''One Fearful Yellow Eye'' (1966) is the eighth 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 revolves around McGee's attempts to aid his longtime friend Glory Doyle in her quest to uncover the truth about her late husband and the

blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

which made over half a million dollars of his fortune disappear. It is largely set in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, rather than the usual McGee haunt of Florida. When Fortner Geis dies, it becomes clear that his fortune was swindled out of him in his last months. McGee tracks down the money and eventually builds a romantic relationship with Fortner's daughter, Heidi Trumbill.

Themes

The title phrase, "One Fearful Yellow Eye" refers to the look of the eye of one of the characters after he has died. It is found on page 174 of the first edition. McGee's sidekick Meyer briefly appears in the book, but does not play a central role. McGee recovers $187,650 from Saul Gorba when he moves to a small town of Bureau, Illinois. He receives about 10% ($18,750) from one of the rightful heirs, Heidi Trumbill.

References

* * 1966 American novels Travis McGee (novel series) Novels set in Chicago {{1960s-crime-novel-stub