Ten Thousand Islands (Hardcover)

White weaves the history of the Calusa Indians with modern-day grave robbers. Doc Ford searches for someone who desecrated the grave of a teenage girl - Dorothy, a girl with a mystic link to the history of Marco Island - a girl who may have been murdered.

A political candidate, his powerful businessman father, and hired thugs all appear to be looking for what was buried with Dorothy. Plain old evil, madness, and a hint of the supernatural weave together into a fast-paced and exciting story.

Very well done and a good read.

Randy Wayne White is the author of several Doc Ford novels, including TWELVE-MILE LIMIT, SHARK RIVER, SANIBEL FLATS, and NORTH OF HAVANA. He's also authored books on travel and fishing in Florida, BATFISHING IN THE RAIN FOREST, THE SHARKS OF NICARAGUA, and LAST FLIGHT OUT. He's also regularly contributed articles to OUTSIDE magazine and MEN'S HEALTH magazine.

Doc Ford is a deep and moving character. White's first-person narrative draws the reader in and makes him or her feel as though he or she is peering over Ford's shoulder during his adventures. Besides the driving narrative, the descriptions of the places in the book, the people met there, and the tidbits of information on the flora and fauna make for an enjoyable and enlightening read. White's description of the horrific cenote kept by the book's villains will not soon leave the mind's eye or fail to send a chill up the spine. This is a hero with a history, but not all of that history is laid out for casual inspection. Although Doc has been around his regular cadre of friends, the reader still makes discovers about Doc's past as well as his connection to present-day friends. White paints Doc on the page like a real person, complete with flaws and weaknesses.

The book starts off a little slow, necessitating an out of place prologue showing the coming threat and violence coming. Still, White is so readable that the pages fly by, and those action junkies needing a quick fix of violence will be amply rewarded by sticking with the book. For those that love deep characterization and a peek at the real world a hero lives and works in, as well as the tangled mess they make of their emotional lives, the opening chapters are an excellent way to get to know Doc.

Readers of any of the Florida crime writers will enjoy White's skill and verve, and his tough-guy characterization, philosophy, and internal questioning are on a par with Robert B. Parker's Spenser, James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux, and Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels. As with those three writers, White makes his character's environment as big and expansive as his hero.