Black Widow (Doc Ford Series #15) by Randy Wayne White

From the Publisher

Revenge becomes very personal for Doc Ford, in the stunning new novel by the New York Times-bestselling author.

It was a simple exchange. Clean.
So why did things go so terribly wrong?

It went against all of Ford's instincts. When his goddaughter, Shanay, called one day, he assumed it was with details of her imminent wedding, but the news was anything but cheerful. She and her bridesmaids had thrown a pretty wild bachelorette party, it seemed, on St. Arcs, in the Windward Islands-and someone had secretly videotaped it. Now that person was threatening to blow up her future unless she came across with enough money. "But don't worry, Doc," she said. "I negotiated it down. All I need you to do is make the exchange. Please?"

Ford knew it was a mistake-a mistake to trust the extortionist, a mistake for her not to tell her fiancˇ-but he agreed. And now one of the bridesmaids is near death. The blackmailer took the money and released the tape on the Internet anyway, and the panicked bridesmaid took an overdose of pills washed down with alcohol.

Fueled by guilt and an overpowering rage, Ford and his friend Tomlinson swear to destroy the person responsible, but she-and it is a woman-has other ideas. An agent of corruption like no one they have ever met, the black widow is just getting started. . . .

"Readers should buckle their seat belts before they crack the covers," the Detroit Free Press said of Hunter's Moon. "This one is a dark and supercharged ride." And so it is again. But nothing will prepare the reader for the twists, the adrenaline, and the sheer intensity of Black Widow.

Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Ford's 15th Doc Ford thriller (after 2007's Hunter's Moon) may baffle newcomers with a backstory relating to the murder of Ford's parents. Ford, a marine biologist and covert operative who lives on Florida's Sanibel Island, is busy serving his shadowy U.S. government masters by researching the potential use by terrorists of jellyfish and other venomous sea creatures when he receives a desperate appeal for help from an old friend. Shay Money, a successful 26-year-old businesswoman who's about to be married, fears her future happiness is in jeopardy because an extortionist has videotaped her and three female friends in sexually compromising situations. While Ford manages to get the tape in exchange for a sizable payment, his suspicions that the criminal isn't done with Money are soon confirmed. His efforts to protect her lead him to the Caribbean and a sophisticated blackmail racket with a lengthy list of victims. Despite some awkward prose ("The combination of flesh and death, the orderly geometrics of my wound, struck me as indefinably profound"), series fans should enjoy the ride. Author tour. (Mar.)

Associated Press

A fast-paced page-turner.

Tampa Tribune

White's talents shine in black widow.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Intriguing.

Kirkus Reviews

Blackmail overshadows Sanibel, Fla., in a way that poses a special set of challenges to marine biologist extraordinaire Doc Ford, making his 15th appearance (Hunter's Moon, 2007, etc.). The smarts of Einstein, the courage of Rambo, the sensitivity of Dr. Phil and the noblesse oblige of Galahad: Marion Ford, as his fans know well, is a man of parts. It's the Galahad part that kick-starts him. Usually, the obligatory lady in distress is leggy, bosomy and a sucker for the Ford charm. This time, however, the lady happens to be Shay Money, his goddaughter. Just before her wedding to rich, handsome, socially prominent, politically ambitious Michael Jonquil, Shay and three of her bridesmaids-to-be decide they owe themselves a bachelorette party at Saint Arc in the Caribbean. As it turns out, Saint Arc is a terrible place to cut loose, and now there's a videotape that demonstrates explicitly how out of hand things can get under tropical skies. Ford's assignment is to persuade a covey of no-goods that extortion has a downside. In Saint Arc, he encounters the customary ration of leggy, bosomy, susceptible ladies, plus a macabre reason to view blackmail in a scary new light. Starts intriguingly, then descends into a welter of aimless episodes, derivative characters and suspense-killing digressions. Fans will be put to the test.

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