Contains spoilers for “NCIS” Season 23, Episode 4 — “Gone Girls”
Tim McGee (Sean Murray) is a bit of a renaissance man — father, husband, NCIS member, cybersecurity expert, and author. During Season 23’s “Gone Girls,” a chunk of his past comes back to haunt him when he’s recognized as his mystery thriller writing alter ego Thom E. Gemcity (which is an anagram from Timothy McGee) by a book club member. McGee is shocked to be noticed, though it’s not a wholly pleasant experience, as the person in question disparages the thriller genre while getting his autograph.
Fans will remember that Tim used his nom de plume to publish two Jack Reacher-meets-Tom-Clancy-style novels which clearly draw inspiration from members of his team. There are two installments in his “Deep Six” series so far: “Deep Six: The Continuing Adventures of L.J. Tibbs” and “Deep Six: Rock Hollow – The Continuing Adventures of L.J. Tibbs.” Yes, it’s pretty obvious that L.J. Tibbs is based on Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), Tim’s boss and friend. He even has a character based on himself in the universe: McGregor. But being an author hasn’t quite panned out the way Tim wanted it to.
McGee’s second book put his team in danger
While Tim’s work as an author brought him a bit of fame, it hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows. He’s admitted that the money he made writing the “Deep Six” books is long gone, sunk into both poor investments and objects like a fancy new car and clothing. Even worse, in one of the biggest mistakes Tim has ever made, the novels nearly got his friends killed.
During the Season 4 episode “Cover Story,” Tim realizes that the perp in a real crime has reenacted a scene in his then-unpublished second novel. He must confess his secret second life to the gang, who use what Tim knows to try to figure out how someone could have possibly gotten their hands on a copy of his unpublished book. In the end the perp puts Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) in danger, leaving Tim to question his avocation.
In spite of the danger, Tim’s writing career hasn’t died off — he’s confirmed that he’s retiring the character of Tibbs and will create new Deep Six novels about a woman named Delena Fleming — based on his wife, Delilah Fielding (Margo Harshman). Delena is “a hot new cryptologist,” McGee explains to Nick Torres, but he hasn’t mentioned any further details regarding his new protagonist. Fans will have to wait and see if she ends up being as much of a hit as Tibbs.