North of Havana (A Doc Ford Novel)

As in the case of his previous books, Randy Wayne White delivers the reader straight into the heart of the South Florida lifestyle. The book is packed with action, twisty plot turns, and truly uniquely Florida characters. Reading the book, I felt as though I could taste the saltwater in the air, smell the unique scents of Havana, and see Doc Ford save the day once again. Randy Wayne White is a must read for anyone into mystery and action novels.

Randy Wayne White is an outstanding writer and his novels are usually quick reading page turners. North of Havana is a little different because it is set in Cuba and the character dynamics are different. Tomlinson seems laregly insane and Dewey Nye (who accompanies Doc to Cuba against his wishes) does not seem to fit into this story very well. For some reason North of Havana bogs down a little. It's not a bad read but didn't pull me in the way Randy's books usually do. That being said, you need to read this one in sequence with the others if you want to fully understand the story of Doc Ford's relationship with Dewey, Pilar, and his son.

I'm a big RWW fan and enjoyed this book as well, but as stated by an earlier reviewer, I thought "North of Havana" lost a little steam midway through. It may have been the fact that Tomlinson, whose eccentricities are normally a source of mild consternation for Doc Ford, are the cause of some major problems, both to Ford and to his female companion. That those character flaws lead indirectly to several deaths makes Tomlinson less quirky and more downright irritating.
Otherwise, an action-focused entry in a great series of novels.

I’ve read all the “Doc” Ford novels and while I do like this one, a 1998 effort by Florida author Randy Wayne White, it isn’t my favorite. However, it does have probably one of the best opening lines of any novel ever:

“Tomlinson telephoned at three minutes before ten Friday evening, December 20, to tell me that he was stranded in Havana, broke, frustrated, sailboat impounded, seriously discommoded, wholly bummed out, and if I wasn’t too busy, if I wasn’t in the middle of boxing a shipment of sea anemones or if my manatee research project could be conveniently interrupted, maybe, just maybe, I could get my butt to a neutral country and catch a plane to Cuba.”

Apparently, Tomlinson has been “boat-jacked” by a woman he met in Key West and now must come up with a sizable amount of cash in order to bribe the Cubans so that he can leave the country. The plot involves not only Ford and Tomlinson, but Ford’s sometime lover Dewey Nye, who insists on coming along, as well as a plot to assassinate Fidel Castro.

There is plenty of action but the book loses steam in places. Dewey is one of less pleasant of White’s usually great female characters (like Ransom, Ford’s Bahamian cousin); here, she’s trying to decide if she wants to stay with Ford or be with a female pro tennis player. Even the insanely likeable Tomlinson annoyed me: his eccentricities are often played for laughs, but in Cuba, they cause huge problems for Ford and for Dewey, as well as leading to some minor character deaths. Tomlinson ceases being quirky and funny, and goes straight to being irritating and obtuse.

White does describe Cuba as well as he does his beloved Florida islands of Sanibel and Captiva. Even Columbus thought Cuba to be beautiful. However, its ugly Communist past is also shown. Being raised in south Florida, I knew the story behind the Mariel boatlift of 1980: a group of Cubans in a truck forced their way into the Peruvian Embassy in Havana. They were seeking asylum so that they could eventually leave the country. Soon afterward, the Cuban government announced that anyone else wanting to go to Peru would be free to leave. Within two days, over 10,000 people jammed the embassy grounds in the hope of leaving Cuba. Within weeks, the matter had become international news, as tens of thousands more were permitted to leave. About 120,000 went to the United States alone.

Why did these refugees leave Cuba? The reasons varied greatly. Some thought that they could find a better way of life in another country. Others came into difficulty because of not being in agreement with the policies of the regime in power and fled the country to escape the problems that followed. Also, in 1980 the Cuban government decided to take the opportunity to rid itself, on a large scale, of many whom they considered undesirable. For example, after the flow of refugees began, criminals were taken out of jails and forced into the refugee boats to get them out of the country. Others who were considered politically dangerous had the same experience. Some who were known homosexuals were also forced to leave.

It’s a decent, if unspectacular, introduction to White’s Doc Ford novels, but I would recommend reading “The Heat Islands” or “Sanibel Flats” instead. His later efforts are much better. And if you find yourself in Sanibel, find his restaurant (Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille) on Rabbit Road (off the main thoroughfare, San-Cap Road) and enjoy the food.

Another fine read by Randy Wayne White but at the end it seemed to lose steam and ended rather abruptly. I was expecting more of a finish after such a good job leading up to the showdown at the lagoon. I also noticed a slight change in White’s delivery from prior works that I felt to be a bit awkward when leading into character dialog. It may be nit but I would rather read - I stated, “Let’s go.” in place of - Stated, “Let’s go.” It disrupted the flow and it occurred in several places. With that said I highly enjoy the creativity of the writer and the Doc Ford series. I will continue to read this author as he is one of my top five favorite writers. Maybe it is because of the Florida tie-in as three of the top five write about the state.

I like Randy Whites books...now some are better than others,but they are all entertaining...fast reading, and usually a good store line...with history attached....my kind of reading...I like his friends that show up in most all of his books...I like where he hangs out, since it sounds like the places I have been know to make my watering holes...I liked this book...and not sure why it took me longer to read it, except it didn't flow as well as other books of his...but I would not skip reading it since it had all the things I like about Randy writing and style....

Although the book , as usual, holds your interest and is geographically well researched. Mr. White has little real knowledge of the actual political situation in Cuba or chooses to promote the right wing American version of the situation. The electoral system in Cuba is very similar to that of many municipalities in North America, except for the fact that citizens can recall elected officials. Mr White states that the poverty in Cuba is not caused by the American Embargo which also restricts other nations from trading with Cuba, . This is horse manure.

RWW is always excellent! I have read his 1st five books this last year-

normally I get bored with authors and will not read more than 2 a year.

Each story is very different from the previous yet is very much part of the series.

Each character seems authentic and with a voice unique from the others.

Most authors seem to have trouble doing this - their characters talk from the roughly the same voice or perspective.

This story might have been a little slow but RWW writes so well I don't mind. Plenty of suprises big & subtle. As always good characters, fast paced dialogue,action and emotion. Once again I'm dissappointed to be finished. On to book 6!

If you liked MacDonald's McGee series, you'll like Randy Wayne White. And this is the best of them. Very readable, well plotted and fun.

I found this series by accident and LOVED the first book so much I have bought the entire series on audio (there are a couple of the books that are no longer available that way, so I had to break down and read a book) but Doc Ford is just the bee's knees and I love the adventures and details to life on Sanibel Island. Sanibel Island is a real place and RWW draws on his experiences as a fishing guide to write the stories. I have a friend who lives in Florida and vacations there and there is a Doc Ford Restaurant there with great seafood (so he tells me) and kind of a Doc Ford fan club. I hope and pray the stories never end.