A quick and entertaining read... and what I am now realizing is a typical Randy Wayne White novel. He creates very good characters and his mains, Doc and Tomlinson, are like family so with a new book you’re always keen to know what they have gotten up to now. That said, there is nothing really special going on with this story even if the entire story was about someone and / or situations that were supposed to be entirely special.

White prides himself on his research and fact-finding, but to me none of that is particularly important. As illuminating as a geode in an alligator stomach is, it is just an odd piece within the story; maybe it is a clue relative to something, but hardly necessary. It's fiction. And it is obviously fiction when all the smart people are instantly on the same page, and the dumb people are on the same level of development and all have the same vocation. In the real world, if you researched it, the smart people (the very, very few in number) and the dumb people would be evenly spread throughout the book. Anyway, it gets old when the smart people make multiple smart leaps forward in solving the crime, but then get stupid when in pursuit of the criminals. That seems to be the trend here.

I have read 5-6 Marian Ford novels by now, and in this one I learned that Doc's secret job is finding people. I'm not sure if this is the first book that I have read that it was presented in, or if the books are that forgettable. That is the impression that I am starting to get about this author; I can tell you the general premise and what is going to happen, to whom, and when because they are generally all the same. Not in a bad way, just in a 60 minute TV program way. They are a quick bit of entertainment; a simple rehash of Doc and Tomlinson in a different setting, but still worth reading. ( )

Ugg! What happened to Randy White? I have enjoyed many of his novels but this one is not worth the read. I guess any author can write garbage now and then. ( )

The Red Citrus Trailer Park is inhabited mostly by illegal laborers. But the steroid-powered park manager and his grotesquely muscular girlfriend want to sell the park for some easy money-and they'll do whatever it takes to drive the residents out. Their problem is a young girl who the laborers believe talks to God. When the girl witnesses the manager dumping a corpse into a lake, he knows that she has to be silenced permanently. ( )

This is my second taste of the Doc Ford series and it was a special treat as an audiobook. George Guidall does an awesome job with the various characters. He is an excellent narrator and truly brings this story to life. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I cared about the characters. I even sat in my car to listen to the last of the final disc rather than cut the ignition and pick it up at a later time. While it definitely has a strong religious aspect, it is also a story about making choices and being willing to change. It is about being willing to be firm in your beliefs and strong in your convictions. It is about the ability to trust others as well as yourself.

I think I may have a few more Doc Fords in my library. Might be time to take a look.

Well done and recommended. ( )

Doc Ford lover for ages, but we see less of the scientist, one of the things that makes him an interesting character, the plotting becomes more predictable, and his paragons of womanhood are becoming sooooo much the same—even his cousin has the same build as his girlfriends. I can't help but think that the latter are all White's wet dreams. And, I loved this series for years. ( )