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A Deadly Shade of Gold: Introduction by Lee Child
A Deadly Shade of Gold: Introduction by Lee Child
Jul 19, 2025 11:34 PM

Author:John D MacDonald

A Deadly Shade of Gold: Introduction by Lee Child

John D MacDonald - bestselling author and the inspiration behind a generation of crime writers - has penned a thriller so compelling and addictive and full of intrigue and incident, you won't be able to stop reading. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, Michael Connelly and John Grisham, this suspenseful mystery will get right under your skin.

'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

'Great page turners, always some great lines and observations in there that are still relevant.' -- ***** Reader review

'Fantastic writing' -- ***** Reader review

'Excellent - a classy thriller by a master of the genre' -- ***** Reader review

'An excellent read.....' -- ***** 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.

When Travis McGee picks up the phone and hears a voice from his past, he can't help it: he has to meddle. Especially when he has the chance to reunite Sam, his reckless, restless old friend, with the woman who's been waiting for him.

But the case takes a sinister turn when Sam shows up brutally cut and lying in a pool of his own blood. Travis is left to uncover the truth in a violent chase that takes him to dark but beautiful Mexico.

But when the truth is as terrifying as this, does he really want answers at all?

First published in 1965, A Deadly Shade of Gold 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

Reviews

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

[T]his is a much darker version of Brunetti-land than the earlier novels…The character of the deaf mutes seems to serve as an allegory of the political landscape of Italy – the public silenced and ignored, whilst those in power continue the ancient Italian tradition of fiddle-playing.

—— The Lady

The descriptions of Venice and Venetian life are beautifully written and acutely observed … The author clearly has an excellent understanding of the Italian psyche and a profound knowledge of Venice and Venetian life. This is the 22nd book in Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series and I can’t wait for the 23rd.

—— Crimereview

John le Carré takes us back to his favourite scenarios: Whitehall, the secret services, the gentleman's clubs, dodgy bankers, corrupt public schoolboys and gruesome American neo-cons . . . revelling once more in that imaginary world of secrets and lies that is le Carré's gift to us

—— Evening Standard

Tense, twisty, and driven by a melancholy insight into human motivation . . . deeply compelling

—— The Week

John le Carré is as recognisable a writer as Dickens or Austen, with an often-imitated but never rivalled cast of seedy spies, false lovers, public schoolboys struggling with guilt, and charming but immoral leaders of the brutal establishment . . . This is vintage le Carré and highly enjoyable

—— Financial Times

Thrilling, suspenseful . . . Fans will not be disappointed

—— Sunday Express

Utterly convincing characters, a tight plot . . . Wonderful

—— Sunday Mirror

Thrilling

—— Express

Choreographed with unsettling precision

—— Metro

When I was under house arrest I was helped by the books of John le Carré ... they were a journey into the wider world ... These were the journeys that made me feel that I was not really cut off from the rest of humankind

—— Aung San Suu Kyi

Plunges the reader into a modern-day thriller...Dad won't be able to put it down

—— Metro

[It] has all the essential ingredients of his masterpieces: the dilemmas of duty, patriotism and decency

—— Simon Sebag Montefiore , Metro 'Books of the Year'

John Le Carré at his masterful best . . . nobody does it better

—— Ben Macintyre , The Times 'Books of the Year'

Widely hailed as a return to the good old Smiley days . . . le Carré writes with laconic elegance

—— Kate Saunders , The Times 'Books of the Year'
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