The Extra Dimensions of John D. MacDonald

I was saddened to read of the death of John MacDonald. While it might seem, at first, foolish or trivial to say that the author of adventure-mystery novels touched my life, he surely did.

I grew up, if the 30-to-50 passage is indeed the age of growing up, and grew older with Travis McGee, that knight-errant of the salvage business. His fictional journey from the somewhat callous but introspective young man in “The Deep Blue Goodby� to the aging hero rediscovering life’s meaning through laughter and friends, the simplicity of a job well done and the revelation of an unknown daughter in “The Lonely Silver Rain� paralleled my own.

John MacDonald’s words remind me during the confusing times that life, at its best, is a simple thing. You live, you love, you do what’s right as often as you can.

JIM TURNER

Thousand Oaks