Mangrove Lightning, by Randy Wayne White. Putnam. 352 pages. Hardcover $27.00.
Though many of Mr. White’s earlier entries in his Doc Ford mystery series have generated fear, not one has been as persistently scary as “Mangrove Lightning.” It’s an odd brew of local history, unnatural quirks in the natural world, grotesque legends, and even more grotesque characters. It is fed by events on different timelines that come into focus and then dissolve. 
Much of the plot revolves around the past and present doings of two families: the Barlows and the Lambeths. The Lambeths are a mysterious and evil-tainted tribe given to all kinds of perversions and crimes. Members of this weird family are huge physical specimens. The enjoy cruel satisfactions and a wide range of narcotics. Their human prey often disappears, perhaps boiled down to bones and chemicals. They have some connection to Chinese slaves. The Lambeths are not to be crossed. The influence of Walter Lambeth permeates his descendants, who seem to live under a spell.
Those who stumble into Lambeth country in the backwaters of SW Florida may not get out. They will be haunted by strange voices that repeat bloodcurdling threats. Doc Ford and his buddy Tomlinson find themselves among those who have to deal with the present generation of Lambeths, in whom cunning and madness coexist.
White – photo by Wendy Webb
The Barlows are represented by a premier and legendary fishing captain nicknamed Tootsie. Plenty of bad news in that family, but Tootsie is revered. His rebellious teenage niece Gracie is missing, and both Tomlinson and Doc are involved in trying to find and, if necessary, rescue her. Indeed, Gracie is only the latest member of Tootsie’s family to have been sought out to pay the price for some terrible doings that occurred in the mid-1920s. It seems as if a dark family feud is being played out. . . .
To read the full review, as it appears in the March 22, 2017 Fort Myers Florida Weekly and the March 23 Naples, Bonita Springs, Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte, and Palm Beach editions, click here: Florida Weekly – Mangrove Lightning
BOOK SIGNINGS:
MARCO ISLAND, FL / Saturday, March 25 at 2:00 PM
Sunshine Booksellers, 677 S. Collier Blvd
http://sunshinebooksellers.com/
FORT MYERS, FL / Saturday, March 25 at 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble #2711, 13751 Tamiami Trail
https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/store/2711
SARASOTA, FL / Sunday, March 26 at 12:00 PM
Bookstore1, 12 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236
http://www.bookstore1sarasota.com/
DELRAY BEACH, FL / Wednesday, March 29 at 7:00 PM
Murder on the Beach, 273 NE 2nd Ave.
CAPTIVA, FL / Friday, March 31 from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, 5400 S Seas Plantation Rd
https://www.docfords.com/captiva-island/
FORT MYERS BEACH, FL / Monday, April 3 from 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, 708 Fishermans Wharf
Phil Jason Reviews Books 