Bright Orange for the Shroud (Travis McGee Series, Book #6)

Bright Orange for the Shroud (Travis McGee Series, Book #6) by John D. MacDonald

Travis McGee is looking forward to a "slob summer," spending his days as far away from danger as possible. But trouble has a way of finding him, no matter where he hides. An old friend, conned out of his life savings by his ex-wife has tracked him down and is desperate for help. To get the money back and earn his usual fee, McGee will have to penetrate the Everglades and the mind of a violently twisted grifter.

McGee has never seen a man so changed by one year of life. Arthur Wilkinson had been an amiable and decent young man looking to invest some of his considerable inheritance in a marina enterprise. Then a pretty blonde named Wilma Ferner showed up. She was soon Mrs. Wilkinson, and it only took her a year to leave Arthur bankrupt and broken.

But what starts out as a simple job turns into a dangerous situation when McGee comes face-to-face with a quick-thinking and quicker-fisted foe in the Florida swamps. Now Arthur's fortune isn't the only thing on the line: This job may mean McGee's life.