Chasing Midnight

January 30, 2012
Technology buffs will enjoy the cool gadgets in bestseller White’s 19th Doc Ford novel (after 2011’s Night Vision), but those looking for emotional depth should look elsewhere. Ford, a marine biologist and sometime investigator, infiltrates a gathering of black market caviar kings held on a private Florida island. Suspecting something illegal in the Russian host’s yacht, Ford slips out of the party for an underwater look. When he surfaces, the island’s power is cut and communications with the mainland are blocked by eco-terrorists with troubled personalities and murky motives. At first, Ford is alone, combating purely physical dangers. When victims and perpetrators finally appear, it’s difficult to care about any of them, except Ford’s old hipster friend, Tomlinson, while Doc’s inner life is supplanted by self-congratulation on his expertise, bravery, and physique. White always delivers intelligent writing and thought-provoking facts, but series fans may hope for a more character-driven story next time around. Agent: Esther Newberg, International Creative Management.

April 1, 2012
Bad guys want to corner the caviar market in Doc Ford's 19th. Can Doc foil them? It's a tall order, since the no-goods involved are rich, powerful and exceptionally amoral. On the other hand, Doc's not your run-of-the-mill marine biologist either. He has skill sets mostly found among the Special Forces population, especially those licensed to kill. It's a place not unfamiliar to Doc. During certain unexplained absences from his customary Florida haunts--Sanibel Island, Dinkin's Bay--he's gone there at the behest of a grateful government. Meanwhile, to the billion-dollar caviar trade, the beluga sturgeon is the sine qua non, and on Vanderbilt Island, not far from Sanibel, interested parties are convening to discuss various means of exploitation. Doc, who views the sturgeon protectively and the "often corrupt caviar industry" with marked suspicion, has wangled an invitation. As has Tomlinson, his erratic, beyond-brilliant friend and companion through 18 previous adventures (Night Vision, 2011, etc.). That turns out to be a fateful decision. Suddenly, an explosion rips through Vanderbilt, taking out its communications capability and placing it under the control of a weird but well-armed extremist group named the Third Planet Peace Force. Unless its demands are met, Third Planet Peace Force will kill a hostage an hour, beginning at midnight. Can Doc and Tomlinson rise to the challenge, thwart the terrorists and save the beluga? White's fans will eat this one up.

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February 15, 2012
What is a marine biologist with a shadow life as a black-ops expert doing attending a weekend event for the elite players in the international caviar trade? Doc Ford's interest in hanging out on a private island with a bunch of rich guys isn't caviar per se; it's sturgeon, and the rumor that a Russian black marketeer has found a way around the international ban on Beluga productswhich is why Ford is underwater, hoping to sneak on board the Russian's yacht, when ecoterrorists take over the island, claiming that if their demands aren't met by midnightjust over two hours awaythey will detonate the entire island. With communications to the outside world jammed, all chance of escape rides on the broad shoulders of Doc Ford, treading water in the Gulf and wondering what in hell is going on. With the ticking clock driving the suspense meter into the red zone (as in Lee Child's 61 Hours, 2010), White follows Ford across the island as he deals with both the ecoterrorists and the Russian's hired thugs, attempting to sort out who is really behind the takeover. Since Ford is mainly flying solo this time, there's not as much opportunity here for character interaction as usual, but White does pure suspense as well as anyone, and the one-man-in-the-dark frame gives him the perfect stage to show his stuff. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: White regularly hits the best-seller lists, and his latest, helped by an extensive author tour, won't be the one to break the streak.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)