John D MacDonald 
The Empty Copper Sea: Introduction by Lee Child 
Travis McGee, No.17

”Mac Donald had a huge influence on me . . . Reacher is like a fully detached version of Travis Mc Gee” LEE CHILD

Travis Mc Gee 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.
As a boat captain, Van Harder’s reputation is his most valuable possession. But his wealthy employer has gone missing, presumed dead, and people are pointing the finger. They say he was drunk at the helm when his employer went overboard.
But Harder insists he doesn’t drink . . . at least, not any more. And he wants his reputation back. But who would believe him? To help him, Travis Mc Gee must do the impossible: prove that a dead man is actually alive . . .

First published in 1978, The Empty Copper Sea features an introduction by Lee Child
JOHN D. MACDONALD: A GRAND MASTER CRIME WRITER
”The great entertainer of our age, and a mesmerizing storyteller” – Stephen King
”Travis Mc Gee 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 Mc Gee” – Sue Grafton
”The consummate pro, a master storyteller and witty observer . . . The Travis Mc Gee 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. Mac Donald 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 Mc Bain
”There’s only one thing as good as reading a John D. Mac Donald novel: reading it again . . . He is the all-time master of the American mystery novel” – John Saul