Tampa Burn [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Randy Wayne White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2004

A New York Times Bestseller

In all his life, Marion "Doc" Ford has been in love with only one woman, the wife of a thuggish politico named Balserio in a country where Ford was working undercover. When Ford had to run, he had a bounty on his head and no idea that Pilar was pregnant. Now, looking for revenge, Balserio has kidnapped Doc's son and taken him to his new home base in Florida.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

White churns out another title in the Doc Ford series, this one alternating between compelling action sequences and pointless digressions. At the start of the novel, Marion Ford has settled into the life of a gentleman marine biologist on Florida's Gulf coast, leaving behind his past as an assassin and spy. All this is upended when a pyromaniacal carnival freak kidnaps Ford's son, Lake. The boy's mother, Central American beauty Pilar, tries to overcome their estrangement and turns to Ford for help in rescuing the boy. Seduced by his ex-lover just long enough to be caught in a compromising situation by his current girlfriend, Dewey, Ford is distracted by the sight of Dewey's car as she storms away: "She'd sold her 'Vette and bought a new two-seater Lexus. I can never remember the model. The roadster showed impressive stability as she spun it around in the parking lot." Soon after, Ford finds himself in real trouble-and spouts more extraneous commentary. On the way to saving his son, he reflects on the fauna of Florida and Central America, skin transplants, electroshock therapy, port security and the winter residence of choice for circus people. These might have made great ingredients for another whimsical Carl Hiaasen/Elmore Leonardesque madcap novel, but White's meandering prose isn't tight enough to tie them into a convincing whole.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Now in its eleventh episode, White's Doc Ford series, starring Sanibel Island marine biologist and veteran special-ops agent Doc Ford, can always be counted on for an entertaining mix of character interplay and straight-ahead action adventure. This time the dial shifts a bit toward the character side of the scale, as Ford revisits various people and issues from his not-quite-past life as a covert operative. The catalyst for all this stock-taking is the kidnapping of the son Ford only recently learned he had and the resurfacing of Pilar, the boy's mother and the great love of Ford's life. The kidnapping plot, in which Ford, with the help of hippie pal Tomlinson, must rescue his son from a serious psycho who likes to burn people, keeps the suspense churning, but the real focus here--for longtime series followers, at least--is on what this latest crisis means to Ford's life with the people he cares about: his son, girlfriend Dewey, the troubled Pilar, and especially Tomlinson, who has his own dark past. As always in White's work, the various bodies of water that surround and intersect Florida take on the multidimensional qualities of fully developed characters, adding not only atmosphere but also context to Ford's ongoing struggle to achieve in his human relationships the sense of equilibrium he has found in the natural world. He's not there yet, but for the reader at least, that's good news: this story is a long way from over. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (August 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786267216
• ISBN-13: 978-0786267217
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,316,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Randy Wayne White is the author of sixteen previous Doc Ford novels and four collections of nonfiction. He lives in an old house built on an Indian mound in Pineland, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb story, but you should start with earlier titles first, July 13, 2004

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tampa Burn (Hardcover)

I finished the first book I've read of Randy Wayne White, Tampa Burn. A pleasant surprise, and I'm sure I'll be reading more of his stuff down the road.

Doc Ford is a marine biologist with a murky past as a government agent involved in some killings in foreign locales. He's living a quiet life around Tampa until he gets a call from Pilar Fuentes, the mother of his child and former wife of a corrupt Central American general who wants him dead. Their son has been kidnapped, and Pilar wants Ford's help. The kidnapper is a killer who is called Incindiaro, as he's fascinated by fire deaths and in fact is severly burned over most of his body. The kidnapper appears to want the kid's skin for a face transplant, and Ford isn't about to let that happen. To complicate everything, Pilar now wants nothing to do with Ford romantically, Ford's new love overhears his confession of love for Pilar and dumps him, and his sidekick Tomlinson may not be who Ford thinks he is...

Nice plot and pace, with some left-field (but reasonable) plot turns as the story comes down to the final pages. There was definitely the potential for an "everyone *doesn't* live happily ever after" ending, but it resolves without being overly sappy or abrupt. If I had read other books in the Doc Ford series first, I'd probably give this a top rating. Starting here, there's some character development that's left out (and I assume is covered in earlier books). Still, a very good read and well worth the time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hotter Than Ever!, June 5, 2004

By 

Susan Williams (Haddonfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tampa Burn (Hardcover)

Tampa Burn heralds the eleventh appearance of Doc Ford, whose cover as a marine biologist from Dinkins Bay on the Southwest coast of Florida masks his role as an agent engaged in deadly assignments well outside the limits of international law. Doc has previously wrestled with coming to terms with his essentially predatory nature, but when his son Lake is kidnapped by a homicidal pyromaniac, all introspection comes to an abrupt halt as Doc goes after the villain with every primal urge to hunt and kill on red hot alert. The ensuing action is full of the pulse pounding scenarios for which White is justifiably famous. The author's love and intimate knowledge of the land and water, flora and fauna of coastal Florida come vividly to life as White paints a lush and vibrant backdrop for Doc and his hippie pal Tomlinson as they race against the clock to rescue Lake from the clutches of a truly gut wrenching predator. Many authors have series based on continuing characters, but White's collection is set apart by the brilliant character development that continues with each new adventure. The reader comes to know and care about Doc and his friends on a very personal level. Doc's desperate search for his son is set against his own discovery of the depth of bonds of family and friendship, forged by blood and choice. Tampa Burn is thoroughly entertaining on it's own merit, but the real treat is beginning with the first book, Sanibel Flats, and following Doc as each adventure tantalizingly reveals a bit more about the complicated psyche that powers this engaging yet imperfect man. No wonder that die-hard fans' number one complaint is waiting a year for each new book to be published! Buy and enjoy Tampa Burn, and if you are extremely fortunate, snare a signed copy, as this author is headed for the stratosphere of literary success.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tampa Burn by Randy Wayne White, June 24, 2005

By 

Christy T. French "author" (Powell, TN, author, "The Bodyguard") - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tampa Burn (Hardcover)

Doc Ford is the ultimate good guy-bad guy. A former assassin and spy, Doc's retired to the Florida coast, where he is a self-employed marine biologist living a lazy life. When his former lover, Pilar, shows up with the news that their son, Laken, has been kidnapped, Doc's world turns upside down. He must deal with the loss of his new love, Dewey, while frantically searching for his son, kidnapped by a madman whose favorite pastime is burning his victims.

It seems most of the characters in this book are not particularly likeable, which makes the read all the more interesting. Prax, the fire-burning madman, is wonderfully evil -a guy you love to hate. A suspenseful, interesting read.