Tampa Burn

Table of Contents

 

 

“Anyone who insists that mysteries cannot be ‘real' literature should be duct-taped to a chair and handed Randy Wayne White's
Tampa Burn.
Mr. White offers his readers everything they could want: finely, fully developed characters, a plot with believable twists and turns, rich—and accurate—local color, and esoteric information as icing on the cake.”

 

“White magically keeps anxiety levels high for characters and readers alike . . . a marvelous book.”

—
The Raleigh News & Observer

 

“Best sheer storytelling in years.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

 

“A spellbinding story-spinner . . . [
Tampa Burn
] is highly suspenseful, with strong characters and a complex moral dimension.”

 

“White is back in fine form with
Tampa Burn
, and it's likely to leave his fans eager for his next book.”

—
St. Petersburg Times

 

“Compelling action.”

 

“Keeps the suspense churning.”

—Booklist
(starred review)

“What James Lee Burke has done for Louisiana, Tony Hillerman for the Southwest, John Sandford for Minnesota and Joe R. Lansdale for east Texas, Randy Wayne White does for his own little acre in
Everglades
.”

 

“White brings vivid imagination to his fight scenes . . . it all roars along with cliffhanger chapter endings and great technogear. Think Mickey Spillane meets
The Matrix
. . . Rich and mysterious.”

“White just keeps getting better, his plots more shapely and intricate and his characters more complex and believable.”

 

“Superlative . . . pulsating action . . . Righteous indignation never felt better.”

—Booklist
(starred review)

 

“Randy Wayne White . . . writes about Florida's natural world with lyrical elegance and passion . . . [He] mixes his naturalist's eye and small-town sensibilities with a combatant's edge. His book is simultaneously gentle and compelling, a rare combination.”

 

“White's Ford novels build slowly to a breathless ending . . . [He] doesn't just use Florida as a backdrop, but he also makes the smell, sound, and physicality of the state leap off the page . . . Ford continues to excel as an unorthodox detective whose beat is the watery byways . . . Unique.”

 

“This satisfying, madcap fare could well go seismic on the regional bestseller lists.”

 

“A remarkable writing job.”

 

“Before it's over, White takes us on a wild ride . . . heart-stopping.”

 

“White masterfully guides his narrative to a riveting conclusion that will have readers eagerly awaiting the next Doc Ford adventure . . . White's writing is as muscular as ever.”

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF RANDY WAYNE WHITE

 

“Randy Wayne White and his Doc Ford join my list of must-reads. It is no small matter when I assert that White is getting pretty darn close to joining Carl Hiaasen and John D. MacDonald as writers synonymous with serious Florida issues and engaging characters.”

 

“Enough twists to satisfy any hard-boiled but intelligent detective fan.”

 

“One of the hottest new writers on the scene.”

 

“Great action scenes, terrific atmosphere, and a full-bodied hero add up to a pleasure.”

 

“Packed with finely drawn characters, relevant social issues, superb plotting, and an effortless writing style . . . The best new writer since Carl Hiaasen.”

 

“White is the rightful heir to joining John D. MacDonald, Carl Hiaasen, James W. Hall, Geoffrey Norman . . . His precise prose is as fresh and pungent as a salty breeze.”

 

“A series to be savored.”

SANIBEL FLATS

THE HEAT ISLANDS

THE MAN WHO INVENTED FLORIDA

CAPTIVA

NORTH OF HAVANA

THE MANGROVE COAST

TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS

SHARK RIVER

TWELVE MILE LIMIT

EVERGLADES

TAMPA BURN

DEAD OF NIGHT

DARK LIGHT

HUNTER'S MOON

 

 

 

 

BATFISHING IN THE RAINFOREST

THE SHARKS OF LAKE NICARAGUA

LAST FLIGHT OUT

AN AMERICAN TRAVELER

TARPON FISHING IN MEXICO AND FLORIDA (
An Introduction
)

RANDY WAYNE WHITE'S

GULF COAST COOKBOOK (
with Carlene Fredericka Brennen
)

Penguin Group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4V 3B2, Canada

(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL, England

Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

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(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

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Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

TAMPA BURN

A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with the author

PRINTING HISTORY

Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to quote from the following:

“A Horse with No Name” by Dewey Bunnell © 1971 Warner Bros. Music Limited. Copyright renewed. All rights for the Western Hemisphere controlled by WB Music Corp. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Warner Bros. Publications U.S. Inc., Miami, FL 33014.

“Tin Man” by Dewey Bunnell © 1974 WB Music Corp. Copyright renewed. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Warner Bros. Publications U.S. Inc., Miami, FL 33014.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eISBN : 978-1-101-48398-5

BERKLEY
^®
Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

10 9

THIS BOOK IS FOR NEIL NYREN, WHO GOT ME OFF THE BOAT.

THE
islands of Sanibel and Captiva are real, and, I hope, faithfully described, but they are used fictitiously in this novel.

The same is true of certain businesses, marinas, bars, and other places frequented by Doc Ford, Tomlinson, and pals. When you spend as much time cruising around in a boat as I do, it's hard not to mention people whom I've met and like, and find interesting.

In all other respects, however, this novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book demanded extensive research in several fields, and I am grateful to the experts who took the time to advise me. I'd like to thank Dr. Thaddeus Kostrubala, a brilliant psychopharmacologist, for his friendship, and for his cheerful willingness over the years to provide me with detailed behavioral profiles on some truly nasty fictional characters. Much of the detail in this book regarding shock therapy was provided by Dr. Kostrubala, including his touching recollections of administering the treatments as a resident in training. His e-mails, and our discussions, concerning Praxcedes Lourdes were also immensely helpful.

Captain Tobias Rose of the Tampa Pilots' Association also provided me with great assistance, including detailed information of the responsibilities of port pilots, as well as touring me around Tampa Bay as we plotted Doc Ford's night route.

Long-time carnival operator Darrell Boyd, known as DB, provided invaluable insights into the lives of sideshow operators and the town of Gibsonton, as did Chuck Osak, owner and operator of the Showtime Restaurant.

John Dunn, director of communications at Tampa General Hospital, was generous with his time, as was the staff at the Tampa Burn Center—one of the great medical facilities in the country. Joe Guidry was also a great help.