Rating: 
Summary: Let's Be Fair
Review: My first experience with Doc Ford, but this book is about the residual of early 20th century pioneer life in the southwest Everglades, not Doc. Ford's uncle, Tucker Gatrell, is, at best, a composite of similar real life characters from that era, some of whom were still living at the time this book was published. This well-written novel has a decent plot and story line, and the author tantalizingly builds suspense by omission. However, and maybe I'm too picky here, the author is Short one acknowledgement. The author acknowledges that Ervin T. Rouse is a real person, and apologizes for his usage in the novel by saying that he knew Mr. Rouse and felt Mr. Rouse would enjoy such usage. However, he does not acknowledge that Henry Short is also a real person and his portrayal of Mr. Short is way off the mark and not very flattering. The author should have acknowledged Mr. Short's real life existence, or, better yet, made him into a composite character using a fictious name, as he did with Toch Brown, um, I mean Tucker Gatrell. My pickiness notwithstanding, a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Another good read from RWWhite
Review: OK, OK...Doc Ford may not be the main character in this novel, but I know a bit more about him after reading about his childhood and getting to know Tucker. I enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down once I started.
Rating:
Summary: Another good read from RWWhite
Review: OK, OK...Doc Ford may not be the main character in this novel, but I know a bit more about him after reading about his childhood and getting to know Tucker. I enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down once I started.
Rating: 
Summary: A different Doc Ford tale
Review: One reviewer posted that "even an average Doc Ford story is better than most". While that's certainly true, I'm not sure this is an "average" Doc Ford story--it's just different.Because it's barely about Doc Ford. Oh sure he appears here and there and sort of rescues the situation at the end. But the story is really about Doc's uncle and his Indian friend/co hort. Which by the way, does make this the funniest in the Doc Ford series. Having read every one of the 10 Doc Ford books as of end of 2003, here's my list of how they all rate, (drum roll, please): (5 stars)
Captiva
Twelve Mile Limit
Shark River
The Heat Islands
Ten Thousand Islands
Sanibal Flats (the first in the series) The following are the 4 stars in the series--great stories, but I wouldn't recommend them as a first read of the author: Everglades
The Man Who Invented Florida
North of Havana
The Mangrove Coast
Rating:
Summary: A different Doc Ford tale
Review: One reviewer posted that "even an average Doc Ford story is better than most". While that's certainly true, I'm not sure this is an "average" Doc Ford story--it's just different. Because it's barely about Doc Ford. Oh sure he appears here and there and sort of rescues the situation at the end. But the story is really about Doc's uncle and his Indian friend/co hort. Which by the way, does make this the funniest in the Doc Ford series. Having read every one of the 10 Doc Ford books as of end of 2003, here's my list of how they all rate, (drum roll, please): (5 stars)
Captiva
Twelve Mile Limit
Shark River
The Heat Islands
Ten Thousand Islands
Sanibal Flats (the first in the series) The following are the 4 stars in the series--great stories, but I wouldn't recommend them as a first read of the author: Everglades
The Man Who Invented Florida
North of Havana
The Mangrove Coast
Rating:
Summary: elegy for a lost Florida
Review: This installment of the Doc Ford series takes a while to get going. Doc, the ex-NSA agent turned marine biologist, takes a supporting role here. The main character is Doc's eccentric Uncle Tucker, a lovable scoundrel who thinks he has discovered the Fountain of Youth on his property. Tucker is a sort of Florida Zelig, having been on hand for everything from presidential visits to the discovery of innovations in shrimp fishing.
The plot, which involves the state trying to take Tucker's land, is a contraption set up to occasion remembrances of a pre-developed Florida. Everyone except Doc and Tucker seems to be on the make, looking for an angle. Randy Wayne White clearly loves Florida, this and his other books resonate with a love of place. I recommend this funny, affectionate, labor of love. Not as much of a mystery as some of White's other books, but worth the time.
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