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It's been many years since the unsuspecting teenage girl found an ancient gold medallion off the Florida Gulf Coast, a medallion that would bring her nightmares, rob her of sleep and, ultimately, drive her to suicide. Now, years later, the girl's mother is being terrorized-by break-ins, by phone calls and by the desecration of her daughter's grave. Someone wants the medallion. Someone is willing to pay any price. And for marine biologist Doc Ford, the search for that someone will lead him into a shadowy world of ancient ritual and modern corruption, to an evil that was born in the past but lives in the present
Carl Hiaasen
White takes us places that no other Florida mystery writer can hope to find.
Denver Post
A wild, dangerous adventure.
Boston Globe
Taut and engrossing.
Chicago Tribune
One of the most satisfying thrillers in recent memory.
Miami Herald
Thrilling and strangely moving.
Kirkus Reviews
Key Largo bartender Della Copeland is another of that seemingly inexhaustible supply of strong-yet-vulnerable females who can't survive without the help of Dr. Marion Ford. Fifteen years after her daughter Dorothy dug up a mysterious gold medallion on Marco Island and started to have even more mysterious visions before she was found hanging from a tree, Della's home has been ransacked by somebody looking for the medallion—or whatever other talismans he can lay his hands on. Is the would-be thief Ivan Bauerstock, the magnate who owns half of Marco Island? Teddy Bauerstock, the dead-eyed charmer his old man's grooming for the state senate and points north? Bauerstock contractor Frank Rossi, whose own son Tony bids fair to follow in his father's slimy footsteps? A savior-for-hire who seems to worship at the shrine of Travis McGee can't go wrong assuming everybody on the horizon is out to make trouble for the ladies, and standing ready to repel the monstrous males one by one. And that's just what Doc Ford, who'd have you believe he'd rather be supplying marine specimens to the Mote Marine Laboratory than mixing it up with the bad guys, does—with results more stimulating to the adrenal glands than the cerebral cortex. Memo to more sensitive guys: the suggestion that Dorothy may be Doc's repeatedly reincarnated astral soulmate, tragically dead less than 20 short years before they were to meet, should help you decide whether Doc's seventh adventure (The Mangrove Coast, 1998, etc.) is for you.
From the Publisher
One of the most satisfying thrillers in recent memory.”—Chicago Tribune
“This latest entry in the Doc Ford series is one of the strongest…A taut story of modern greed and violence. Plenty of great twists…make this one of the most satisfying thrillers in recent memory.”—Chicago Tribune“We can’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon than curled up with this book…A wild dangerous adventure…Breathless action.”—The Denver Post
“A powerful look at Florida’s heart of darkness…A rapid-fire tale that will snare readers like a treble hook…No on around today writes as well about Florida…Rough-edged and violent…One of the best in a series that is as good as anything being written today.”—The Tampa Tribune
“When it comes to Florida, White is positively lyrical…Marvelous description, good plotting, and plenty of action.”—Florida Times-Union“No one evokes life along the sultry mangrove coast of Southwest Florida as perfectly…White’s best book yet.”—Albuquerque Tribune
“White…can be counted on to produce the real goods…And although he’s subtle about the atmospherics, when White cranks up the momentum, he tosses in everything.”—The Palm Beach Post“Fast-paced…This is Key Largo meets Wild Kingdom.”—The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
“White writes with an obvious knowledge and love of Florida’s west coast, an intimacy made possible only by living here, and one which helps make the book a pleasant summer escape.”—Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“Maintains an edgy sense of adventure…White’s strong sense of place and people keep us wanting to return to Florida’s west coast.”—The Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)
