4-STAR REVIEW: ONE DEADLY EYE by Randy Wayne White

Doc Ford Mystery: Book 27
Publication Date: June 4, 2024

From New York Times bestselling author Randy Wayne White, after the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in a century, Doc Ford must stop a gang of thieves—and worse—during the twelve hours of chaos that follow the passing of a storm’s eye.

A Russian diplomat disappears while Doc is tagging great white sharks in South Africa, and members of a criminal brotherhood, Bratva, don’t think it’s a coincidence. They track the biologist to Dinkin’s Bay Marina on the west coast of Florida, where Brotherhood mercenaries have already deployed, prepared to pillage and kill in the wake of an approaching hurricane.

No one, however, is prepared for a cataclysmic event that will forever change the island and leaves Doc to deal with escapees from Russia’s most dangerous prison, including a serial killer—the Vulture Monk—who has a taste for blood. His only ally is an enigmatic British inventor whose decision to ride out the storm might have more to do with revenge than protecting a priceless art collection.

Doc has a lot at stake—the lives of his fiancée, Hannah Smith, and their son, plus the fate of his hipster pal, Tomlinson, whose sailboat has disappeared in the Gulf of Mexico. The greatest threat of all, though, is a force that cannot be escaped—a Category Five hurricane that, minute by minute, melds sins of the past with Florida’s precarious future.

A hurricane and a group of escaped Russian prisoners sets the stage for a dual storyline full of adventure.

Author Randy Wayne White delivers the 17th installment in the Doc Ford series with One Deadly Eye. While the book technically could be described as a standalone, it was challenging to understand some of the character relationships.

The central character, Doc Ford, is a former CIA operative and current marine biologist. He’s been targeted by some escaped Russian prisoners regarding the disappearance of a Russian diplomat.

However, weather predictions call for the likelihood of a destructive hurricane. Doc, caught up in storm preparations, is also trying to navigate a stormy relationship. The details were likely built in other installments of the series because the context of the friction remained unclear.

With his motley crew of friends, they await the storm. In the hours immediately following, Doc will find himself fighting to protect everything he loves.

One Deadly Eye provides a new adventure for fans of the Doc Ford series.

Randy Wayne White is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Doc Ford series. In 2011, White was named a Florida Literary Legend by the Florida Heritage Society. A fishing and nature enthusiast, he has also written extensively for National Geographic Adventure, Men’s Journal, Playboy and Men’s Health. He lives on Sanibel Island, Florida, where he was a light-tackle fishing guide for many years, and spends much of his free time windsurfing, playing baseball and hanging out at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille. Sharks Incorporated is his middle grade series, including Fins and Stingers.