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Shark River by Randy Wayne White
Reader Reviews Good Enough, June 29, 2003 Reviewer: Peter Kenney from Birmingham, Alabama, USA In SHARK RIVER Doc Ford is shot while instinctively coming to the rescue of a young woman who is almost kidnapped by some very bad guys from a Columbian drug cartel. When the FBI tries to pressure Ford into helping them solve the case he resists as usual fearing that some of his past deeds as a secret government operative may come back to haunt him. Ford is able to put off the FBI but not Harrington, the girl's influential father, who knows too much about Doc's past and one particular operation known as Sky Hook. Harrington is seeking revenge against a ruthless killer named Edgar Cordero. The attempted kidnapping is witnessed by a visiting Bahamian lady named Ransom who tells Ford she is the daughter of his late uncle Tucker Gatrell and a sizeable inheritance in stolen gold coins awaits both of them if they can decipher Tucker's complicated instructions. Doc's hippie friend Tomlinson assists in the hunt for the hidden treasure. I agree with some of the reviewers who have expressed disappointment in SHARK RIVER. It does not strike me as being quite on a par with THE MANGROVE COAST and NORTH OF HAVANA or some of the other entries in the Doc Ford series. It is, however, still good enough, especially if you like Florida and you are a fan of John D. MacDonald or even Ross Thomas with his tales of foreign intrigue. Randy White's Doc Ford books remind me of certain elements I used to enjoy in stories by both MacDonald and Thomas although it does seem impossible to discover truly satisfying replacements for either one of these deceased authors.
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