''Dress Her in Indigo'' (1969) is the eleventh novel in the

Travis McGee John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...

series by John D. MacDonald.

Plot synopsis

McGee investigates what happened to a young woman, Beatrice "Bix" Bowie, on behalf of her father, Harlan Bowie, after she disappears into the

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

subculture of

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

s and

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

s in Oaxaca, Mexico, and is found dead. McGee interacts with several characters to track down the true story of Bix and her four now-missing companions, Walter "Rocko" Rockland, Jerome Nesta, Mindy McLeen, and Carl Saunders. McLeen's father Wally is in Oaxaca on his own search McGee's sidekick Meyer, a family friend of the Bowies, convinced McGee to investigate, and joins McGee in Mexico.

Theme

The title phrase "Dress Her in Indigo" is found on page 244 of the first edition when one of the characters states, "Look at how splendid that color is for her. It makes those deep blue eyes look almost deep violet. I will dress her in indigo, and in the good blues and greens and grays." This the only book in the series that uses a verb in the title (dress).

References

* * 1969 American novels Travis McGee (novel series) Novels set in Mexico {{1960s-crime-novel-stub