What American novelist wrote a series of books, each with a different color in the title?

John D. MacDonald had a varied and rich life experience which he put to good use in crafting a series of mystery novels set in Florida. A semi-retired treasure hunter named Travis McGee lived on a houseboat, the "Busted Flush," which he won when the previous owner lost it with a busted flush.

The stories are all written with a color in the title, a mnemonic device MacDonald used to help readers remember his books when they were looking for another one they hadn't yet read. From "The Deep Blue Goodbye" to the Lonely Silver Rain," he wrote 21 Travis McGee novels, as well as dozens of other stories and articles.

MacDonald met his wife Dorothy, and getting his MBA from Harvard in 1939, worked several jobs in business and finance before being commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant at the outbreak of WWII. He served in the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and left after the war as a Lt. Colonel. He died at age 70 after complications following heart surgery in 1986.