Frank Carlson Library

When solitary marine biologist Doc Ford focused his telescope on the woman in the white boat, he didn't know his life was about to be capsized: that his conniving uncle Tucker Gatrell would discover the Fountain of Youth, that the National Enquirer would write about it, and that the law would beat down his door in search of three missing men.But Doc Ford is about to find these things out-the hard way. Because in the shadowy world of Southwest Florida,...

Sneaking an underwater look at a notorious Russian black marketeer's fancy yacht, Doc Ford emerges to discover that the marketeer's private island has been taken over by environmental extremists who threaten to kill a hostage every hour until their demands are met.

Fifteen years after a young girl unearths an ancient gold medallion and then mysteriously dies, Doc Ford investigates strange occurrences at the girl's home and concludes that a dangerous person is determined to find the medallion.

Both Doc Ford and his friend Tomlinson have buried secrets. Now one of those secrets is about to come alive - with a vengeance. While trying to solve one of Florida's most profound secrets, Doc Ford is the target of a murder attempt by someone who wants to make it look like an accident. Or is the target actually Tomlinson? Whatever the answer, the liveaboards and fishing guides at Dinkin's Bay on Sanibel Island are becoming increasingly nervous -...

"The stunning new thriller from the New York Times-bestselling author. When a Crow Indian acquaintance of Tomlinson's asks him to help recover a relic stolen from his tribe, Doc Ford is happy to tag along-but neither Doc nor Tomlinson realize what they've let themselves in for. Their search takes them to the part of Central Florida known as Bone Valley, famous primarily for two things: a ruthless subculture of black-marketers who trade in illegal...

"Murder, sunken treasure, and pirates both ancient and modern send Doc Ford on a nightmare quest in the thrilling new novel in the New York Times-bestselling series. Marine biologist Doc Ford has been known to help his friends out of jams occasionally, but he's never faced a situation like this. His old pal Carl Fitzpatrick has been chasing sunken wrecks most of his life, but now he's run afoul of the Florida Division of Historical Resources. Its...

"A fishing guide and part-time investigator, Hannah Smith is a tall, strong Florida woman descended from many generations of the same. But the problem before her now is much older even than that. Five hundred years ago, Spanish conquistadors planted the first orange seeds in Florida, but now the whole industry is in trouble. The trees are dying at the root, weakened by infestation and genetic manipulation, and the only solution might be somehow, somewhere,...

Entreated by his goddaughter to help pay off a blackmailer who videotaped her bachelorette party and then threatened to expose her debauchery, Doc Ford reluctantly agrees and then finds himself in danger when the extortionist releases the tape anyway.

"Doc Ford has been involved in many strange cases. This may be one of the strangest. A legendary charter captain and guide named Tootsie Barlow has come to him, muttering about a curse. The members of his extended family have suffered a bizarre series of attacks, and Barlow is convinced it has something to do with a multiple murder in 1925, in which his family had a shameful part. Ford doesn't believe in curses, but as he and his friend Tomlinson...