John Caine

Created by Charles Knief

Retired U.S. naval officer and SEAL JOHN CAINE lives on his 56-foot ketch-rigged sailboat, Duchess, in Oahu, Hawaii, and supplements his income by occasionally doing little favors for friends.

Drawing favorable comparisons to Spenser and particularly Travis McGee, Caine’s first appearance, 1996’s Diamond Head, won the St. Martin’s Press/Private Eye Writers of America Best First Mystery Novel Contest.

Caine’s creator, Charles Knief, is a pretty interesting character himself. He’s not only a consulting engineer, but an expert shot, a black belt in Kwan Cho Fa, and a mountain climber. He probably licks his weight in wild cats before breakfast everyday, as well.

UNDER OATH

• “High testosterone is the hook here, it virtually steams off the pages.”
  — Parners & Crime
• “Knief creates a good mix of straight sleuthing and hardcore action. Caine’s pain threshold seems superhuman at times but, then again, he is a SEAL. Actually, I miss Travis McGee the most when I read these books. I like Caine. I’m glad he’s around, and I’ll keep reading. I just can’t help thinking of him as a digitally re-mastered CD version of McGee. To me, there can be only one.”
  — Gerald So

NOVELS

• Diamond Head (1996) | Buy this book
• Sand Dollars (1998) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Emerald Flash (1999) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
• Silversword (2001) | Buy this book | Kindle it!

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• Interview with Charles Knief
  Partners & Crime bookstore in Greenwich Village has an interview with Caine’s creator posted on their website.
• The Children of Travis McGee
  The literary descendants of our man Trav.
• Eyes’ the Bye
  P.I.s who live afloat.
• Let’s Go to Hawaii
  Hawaiian Eyes