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Sanibel Flats. Randy Wayne White. Minotaur, 1990. 397 pages. Book 1 of 28 in Doc Ford series.
I began another iconic "Florida Man" series. These are the adventures of Marion "Doc" Ford who retires from life as a special government agent to live a quiet life in a rustic house on stilts on Florida's Sanibel Island. Also a real marine biologist (the doctorate ), he plans to collect, process, and sell marine life specimens and drink beer. However, we all know that no government agent can ever really retire, at least in the world of fiction, and they often get dragged into more, and more dangerous, situations than in their careers. Doc Ford is no different.
In this case, an old high school buddy is murdered, and his eight-year-old son is kidnapped, held prisoner by the sadistic leader of a guerilla army in the process of revolution in a fictional Central American country, a country that Ford had spent a lot of time in as an agent. With another buddy named Tomlinson, Ford heads to Masagua to rescue the boy and get to the bottom of why his high school buddy died. There's a nod to history as Mayan culture and artifacts figure into the plot, but almost all of that is purely fictional. It's a good adventure story, with the expected twists and turns, and it's different from the other series that I enjoy by Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen. It's a straight adventure mystery, without the satire and humor. I'll be reading more in the series.
The Stingray Shuffle. Tim Dorsey. William Morrow, 2003. 320 pages. Book 5 of 26 in Serge Storms series.
Serge Storms continues his history-filled Florida odyssey in this fifth book of the series. Like other Serge books, there is a huge cast of characters, some new some recurring, including various gangs - in this case, Russian, Jamaican, Italian, and a couple of Caribbean and South American cocaine cartels, along with a book club and a group of z-list Reno nightclub entertainers. Like Serge, they're all involved, some unwittingly, in the ongoing search for a briefcase filled with five million dollars. However, there are some differences as well. Serge actually leaves Florida, for New York City of all places! And Serge doesn't really play vigilante in this book.
The historical theme of this book is railroad history in Florida and the huge role that railroads played in developing Florida. (Ironically - if I am using that word correctly - I'm realizing that I almost never see, let alone cross a railroad track in Florida these days.) The climax takes place aboard an Amtrak train from NYC to Miami during a special murder mystery interactive trip. As usual, chaos and hilarity result. In this book, the reader can see that Dorsey is still developing the Serge character and story formula that we know and love. We get more of a view into Serge's past and internal psychological battles; he struggles with himself more than in later books. Also, his traveling buddy Lenny is almost totally irrelevant. I forgot he existed for most of the book. His later companion, Coleman, is much more involved and interesting, far more developed and fleshed out. Not one of my favorites in the series.
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Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television. Todd S. Purdum. Simon & Schuster, 2025. 368 pages. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy to read and review.
Desi Arnaz died prematurely at age 69, before earning his due. Only in recent decades have books and documentaries cited his innate genius when it came to the entertainment business and specifically television production. Yet, his great genius was balanced, even overwhelmed, by his many deep flaws, flaws that deeply scarred his life and reputation. Given extraordinary access to previously unshared family documents by Lucie Arnaz, author Todd S. Purdum has succeeded in telling his full life story, the good and the bad. After his family was forced to flee political upheaval in Cuba in the mid-1930s and relocate to Miami, the teenaged Desi embarked on a career as musician and singer, and he was generally regarded as mediocre in both talents, but his good looks and great work ethic quickly paved his way to the stage and to minor roles in Hollywood, where he met the woman that would forever change his life, Lucille Ball. Their marriage was always volatile, to say the least, as he was never able to "forsake all others," blaming his constant patronage of prostitutes on his Latin heritage, and as he eventually fell deeper and deeper into alcoholism. However, professionally they were America's golden couple, with tens of millions of tv viewers regularly tuning in to "I Love Lucy." As the producer of the show, he brought innovations to television production and the business behind it that forever changed the industry and dominated the industry, revolutionary changes that are only now being matched by the still-evolving streaming models of in-home entertainment. The book finally gives him the recognition that he deserves but doesn't gloss over the negatives. It's a great read for any fans.
YouTube documentary
The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies. Paul Fischer. Simon & Schuster, 2022. 416 pages. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free book to read and review.
Like me, have you lived your life thinking that motion pictures were invented by Thomas Edison or the Lumiere brothers? Well, you're wrong, and I taught it wrong all those years. The real inventor of motion pictures was Louis Le Prince, a Frenchman who lived and worked primarily in Leeds, UK and New York City, who made his first films in 1887 and 1888. Why doesn't he get the credit? Because, before he could complete the legal processes of obtaining patents and properly introduce his invention to the world, he disappeared without a trace. In 1890, Le Prince went to Dijon, France to visit his brother and settle his recently deceased mother's estate. After a few days there, he was to take the train to Paris and then Calais, catch the ferry to England for a little work, and then sail home to his wife and children in New York. His brother saw him off at the station, and Poof! Neither he nor his luggage were ever seen again. His wife didn't know for sure that he was missing until several months later, and he was finally declared legally dead 7 years later. In 1893, Thomas Edison started promoting his new motion pictures invention, and the illustrations and patent application descriptions looked and sounded very much like Le Prince's work, leading Le Prince's wife to believe that Edison had at least stolen her husband's work and at worst may even have had her husband murdered. I must admit here that I am firmly in the anti-Edison camp, and any assertion that he was a murderer on top of being one of the most horrible Americans in history is going to pique my interest.
You know the meme "That meeting should have been an email"? This book should have been an article or a short YouTube documentary. The overwhelming majority of the book is a tedious slog through detailed descriptions of cameras and techniques and legal actions. Very little of the book is about Le Prince and the mystery of his disappearance, but Fischer does finally present a logical, but still shocking, theory about what happened. If you're tech-y or legalistic, you'll enjoy. If not, skip this book and read The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel by Douglas Brunt, a very similar story about a disappearing inventor, instead.
The Heat Islands. Randy Wayne White. Minotaur, 1992. 276 pages. #2 of 28 in Doc Ford series.
Marion "Doc" Ford is just an average marine biologist and former National Security Agent who wants to live the bachelor life in his stilt house in Dinkins Bay of Sanibel Island and study the tarpons, sharks and other marine life, supporting himself by selling collecting, preparing, and selling lab specimens for schools and labs. However, any reader of crime fiction/thrillers knows that no secret agent has ever actually retired to a quiet life. Sure enough, Doc is minding his own business when a crooked Florida developer (I don't think there's any other kind.) turns up dead, and one of Doc's marina buddies, quiet and unassuming fishing guide Jeth Nicoles is arrested for his murder. Although Jeth seems resigned to being convicted for the crime, Doc is sure that he is innocent and sets out to prove it. It's a solid "Florida Man" crime novel with mystery, action, and quirky characters that make South Florida different.
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How To Sell A Haunted House. Grady Hendrix. Berkley, 2023. 432 pages.
Looking at some time sitting in a waiting room, I wanted a physical book to read, so I grabbed this off a shelf. Grady Hendrix is an expert in the horror genre, specializing in the cheesiest horror fiction of the 1960s and 1970s. His nonfiction book, Paperbacks From Hell, is a hilarious and enlightening history of popular culture through the lens of horror. In each of his own novels, Hendrix selects a sub-genre and incorporates all of the defining characteristics of that sub-genre to tell a thrilling scary story full of humor. In this case, obviously, the sub-genre is haunted houses. Estranged siblings Louise and Mark suddenly lose their parents in a car accident, leaving them to dispose of the family home. Uncomfortably brought together by the tragedy, they quickly become enmeshed in deep, dark family secrets that threaten not only their lives and sanity, but the life and sanity of Louise's 5-year old daughter. The house and its contents fight the planned disposal. As the tagline says, "some houses don't want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them." It's a fun-scary read that ticks all the boxes of the haunted house sub-genre. On another level, I can also see why this book connected with so many people. If you've ever dealt with family issues - who hasn't? - or disposed of your parents' property - a huge chunk of your life - this book will stir thoughts and feelings.
The Lincoln Myth. Steve Berry. Ballantine Books, 2014. 448 pages. Book #9 of 20, Cotton Malone series.
Cotton Malone, the retired US Justice Department Special Agent turned rare book dealer in Copenhagen, is dragged back into action by his former boss. All he wants to do is sell books, but old friends, his old boss, and/or the US President are constantly calling on Malone, and his dreams of a quiet retirement go up in smoke. Every few months, some shadowy, evil organization is out to either take over the world or make lots of money or both by using some historical object or secret, and Cotton has to travel around the world to thwart the evil scheme. In this case, a radical group of Mormons is out to lead a secessionist movement in the US, and the historical mystery revolves around a rumored secret agreement between Abraham Lincoln and Brigham Young that involves a document dating back to the Constitutional Convention. If it exists, that document would rip the United States apart and upend American history as we think we know it.
It's the standard Cotton Malone formula: lots of action, shootouts in historic places, and betrayals. As usual, somebody asks Cotton how he got his name, and Cotton doesn't answer. We also meet Agent Luke Daniels, the President's nephew and a younger version of Cotton Malone whom Berry has spun off into his own book series. Naturally, Luke and Cotton clash from the beginning because they are so much alike. Formulaic, but comfortable and intriguing. I like the characters and the action, and the books are full of real history. The history inspires Berry to create the mystery, and he always explains his inspiration and separates fact from fiction in his notes at the end of the book. The stories are fun adventures, and they always appeal to history lovers who, like myself, are love the "What if?" questions that make history fun.
The Man Who Invented Florida. Randy Wayne White. St. Martin's Press, 1993. 294 pages. Book #3 of 28 in Doc Ford series.
In this entry in the Doc Ford series, readers learn quite a bit about Marian "Doc" Ford's background. There he is, living in his stilt house in Sanibel Florida, collecting marine specimens and running his scientific supply house, when, out of the blue, he finds himself tied up with his uncle Tucker Gatrell, the man who raised him from age 10 to 16, following the deaths of his parents. He hasn't seen or had anything to do with his uncle in years, but his uncle needs his help. Gatrell has lived quite a life, a life that parallels Florida's 20th century history. He was a fishing guide for important politicians, celebrities and businessmen and a cowboy and rancher who takes credit for many events that shaped Florida, from railroad construction to amusement parks. He's a professional schemer, whom some might even call con-man. Now, he's discovered a "real" Fountain of Youth on his undeveloped property, but the state is threatening to quash his entrepreneurial dreams by seizing his land for a park. Sounds simple, but White manages to throw in kidnapping, archaeology, and the origins of "The Orange Blossom Special," one of the classic songs in bluegrass history. The story climaxes in a huge chaotic mess that reminds me of the resolutions of Tim Dorsey's books. The world of Florida Man fiction writers seems very incestuous, and they're obviously fans of each other's work, often referencing each others writing. I could see Tim Dorsey being inspired by the ending of this book.
"The Dig" trailer
The Dig. John Preston. Other Press, 2016 (Original: Viking, 2007). 272 pages.
In 1939, as Britain braced for entry into World War II, Mrs. Edith Pretty, a widow who owned a farm at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, hired a modest, unassuming, self-taught archaeologist named Basil Brown to excavate the mounds that existed on her property. The result was one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made in the UK: one of the mounds was a royal burial mound that included an approximately 90-foot long boat and numerous other Anglo-Saxon artifacts dating back to the early 7th century. John Preston delivers the fictionalized story of the next three months as professionals from the British Museum and other institutions shove Brown aside (robbing him of the credit that he deserves for several decades) and change the lives of all involved, as well as the understanding of British history. Today, visitors to the British Museum in London and museums at Sutton Hoo can view the artifacts and reconstructions of artifacts on display. This book was the basis for a recent Netflix movie of the same name. It's interesting but slow-moving, like many British period pieces.
Coconut Cowboy. Tim Dorsey. William Morrow, 2016. 336 pages. Book 19 of 26 in Serge Storms series.
Serge Storms is back for another chaotic and crazy history-filled Florida road trip. This time, Serge and his buddy Coleman trade in their usual muscle car ride for a chopper motorcycle with a sidecar because Serge's obsession of the moment is the iconic '60s cult classic "Easy Rider." Serge's plan is to finish the epic journey that was cut short in the film by the murder of the lead characters and to take a nostalgic ride back to the simpler times of the late 1960s, discovering modern-day hippie music and culture gatherings and quiet small town Florida life. Of course, it's Serge's journey, so they make side trips through the panhandle and recent Florida history and Homosassa to see sites of Tom Petty's youth and to meet the most famous resident of the Homosassa Springs State Park, Lu the hippo, a retired movie animal star who resided there from the 1960s until his death in June 2025. And, of course, Serge is in vigilante mode and much woe befalls road ragers, rude rich jerks, corrupt small town bosses, and Miami drug dealers who cross his path or threaten his friends. This was an especially fun Serge adventure.
December 6. Martin Cruz Smith. Simon & Schuster, 2002. 352 pages.
Novelist Martin Cruz Smith died in July. I had read a few of his Arkady Renko novels, and I decided to go back through his works and read something else. I discovered December 6. It's set in ultra-nationalist and ultra-militarist Tokyo in 1941, with flashbacks. The main character is Harry Niles, the son of American missionaries. Never having even visited the United States and living with an uncle while his parents work in the field, Harry is as Japanese as he can be. As a child he runs with a group of Japanese kids in the streets exploring the ins and outs of a seamier side of Tokyo, the dance halls and theaters, learning to become a scam artist and con man. After a brief time in the US when he goes to work for a movie studio, he returns to Tokyo. As a foreigner, a gaijin, who spent time in Japanese-occupied China and has contacts within the Japanese government, he draws the attention of the police and military. His contacts lead him to discover the secret plans to attack Pearl Harbor. Now, he attempts to plant disinformation amongst the Japanese officials and to alert American officials, as he makes plans to leave Japan before the war with the US begins. His efforts are complicated by his childhood friends, his Japanese lover, and a Japanese military officer out for revenge. It's a really good story and a quick read. If you like the Arkady Renko series or the historical noir works of James Ellroy, Walter Mosley, or Walter Mosley, for example, I think you'll enjoy this one.
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There There. Tommy Orange. Knopf, 2018. 304 pages.
This novel has gotten a huge amount of attention since its publication, and reviewers have raved about it. I was moved to pick it up after I saw an Instagram book influencer ( @vestcody ) call it a modern day Canterbury Tales and include it in a list of modern replacements for classics commonly taught in high school. I read it in two sittings, and I was blown away. It definitely deserves the hype, and I look forward to reading Orange's follow-up.
There There absolutely lives up to the Canterbury comparison, in both structure and quality, and it will be hailed as a classic for years to come. Chaucer's Canterbury, generally considered unfinished, introduces some thirty characters, pilgrims on their way to visit the shrine to Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral, but only 24 tales were completed. In There There, a dozen "Urban Indians" in Oakland, California all have their seemingly disparate lives converge at the Big Oakland Powwow, a huge annual event that draws indigenous dancers, vendors, and attendees from throughout the Americas. Each character has his or her own issues, arising from drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse, and other issues centering on identity that are found throughout the Native American community. Their lives all intersect on that fateful day at the Powwow. As author James Baldwin wrote, "People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them." Orange captures that sentiment perfectly. I recommend this book to all readers.
Constituent Service: A Third District Story. John Scalzi. Audible original. 2024. 2 hours 30 minutes. (AI generated image)
Bonus non-history read of the month. Another fun sci-fi listen from John Scalzi. I enjoy funny and clever sci-fi like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the British TV series Red Dwarf, and I'm glad to have discovered John Scalzi.
Amazon blurb: "The aliens are here ... and they want municipal services!
Ashley Perrin is fresh out of college and starting a job as a community liaison for the Third District–the city’s only sector with more alien residents than humans. Ashley’s barely found where the paper clips are kept when she’s beset with constituent complaints–from too much noise at the Annual Lupidian Celebration Parade to a trip-and-fall chicken to a very particular type of alien hornet that threatens the very city itself.
And if that’s not terrifying enough, Ashley is next up at the office karaoke night.
It's Parks and Recreation meets the Federation of Planets...."
