Reviews

Black Widow by Randy Wayne White

r_lind's review against another edition

4.0

Nice change from my usual genre, I will definitely read another one.

git_r_read's review against another edition

4.0

Just love the Doc Ford series. I am looking forward to listening to more.

tfpjr492's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The bride and three bridesmaids have a bachelorette party before the wedding. It’s a ladies’ time for fun and laughs at a luxurious cabin in the east Caribbean. Several local young men join the festivities, and then things go wrong. The locals slip a date rape drug into the drinks, and they sexually assault the unwitting ladies. Worse, the events are videotaped. The  ladies return home to learn that they are victims of a sextortion scheme, and if they don’t pay up quickly, the videos will be released publicly. They panic and pay up, only to find that the sextortionists make additional demands for money. 

 

The bride happens to be the goddaughter of marine biologist Doc Ford, who has experience in government-sanctioned intelligence gathering and subterfuge. He occasionally uses his skills as a fixer to help crime victims achieve justice outside the law enforcement system. This should be a simple matter to resolve, but Doc Ford has an incident that forebodes the dangers he will face. He jumps into the water to save a friend from a threatening group of hammerhead sharks. Doc Ford describes the events. “I threw my hands out to fend off as two submarine shapes surfaced within reach, both dorsals higher than my head. Their skin was an armor-work of denticles. I banged one with my fist, kicked at the other.” He and friend escape from the sharks, but will he be so lucky when he confronts the sextortionists? 

 

After he goes to the island and reconnoiters the scene of the crime, he meets a retired colonel of the British Royal Marines, who also is motivated to disrupt the continuing sextortion plots. Doc Ford comes to understand that this is a larger criminal enterprise, headed by a “Black Widow.” He collaborates with the colonel as he makes his next moves. 

 

One curious interest is shared by both the colonel and the Black Widow - they are dedicated cultivators of orchids. Website Justaddiceorchids.com provides a good explanation why orchids appeal to so many people. The colonel covets the Black Widow’s orchids, and the Black Widow goes to extreme lengths to stop the locals from pilfering orchids. 

 

Anyway the plot moves at a quick pace to a fitting conclusion, yet there are unfortunate consequences for some of the  innocent characters. The ending is cause for reflection on our imperfect world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

hecate64's review against another edition

Not my favorite Doc Ford book. I just plain didn't like Shanay. Being a Floridian, I prefer the books that are set in the state.

sjkuzma's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

skinnypenguin's review

4.0

Love the Doc Ford series. The place he lives has such an odd assortment of characters it makes for an entertaining side story. It's nice how those people are weaved into the main story. Also bringing bits of his past into the story adds a little extra spice.
The main story of his goddaughter being blackmailed by someone turns out to be not the usual blackmail story. It wasn't just a random event there was a pattern and lots of people were involved and it was a definite set up. The twist at the end was really good. Really like the old British guy, he added a lot of mystery and intrigue to the story. Like the fact that Doc can be brutal but also has a soft side, like what he did for Norma.