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Doc Ford is a series of novels written by Randy Wayne White, an American Author. The books follow the adventures of a scientist with a violent past . The books began their publication in 1990 at St. Martin’s press, though White cast them aside after his three book contract was up because he wasn’t satisfied by the amount of money he was getting.
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Order of Doc Ford Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanibel Flats | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Heat Islands | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Man Who Invented Florida | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Captiva | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | North of Havana | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | The Mangrove Coast | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Ten Thousand Islands | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Shark River | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Twelve Mile Limit | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | Everglades | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | Tampa Burn | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | Dead of Night | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | Dark Light | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | Hunter's Moon | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | Black Widow | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 16 | Dead Silence | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 17 | Deep Shadow | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 18 | Night Vision | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 19 | Chasing Midnight | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 20 | Night Moves | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 21 | Bone Deep | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 22 | Cuba Straits | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 23 | Deep Blue | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
| 24 | Mangrove Lightning | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 25 | Caribbean Rim | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 26 | Salt River | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
| 27 | One Deadly Eye | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Doc Ford, White’s protagonist, used to work for the government as a triggerman. However, he has since taken up a different trade, managing a marine biology supply business in Dinkins Bay, Sanibel.
Formally known as Marion Ford, Doc Ford would like nothing better than to live a quiet life pursuing his interests as a scientist. However, the world isn’t quite so forgiving and Doc Ford is frequently forced to manifest the skills of his past to deal with pressing problems at the present.
Sanibel Flats, the first book in the Doc Ford series, finds Doc Ford living his life of seclusion. Leaving government work behind was a difficult undertaking. However, after a decade living the simple life at Dinkins Bay, cooking dinners in the beautiful moonlight with his attractive neighbor and enjoying a beer with the locals, Doc Ford was finally able to put his addiction for danger to rest.
However, when his old friend Rafe Rollins calls on him with a request for assistance, Doc Ford is drawn back into the firing line, shattering the life he built on Sanibel Island.
Randy Wayne White, the author of the Doc Ford series boasts elements that are reminiscent of his popular protagonist. White left home right after high school to travel. He acquired the necessary licenses and then spent the next several years working in and around Sanibel Island.
White began writing his books while still working around Tarpon Bay; however, the Bay was eventually closed.
For White, this was merely the opportunity he needed to spend all his time working as an adventurer and writer.
Doc Ford Books into Movies
In 2014, talk was rife of the Doc Ford books being turned into a television series. However, excited as Randy Wayne White was about this prospect, CBS passed on the proposed series.
White admitted that he wasn’t surprised, seeing as his books have been optioned for potential adaptations before and the projects have failed to gain ground. The show would have been based on the novel ‘Captiva’.
Best Doc Ford Books
The Doc Ford series has been a force to contend with in the crime/thriller genre for decades, with some of the best books in the series including the following:
The Heat Islands: Marvin Rios is dead. However, no one will shed a tear for him because he was Sanibel Island’s most hated man. Doc Ford comes across his body while poling his skiff along the flat copper sea.
While Rios’ death is no loss to the Marine Biologist and former secret operative, Doc Ford isn’t about to sit around and watch as the sweetest person on Sanibel Island is framed for the murder.
Doc rushes into the fray to save his friend.
One of this book’s biggest strengths is the way Randy Wayne White describes life on the water and in Florida. The antagonist is also deliciously terrible. The mystery is also quite strong and actually drives this novel, though some aspects are predictable.
The Mangrove Coast: Doc Ford spent some time in Vietnam with the Special Forces. Now the daughter of one of his war buddies, a seductive lady, needs help locating her mother who vanished in South America.
Doc Ford’s journey to find her drags him through Columbia to Panama in search of a vile enemy.
This book’s biggest weakness is the slow pacing. It takes a while for things to get interesting. There are also very few characters that are likable.
Other Book Series You May Like
The “Hannah Smith” Series by Randy Wayne White follows a powerful Lady in Florida by the names of Hannah Smith. With the blood of generations of other strong women in her veins, Hannah’s life is often complicated by her desire to aid the downtrodden.
In the “Hawker” series, James Hawker took extreme measures to put a dangerous terrorist down, and it lost him his badge. Now he is a vigilante waging his own personal war on crime.
What Is The Next Book in The Doc Ford Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Doc Ford Series. The newest book is One Deadly Eye and was released on January, 2nd 2024.