This is book 5 of the "Travis McGee" series.

This note contains spoilers for the book.

Travis' old friend Sam comes back, and is killed that night, before he can even see his old girl (who's essentially waited for him).

He's been involved in bad stuff, some, and was planning to do more I think, and Travis talks him out of it some, and that's probably what leads to him being killed so soon (but the people after him might have got him anyway). He's involved with 28 old gold statues, weighing about 140 pounds.

Travis, of course, gets involved in the case, and in the woman. The follow the trail to Mexico, where many people die including the woman, and then Travis follows it to Los Angeles, where more people die, but not travis, quite (the bullet goes through his chest safely). Travis does, however, actually end up with the 28 gold statues, plus 6 more.