''A Tan and Sandy Silence'' (1971) is the thirteenth novel in the

Travis McGee Travis McGee is a fictional character, created by American mystery writer John D. MacDonald. McGee is neither a police officer nor a private investigator; instead, he is a self-described "salvage consultant" who recovers others' property fo ...

series by John D. MacDonald. The plot begins with Harry Broll, husband of McGee's longtime friend Mary, shows up at his houseboat ''The Busted Flush'' with a gun, threatening McGee and accusing him of hiding Mary aboard. The rest of the novel involves McGee's search for Mary.

Themes

The title phase, "A Tan and Sandy Silence" is not mentioned verbatim in the book. However, the title is referenced on Page 191 of the first edition, "...a message without sound. A sandy, tan farewell." McGee's sidekick, Meyer, plays a frequent, but small part in this book as McGee assumes a different identity, "Gavin Lee" while spending most of the book away from his normal home in Slip F-18 at Bahia Mar Yacht Basin in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in favor of the hot April climate of the island nation of

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

near Grand Anse Beach.

References

* * 1971 American novels Travis McGee (novel series) {{1970s-crime-novel-stub