of Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Lee Child's Jack Reacher, and Carl Hiaasen.