Book Review: Shark River

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Shark River     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Randy Wayne White
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
Series: Doc Ford # 8
Putnam, May 2001, $24.95, 320 pp.

He didn't want to go, but he did, yes he did. Doc Ford is happy to hide in his little boat in the middle of nowhere in Florida so that his past can never catch up to his present. However, his friend Tomlinson persuades Doc to accompany him to Guava Key where Doc, a marine biologist, can enjoy a working vacation.

However, his idyllic time ends when he notices two weird looking boats and hears the squawking of wild parrots that leads him to realize that assailants have attacked two female joggers. Doc rescues them, but is shot, and the cops and FBI question him. They conclude he is hiding something. When one of the victims is discovered to be Lindsey Harrington, daughter of a super important White House basement diplomat, interests in Doc turn international. Lindsey's dad enlists him to keep his daughter safe. While Doc struggles on that front, his personal life is disrupted by the appearance of Ransom Ebanks insisting to be his sister. If he stays alive long enough, Doc believes he will disprove her claim.

The eighth Doc Ford tale retains all the freshness and excitement of the previous novels as Doc and company remain viable and intriguing characters. The story line runs non-stop action as Doc swims in shark infested rivers without knowing who is the real enemy while the case destroys his efforts to remain anonymous. Randy Wayne White always writes the right stuff as he prevails as one of the best authors, if not the top gun, of Sunshine State thrillers.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner