A deft hand at the writing desk, MacDonald pulls you into his creation from the very first line and continues to pull you into his characters every page after. A gruesome murder and a troubling relationship makes Travis a vulnerable protagonist, which is why he is so interesting. The forerunner to Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole, Travis isn't quite so unredeemable, but he's still distinct and the darkness iinherent in the series intrigues us and keeps us coming back. Reading the foreward, you get some understanding of MacDonald, but his background is sure not Travis McGee's world. Confounding.