American fiction writer whose mystery and science-fiction (science fiction) works were published in more than 70 books. He is best remembered for his series of 24 crime novels featuring private investigator Travis McGee.

After MacDonald graduated from Syracuse (New York) University (B.S., 1938) and Harvard Graduate School of Business (M.B.A., 1939), he served in World War II in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He began contributing science-fiction and suspense stories to pulp magazines in the mid-1940s. From 1950 he began publishing full-length novels, beginning with The Brass Cupcake.

In The Deep Blue Good-By (1964), MacDonald introduced Travis McGee—a tough, eccentric “salvage consultant” who typically defends a beautiful woman against a large, corrupt organization. Going beyond the usual formula of sex and violence, the author investigated contemporary social and moral concerns through McGee and his erudite sidekick, Meyer. Books in the series include One Fearful Yellow Eye (1966), A Tan and Sandy Silence (1971), and Cinnamon Skin (1982). Among his science-fiction novels are Wine of the Dreamers (1951), Ballroom of the Skies (1952), and The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything (1962). Other notable works by MacDonald include The Neon Jungle (1953), A Key to the Suite (1962), Condominium (1977), and One More Sunday (1984).