While McGee notes in "Free Fall in Crimson" (1981) he has "cut a wide swath through a wall of female flesh", he is honest and cynical enough to understand what this says about himself. This is a part of his introspective nature that frequently appears throughout the series, with observations about society around him, with particular notice paid to the changing Florida environment. McGee's cynical image of himself, some variation of which appears in every book in the series, is as a knight in rusty armor with a broken lance and swaybacked steed, fighting for what he fears are outdated or unrealistic ideals—these are clearly allusions to Don Quixote. In his romantic view of the world (as well as several other similarities) he bears a resemblance to Robert B. Parker's Spenser.