Global InformationThe Last One Left information
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
 First edition (h/b) | |
| Author | John D. MacDonald |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Patricia Saville |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Publisher | Fawcett (p/b) Doubleday (h/b) |
Publication date | 1967 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-449-13958-5 |
The Last One Left (1967) is a mystery novel by John D. MacDonald. The plot is similar to the notorious real-life events on the sailing ship Bluebelle when, in 1961, the captain killed his wife and four passengers and set a surviving child adrift to die, all in an unsuccessful attempt to cash in his wife's life insurance policy.
The book's subtitle is A story about money and dying, and it is written on several different levels. Throughout the plot are subtle discourses on what it means to have a "good" life, how people deal with stress and uncertainty, and at what point will someone reach out for healthy human contact, or else take self-interest as their highest goal. The Last One Left has been described as one of MacDonald's longest and most complex works.[1]
The story largely takes place in southern Florida and the Bahamas, and is similar to many of the author's better-known stories starring adventurer Travis McGee stories. The book is in fact dedicated to McGee "who lent invaluable support and encouragement," and a named runabout motorboat later appears in the McGee novel Pale Gray for Guilt.
It was originally published in 1967, appearing in paperback by Fawcett (reprinted 1981) and in hardcover by Doubleday.
- ^ Mike Mayo (2008) American Murder: Criminals, Crimes, and the Media. Visible Ink Press, p 148