Randy Wayne White is a polished author and I have enjoyed his series with Doc Ford very much, however, The Mangrove Coast misses the mark by a long shot. I agree with the other reviewers that this is easily the slowest start to a mystery novel I have read in a long time. As a matter of fact it took all my power to keep reading past the first few chapters. Finally on page 181(of 290) a dead body turns up. The plot revolves around a women seduced by a man through a internet romance. The story trudges on finally bringing Doc Ford to Panama, which must be the site of White's latest vacation. The story reads as if White created as he went and finally decided 2/3 of the way through that he better put some action in the book. The final chapter reminded me of the Bobby Ewing shower scene in Dallas. Was it a dream? What the final scene reveals could be described as " idiotic, cliched, or just plain cheating by the writer". The "clues" do not lead up to the ending and any reader will feel cheated, not amazed. The supporting characters do not help matters. Tomlinson appears breifly in a couple of scenes, mainly to assert his compter knowledge-hard to believe as a marine biologist Ford has little knowledge of the internet or computers. Tomlinson is no where near his loveable self and disappears quickly in the novel. Tucker Gatrell has seen better days too, but thankfully he is killed off in the end. I was very disappointed with this outing-I look forward to Doc Ford taking some time off to get his thoughts together and return in full force.

I'm a big fan of Doc Ford, but this installment made me realize that he has his down days (and books). It took White 2/3 of the book to really get cranking and then it seemed like he was making up for lost time. Jackie Merlot was so despicable that it wasn't a question of "Will he die?" but "How?" I forgave the credibility-stretched ending because I was glad to at least resolve some of the loose strings.

Randy Wayne White has been compared favorably to John D. MacDonald (and deserves to be) but the plot for "Mangrove Coast" treads a little TOO close to a former Travis McGee novel, "The Deep Blue Empty." Both novels had a way of meandering along slowly to a final, violent conclusion.

I noticed that one of the reviews for this book's follow-up, "Shark River," accused it of being too action-packed. I would imagine that the readers' reactions to this book are the reason why.

Keep up the GOOD work, Mr. White!

The best and most believable books of fiction are based on fact. And, the most liked and admirable characters of these books are those that share commonalties with the reader. Then congratulate Randy Wayne White and his new novel, "The Mangrove Coast" as a piece of work that you must read for he has accomplished both. White's stint as the Out There columnist for Outside Magazine for many years allowed him to venture to such exotic locales in Central and South America such as Panama, Nicaragua, and Columbia as well as many other parts of the globe. Now as the author of the Doc Ford series, his time spent in these outposts have allowed him to incorporate these settings into his work in such a way so that you are along for the ride, right there with the characters. From the sulfurous smells of the mangrove coasts to the expatriate third world marinas where you feel like ordering a Polar beer poured over ice. These tropical dramas unfold like storms over the Gulf of Mexico. Building up steam and power until a deluge of lightning, rain and thunder explodes to a climatic conclusion. However, just like the squalls out on the Gulfstream, you never know where these storms are going to head. Do yourself a favor, go ahead and order this book. And you might as well save yourself some time and order Randy's other books as well. You are going to anyway, believe me. So pour yourself a cold one, sit back and prepare to meet a truly interesting group of characters and settings that will come alive in your imagination.

I generally enjoy reading Randy Wayne White novels, and regard him as a good writer. This, the fifth of the Doc Ford series, comes as quite a shock. It is not only boring, boring, it is utter drivel. Here White seems to have changed his style, his informative passages feel out of place and strained, as indeed is most of the book.

Doc Ford is changed, Tomlinson is changed. They come over far more believable and better when in Florida, not in Cuba where this novel is set for the most part.

Sanibel Flats is also a Doc Ford novel set out of Florida. I didn't enjoy that one either, but it's not drivel.

I think White, in North of Havana, has attempted to elevate his writing onto a higher plain and achieved the opposite.

I'm a big RWW fan and enjoyed this book as well, but as stated by an earlier reviewer, I thought "North of Havana" lost a little steam midway through. It may have been the fact that Tomlinson, whose eccentricities are normally a source of mild consternation for Doc Ford, are the cause of some major problems, both to Ford and to his female companion. That those character flaws lead indirectly to several deaths makes Tomlinson less quirky and more downright irritating.

Otherwise, an action-focused entry in a great series of novels.

If you liked MacDonald's McGee series, you'll like Randy Wayne White. And this is the best of them. Very readable, well plotted and fun.

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.

As has been said countless times here, this is a different type of Doc Ford book. Perhaps I did somewhat of a disservice to myself---I started my love of (fictional) Randy Wayne White with "The Ten Thousand Islands." I then worked my way backwards to "The Mangrove Coast," "Captiva," and "North of Havana." I have yet to pick up "Sanibel Flats," but I plan to very soon.

Each of those aforementioned books (with the exception of "Sanibel Flats" and the present review) is Doc Ford tales in the first person. This book is told from the third person. It is a somewhat difficult transition to make. The same is true for "Sanibel Flats"---I've discovered that from a cursory glance at it.

Doc Ford works so brilliantly in the first person, it's hard to accept anything else. Perhaps it sounds a bit odd, but it causes a little alienation to arise between the reader and the character that is Doc Ford. In other words, the reader does not feel as "inside" the character. Presumably this is intentional, but it is difficult coming from the more recent Ford tales to the earlier ones.

That aside, this isn't a typical Doc Ford novel either. It places a bigger spotlight on Tucker Gatrell (Ford's uncle) and his "friend" Joseph Egret. But it is a Ford adventure nonetheless, and it is a (...) good one at that. Randy Wayne White is an absolute master of this genre, and, as many reviewers state, is the definite heir apparent to the throne of John D. MacDonald/Travis McGee.

Definitely pick this one up at some point. Start from the beginning and work your way forward rather than vice-versa. And, definitely pick up his non-fictional works as well. They are absolutely amazing. I can't wait until his new non-fiction work is released in January.

Also, if you haven't already done so, look into anything by James Hall. I'll leave it up to you to find (come on, don't you want to find anything yourselves?!! j/k), but there is an absolutely fantastic Hall book that involves the very same subject matter of White's "Ten Thousand Islands." It is very good to read them back to back.

Enjoy!

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.