John D. MacDonald

John D. MacDonald

John D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA on July 24th, 1916 and passed away at the age of 70 on December 28th, 1986.

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John D. MacDonald Stats: The highest rated book by John D. MacDonald on Book Notification is One Fearful Yellow Eye, the 8th novel in the Travis McGee series. The second-highest rated book is Free Fall in Crimson (Travis McGee #19).

The most read book by John D. MacDonald on Book Notification is The Deep Blue Good-By, the first novel in the Travis McGee series. The second most read book is Nightmare in Pink (Travis McGee #2).

Below is a complete list of John D. MacDonald books in publication and chronological order, broken down by series. The most popular series by John D. MacDonald is the Travis McGee Series.

List of Travis McGee Books in Publication Order

# ReadTitle Avg. Year Book Link
1
9.3
The Deep Blue Good-By
1964
2
9
Nightmare in Pink
1964
3
9.1
A Purple Place for Dying
1964
4
9.1
The Quick Red Fox
1964
5
8.4
A Deadly Shade of Gold
1965
6
9
Bright Orange for the Shroud
1965
7
9.2
Darker Than Amber
1966
8
9.5
One Fearful Yellow Eye
1966
9
9.2
Pale Gray for Guilt
1968
10
9.2
The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper
1968
11
8
Dress Her in Indigo
1969
12
8.7
The Long Lavender Look
1970
13
8.5
A Tan and Sandy Silence
1971
14
8.7
The Scarlet Ruse
1972
15
10
The Turquoise Lament
1973
16
10
The Dreadful Lemon Sky
1974
17
9.3
The Empty Copper Sea
1978
18
10
The Green Ripper
1979
19
9.5
Free Fall in Crimson
1981
20
9.3
Cinnamon Skin
1982
21
9
The Lonely Silver Rain
1984

List of Standalone Novels in Publication Order

# ReadTitle Avg. Year Book Link
1
The Brass Cupcake
1950
2
Judge Me Not
1951
3
Weep For Me
1951
4
Wine of the Dreamers
1951
5
Murder for the Bride
1951
6
The Damned
1952
7
Ballroom of the Skies
1952
8
Planet of the Dreamers
1953
9
Cancel All Our Vows
1953
10
Neon Jungle
1953
11
Dead Low Tide
1953
12
Area of Suspicion
1954
13
All These Condemned
1954
14
Contrary Pleasure
1954
15
A Bullet for Cinderella
1955
16
On the Make
1955
17
Cry Hard, Cry Fast
1955
18
Border Town Girl / Five Star Fugitive / Linda
1956
19
Murder in the Wind / Hurricane
1956
20
April Evil
1956
21
A Man of Affairs
1957
22
8
Death Trap
1957
23
The Empty Trap
1957
24
The Deceivers
1958
25
Clemmie
1958
26
Soft Touch
1958
27
9.2
Cape Fear / The Executioners
1958
28
The Beach Girls
1959
29
You Live Once / Kill Me
1959
30
10
The Crossroads
1959
31
Please Write for Details
1959
32
The End of the Night
1960
33
The Only Girl in the Game
1960
34
Slam the Big Door
1960
35
Where is Janice Gantry?
1961
36
One Monday We Killed Them All
1961
37
A Key to the Suite
1962
38
On the Run
1962
39
10
A Flash of Green
1962
40
10
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything
1962
41
I Could Go on Singing
1963
42
8
The Drowner
1963
43
10
Deadly Welcome
1965
44
The Last One Left
1967
45
No Deadly Drug
1968
46
The Price of Murder
1972
47
Condominium
1977
48
Two
1983
49
One More Sunday
1984
50
Barrier Island
1986
51
Hurricane
2014

List of Short Story Collections in Publication Order

List of Short Stories/Novellas in Publication Order

List of Masters of Noir Books in Publication Order (with Hal Ellson)

# ReadTitle Avg. Year Book Link
1
Masters of Noir ( By: Hal Ellson)
Masters of Noir ( By: Hal Ellson)
2010
Show All Books in this Series

List of John D. MacDonald Anthologies in Publication Order

John D. MacDonald: Biography

John D. MacDonald (John Dann MacDonald) was born on July 24th, 1916. John passed away December 28th, 1986 at 70 years old. John D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA. MacDonald attended Harvard University where he received an MBA.

John D. MacDonald (John Dann MacDonald) is probably best known for his Standalone Novels. There are currently 51 novels available. The first standalone was released in 1950 with the novel The Brass Cupcake. The most recently released novel was Hurricane which was released in 2014.

John D. MacDonald also wrote the Travis McGee series which has 21 books including The Deep Blue Good-By and Nightmare in Pink.

John D. MacDonald: Awards & Accolades

John D. MacDonald won the Edgar Award, Grand Master, in 1972.

MacDonald's book, The Green Ripper won the National Book Awards, Best Mystery - Hardcover, in 1980.

John D. MacDonald books have also been nominated for multiple awards, The Drowner was nominated for the Crime Writer's Association Award, Gold Dagger Award, in 1964. The Last One Left was nominated for the Crime Writer's Association Award, Gold Dagger Award, in 1968. The Lonely Silver Rain was nominated for the Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel, in 1986.

Related Authors

The most common authors followed by users who also follow John D. MacDonald are:

  1. Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher Series.
  2. Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch Series.
  3. David Baldacci, author of the Amos Decker Series.
  4. John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.
  5. Robert Crais, author of the Elvis Cole & Joe Pike Series.

John D. MacDonald: F.A.Q

When was John D. MacDonald Born?

John D. MacDonald was born on July 24th, 1916.

When did John D. MacDonald die?

John D. MacDonald died on December 28th, 1986 at 70 years old.

Where was John D. MacDonald Born?

John D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA.

What awards has John D. MacDonald won?

John D. MacDonald has won the following awards: Grand Master at the Edgar Award (1972).

What book awards has John D. MacDonald won?

MacDonald's book, The Green Ripper won the award National Book Awards, Best Mystery - Hardcover, in 1980.

What was the first book John D. MacDonald wrote?

The first novel written by John D. MacDonald was The Brass Cupcake, published in 1950.

What was the most recent book John D. MacDonald wrote?

His most recently released work was What Christmas Did for Jerusha Grumble (a short story) on December 19th, 2019.

How many books has John D. MacDonald written?

John D. MacDonald has written 81 books excluding contributions to anthologies. 21 books in the Travis McGee Series, 51 Standalone Novels, 6 books in the Short Story Collections, 3 Short Stories/Novellas.

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    Author Discussion


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    Michael K.
    Michael K.
    2 years ago

    Macdonald is probably the oldest author I’ve ever read. I think the McGee books date back to the 1960s. I have a friend who was hesitant to read them because he thought they were too dated. He couldn’t imagine enjoying them.

    Six weeks later, we are tearing through the McGee collection at breakneck speed. The primary attraction is the novelty. From the first chapter of The Deep Blue Good-By, you can tell that Travis McGee lives in a different era.

    People do not write mystery novels like The Deep Blue Good-By, not anymore. Every time I read a John D. MacDonald book, I feel like I jumped into a time machine and took a trip to the past.

    Juicer
    Juicer
    Reply to  Michael K.
    1 year ago

    I was living with my older brother in the summer of 1967 in a cottage he had rented, the cottage came with a book rack of John D MacDonald books along with other authors, I read all of the Travis McGee books back ten, now in my mid 70’s I might just go back and read them all again

    EllenG
    EllenG
    Reply to  Juicer
    6 months ago

    Oh how I understand!!!!! I am 78 and didn’t read them until the 1980’s but enjoyed them so much!

    Phil Ammar
    Phil Ammar
    10 months ago

    I’m currently reading the Travis McGee series and I love it. I think it’s because I can relate to the character, or would like to. I’ve often heard that John D. MacDonald was a great author and it’s true. May he rest in peace.

    Last edited 10 months ago by Phil Ammar
    Kent
    Kent
    7 months ago

    John D MacDonald’s Travis McGee books are my favorite books to read (and re-read). Listening to Mike Rowe (from Dirty Jobs) talk about these books being his favorite series has reminded me that I need to read them (again!).

    EllenG
    EllenG
    6 months ago

    I love every thing I have read and I have read all of the Travis McGee Collections ‘I think’,,read them a long time ago…..library editions….I would take 3-5 books out at a time and devour them!!!! I am an avid reader and these were the ‘best’. I may start over with the first one and read them again! I love BookNotification!!! It makes me so glad to have collections so organized!!!!! Thank You.

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