The precedent most openly invoked in the Travis McGee novels is that of the quest. McGee often refers to himself in chivalric terms, although disparagingly: He rides a swaybacked steed, his armor is rusty, and the grail is tarnished. In this connection, Don Quixote is often mentioned as a forebear by both Meyer and McGee. The model of Cervantes is appropriate to the satiric quality of the novels, but at the same time McGee's salvage operations include many elements of the traditional quest-narrative whose archetypal appeal may make an important contribution to the success of the novels. Most basic, perhaps, is the motif of death and rebirth. In The Lonely Silver Rain, McGee makes a voyage to the underworld when he discovers the missing cruiser (note its two ironic names: Sundowner and Lazidays); other, more compelling examples occur in The Green Ripper (1979), whose entire plot may...