Tue 25 Apr 2023
An Archived Review by Barry Gardner: RANDY WAYNE WHITE – Captiva.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[4] Comments
RANDY WAYNE WHITE – Captiva. Doc Ford #4. Putnam, hardcover, 1996. Berkley, paperback, 1997.
I read one of the earlier in this series, the second or third, and I didn’t like it nearly as much as most people seemed to. It was okay, but I didn’t see anything at all exceptional about it. Maybe it was my aversion to Florida stories …
Doc Ford, former government agent, turned marine biologist, is located in the middle of a mess. A ban on net-fishing has been passed by the state government, and partisans on both sides are in an ugly mood. Doc has friends in both camps and tries to keep a low profile, but when a net-fisherman is killed while attempting to do damage with a bomb (which he did, destroying two boats), matters turn really ugly. Doc tries to calm the waters, but there will be more violence and more death before they still.
The publicity material includes the inevitable comparison to John D. MacDonald, which is of course ridiculous; but maybe not quite as ridiculous as it usually is. White does have a real feel for working-class Florida fishing country, and Doc Ford is an intriguing and not too overdone knight errant. The supporting characters are well-drawn and believable, as well.
There’s not an overabundance of cowboy action, and what there is doesn’t seem out of place. All told, I didn’t find anything to dislike about this, and considerable to enjoy Maybe I misjudged old Randy White, you think?
April 25th, 2023 at 9:17 pm
While there are many fine Florida set writers and books I still love, like Barry this one sort of stepped on the toes of my general aversion to Florida stories, more over exposure than anything else. This series just didn’t strike me as anything new or special, or just what I was wanting to read.
That said, I can’t flaw White’s writing. I just didn’t get into it.
April 25th, 2023 at 9:23 pm
I read one of the Doc Ford books, not this one, and decided early on the series wasn’t for me, either. The one I read was an out-and-out thriller, no detection to speak of, and that is what I was looking for at the time.
April 25th, 2023 at 9:30 pm
But certainly of note, the series is still going strong. (The one due this year may be iffy.) Congrats to Randy White are due indeed:
Doc Ford
1. Sanibel Flats (1990)
2. The Heat Islands (1992)
3. The Man Who Invented Florida (1993)
4. Captiva (1996)
5. North of Havana (1997)
6. The Mangrove Coast (1998)
7. Ten Thousand Islands (2000)
8. Shark River (2001)
9. Twelve Mile Limit (2002)
10. Everglades (2003)
11. Tampa Burn (2004)
12. Dead of Night (2005)
13. Dark Light (2006)
14. Hunter’s Moon (2007)
15. Black Widow (2008)
16. Dead Silence (2009)
17. Deep Shadow (2010)
18. Night Vision (2011)
19. Chasing Midnight (2012)
20. Night Moves (2013)
21. Bone Deep (2014)
22. Cuba Straits (2015)
23. Deep Blue (2016)
24. Mangrove Lightning (2017)
25. Caribbean Rim (2018)
26. Salt River (2020)
27. Untitled (2023)
April 26th, 2023 at 1:16 pm
I read the first few of the series, and loved the books. Characters were three dimensional and Doc had depth to him. In the first book, a priest/minister has about two paragraphs describing him, and in those two paragraphs you got a fully formed character.
Series lost me when his hippie buddy Tomlinson’s background didn’t ring true. Some sort of testing that just didn’t seem in character.
I probably should go back and pick up where I left off, author really does write well.