Review

Praise for Neil White:‘Fallen Idols has been hailed as a stunning debut’.The Blackpool Gazette‘Fallen Idols…has all the hallmarks of a great read for crime-thriller fans with celebrity killings, conspiracies, revenge and even a hint of romance’.The Weekly News’… a whirlwind of a novel…a serious contender to match the giants of the crime fiction world’Crimesquad.com‘Superbly paced, with firmly grounded dialogue and a believeable cast if characters, this subtle page-turner lingers long in the mind.’Lancashire Evening Post‘Enough originality and suspense to make this a good read.’South Wales Argus'Neil White is taking the crime thriller market by storm. Last Rites teems with menace, and the action builds to a terrific climax.'Lancashire Evening Post‘Certain to have you hooked from start to finish.’Closer Magazine

Product Description

Digging for the truth can be fatal…20 years ago, Britain was rocked by the strange disappearance of Claude Gilbert, after the beaten corpse of his wife was discovered hidden in the garden. Worst of all, scratches found on her makeshift coffin signal that the unthinkable took place - Nancy was buried alive.Conspiracy theories say hotshot barrister and handsome TV presenter Gilbert murdered his wife and then killed himself, but with no body ever found, the mystery has remained unsolved. Until now…When Lancashire crime beat reporter Jack Garrett is contacted by someone claiming to be Gilbert's girlfriend, and that he needs him to write the story proving his innocence, Jack eagerly leaps on the chance to clear a decades-old enigma.But as Jack sets off on the trail of Gilbert - and the news scoop of his career - he quickly finds that the truth is stranger than the headlines. And as Jack chases the story, he and girlfriend Laura McGanity, attempting to earn her sergeant stripes in the local police force, quickly become pawns to a twisted individual with their own agenda…

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. At the start of bestseller White's outstanding 17th Doc Ford thriller (after Dead Silence), two low-life ex-cons, King and Perry, are on the lam after killing a family of five in a burglary. They end up in Doc's neck of the woods, or rather his neck of the swamp, in central Florida. Doc; his boat-bum hipster pal, Tomlinson; troubled Indian teen Will Chaser, who played a key role in Dead Silence; and Arlis Futch, a crusty old fisherman, have arrived at a small lake, which they intend to search for Batista's treasure plane, which disappeared in 1958 while flying the ex-dictator's looted booty out of Cuba during the Castro takeover. King and Perry, who are as bad as they come, quickly take control of the others, forcing Doc and friends to continue diving in the lake, after which the pair plan to kill them all. Throw in a giant, mysterious swamp creature with an appetite for cattle, horses, and divers, and you've got a nail-biter that's virtually impossible to put down. Author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Starred Review Florida’s mystery heroes have been having a hard time this year. First, James W. Hall’s Thorn spent most of an entire novel trapped in a dry well (Silencer, 2010), and now, in Randy Wayne White’s latest Doc Ford thriller, the intrepid marine biologist goes underwater for a couple hundred pages. It starts innocently enough, with Ford, his hippie pal Tomlinson, teenager Will Chaser (from Dead Silence, 2009), and cranky old-timer Arlis Futch embarking on a treasure-hunting trip to an isolated lake, on the bottom of which is purported to be a mother lode of gold from Batista’s Cuba. Three problems quickly develop: a sort-of underwater avalanche that leaves all but Ford trapped under tons of limestone (a cave keeps the victims alive as their air supply dwindles); the arrival (on land) of two psycho killers right out of In Cold Blood (one is even named Perry); and, scariest of all, the lurking presence of, yes, a sea monster. Ford eventually surmounts all the obstacles before him, of course, but along the way, we are treated to a wonderful mix of hair-raising horror, grace under pressure, and fascinating natural history. There turns out to be a biologically sound explanation for the presence of the sea monster, but that doesn’t make it any less terrifying for anyone who remembers Creature from the Black Lagoon (as Ford notes, “The universe beneath is alive—relentlessly alive”). It’s no surprise that White’s long-running, always-popular series has broken through to mainstream best-sellerdom; his novels appeal on so many levels: as portraits of a steadily evolving, tough-yet-introspective hero; as eco-friendly investigations of natural Florida; and as muscular, head-banging adventure thrillers. And, now, there are sea monsters, too! --Bill Ott

From Publishers Weekly

This 10th novel in the series featuring ex-CIA spook turned marine biologist Doc Ford (Twelve Mile Limit, etc.), finds Doc wallowing deep in his own doldrums. Out of shape, overweight, depressed and drinking heavily to escape from his turbulent past, Doc gets a surprise visit from Sally Minster, a former lover, whose real estate developer hubby, Geoff, is reported to have been drowned in a boating accident off Bimini six months ago. Soon to inherit his estate, Sally is being followed by an insurance investigator who may have evidence her husband is still alive. Accompanied by his hippie Zen master pal, Sighurdhr Tomlinson, Doc follows the insurance investigator deep into the Everglades, where Geoff turns out to have been in cahoots with a phony guru, Bhagwan Shiva, founder of the International Church of Ashram Meditation Inc. Geoff helped him build one of his new "theme" ashrams to attract rich South Floridians and jet setters, destroying precious Everglades forest in the process. The Bhagwan and his henchman, Izzy Kline, a Mossad-trained former Israeli soldier, are plotting to engineer a series of explosions, enacting the mythic Seminole Chief Tecumseh's earthquake prophecy of 1811. Free-love religious cults, ecological destruction, murder and kidnapping propel Doc and his band of quirky Florida Gulf Coast beach denizens on a dizzying airboat race across the Everglades, where Doc battles his own demons when he's not battling a real live bull shark. The busy plot gets a bit ragged in places, but while it's not White's career best, this satisfying, madcap fare could well go seismic on the regional bestseller lists.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Starred Review Much of the tension in today's best tough-guy detective series comes from the hero's fear of his own toughness. From Spenser in Boston to Robicheaux in New Orleans to Doc Ford on Sanibel Island, these introspective sleuths brood about their propensity for violence. Ford, White's former special-ops agent turned mild-mannered marine biologist, tends to brood more than his peers, perhaps because the disconnect between his twin personalities is greatest. In this superlative tenth episode in the acclaimed series, that disconnect has turned Ford against himself, despairing over the number of friends who have been sucked into his violent world and died as a result of it. Then a woman from his past turns up with a problem: her husband has disappeared after becoming involved with a Bhagwan-like cult in the Everglades. Ford, with hippie cohort Tomlinson in tow, heads to the Glades to investigate but not before a one-on-one encounter with a shark prompts an epiphany about his predatory nature. Along the way, Ford has the opportunity to dispense a wealth of fascinating information on swampland ecology and Seminole history. These forays are one of the things that makes this series so consistently satisfying, but this time the real core of the book is the process by which Ford deals with his inner demons. Too often in the mystery genre, this "I'm nice; no, I'm tough" dichotomy descends to cliche, but in White's hands, it leads to genuine insight. The human brain, he tells us, has a tiny region, the amygdala, or "lizard brain," whose sole purpose is survival. When Ford finally quits waffling and lets his lizard brain out of jail, the result is pulsating action and a kind of atavistic catharsis. Righteous indignation never felt better. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

SUMMARY: Once before, the sentient races in the known part of the galaxy—humans, Orions, Ophiuchi and Gorm—had united to defeat alien invaders. Decades later, the member planets of the alliance had grown complacent—until a huge fleet of ships, each ship larger than a city, arrived, fleeing the loss of their home planet when their star went nova. They have traveled for centuries, slower than light, and now that they have arrived at the world they intend to make their new home. They regard the fact that the planet is already colonized by humans as a mere inconvenience, the more so since their mode of communication is so different from anything humans use that they do not consider humans and their allies to be truly intelligent. And the arriving aliens know—or, at least, they believe—that when they die they will be reincarnated, so they do not hesitate to attack humans and their allies with suicidal fury. And, if necessary, they will exterminate all humans and their allies, if that’s what it takes to occupy the planet. That was their attitude on arrival, but the conquerors have learned from human technology. They now know all about reactionless drives, so much more efficient than rocket engines. And they have learned about the jump points which make faster-than-light travel possible. With that knowledge, they plan to conquer the entire inhabited region of the galaxy—unless the old alliance of humans and other being can stop them . . . .

Review

‘Fallen Idols has been hailed as a stunning debut’.The Blackpool Gazette‘Fallen Idols…has all the hallmarks of a great read for crime-thriller fans with celebrity killings, conspiracies, revenge and even a hint of romance’.The Weekly News’… a whirlwind of a novel…a serious contender to match the giants of the crime fiction world’Crimesquad.com‘a crackingly assured debut…my most riveting read of 2007’Ewan Wilson, Waterstone's Sauchiehall St. Glasgow

Product Description

Everyone would kill for their fifteen minutes of fame…A Premiership footballer is shot dead in cold blood on a busy London street, and a country is gripped by terror. Who is behind this apparently motiveless killing – and who’s next in the firing line?Jack Garrett is determined to find out. A small-time journalist who's left behind his Lancashire roots for the glitz and glamour – and seediness and squalor – of the capital, he's convinced this is no celebrity stalker.Aided and abetted by DC Laura McGanity, desperately trying to juggle police life with motherhood and her feelings for Jack, the trail takes them back to Jack's home town of Turner's Fold – and his past.What's the connection between the recent murder and the death of a young girl 10 years before?Conspiracy, revenge and the high price of fame all combine in this stunning debut from a dazzling new voice in crime fiction.

From Publishers Weekly

The 14th Doc Ford Florida thriller (after 2006's Dark Light) from bestseller White requires more suspension of disbelief than most readers may be willing to provide. Marine biologist Ford, a shadowy figure with multiple links to the intelligence community, gets an unusual commission from Kal Wilson, a former one-term president who recently lost his wife in a mysterious plane crash. Wilson, who has a terminal illness, asks Ford's help in slipping his protective detail so that the politician can search for those he believes responsible for his wife's death. Implausibly, the psychotic serial killer who's Ford's bête noir, Praxcedes Lourdes, appears to have been involved in the attack on the former first lady, giving the covert op a personal incentive to assist Wilson. The action sequences, especially those involving Wilson, are less than convincing, and the climax is particularly far-fetched. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

White's last entry in his Doc Ford series (Dark Light, * was a quasi-historical novel in which his hero, marine biologist and special-ops agent Ford, unraveled a mystery with roots in World War II. This time, though, it's back to the present, as Ford tangles with his nemesis from Tampa Burn (2004), the psychotic pyromaniac Lourdes. There's more than mano a mano going on here, though, as Lourdes is working with a group of Islamic terrorists who have a global agenda. And Ford has a new partner, too: Kal Wilson, a Clintonesque former president of the U.S., now stricken with a fatal illness, who needs Ford's help with a few clandestine items on his to-do-before-I-die list. It's a bit of an outlandish premise, to be sure, but White makes it work, drawing the former prexy into Ford's world as easily and believably as if he were just another hanger-on at Dinkins Bay Marina. There's not much kicking back, Margaritaville-style, on the agenda, however, as the lethal mix of pyro psychos, wacko right-wing Americans, and global terrorists keeps Ford on high-adrenaline full throttle from beginning to end. Yes, we'd like a bit more of the reflective character interplay that usually peppers the action in this series, but White does pure action as well as anybody in the genre, so why not just enjoy the ride? Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved*

Product Description

The Empire has collapsed. Aided by the Chessori, who wield an unbeatable mind weapon, Rebel domination of the sectors strengthens daily. Against such formidable opponents, hope for the future of Empire dims. The people of Earth are the only ones in the galaxy immune to the terrible mind weapon. The Chessori have been studying Earth for many years, trying to discover the reason for this immunity. The Empire asks for help, but if Earth agrees, the Chessori will surely retaliate. Yet failure to act is just as risky in the long run. Earth must save the Empire, and it must learn to save itself, as well. The process cannot be forced. It must be led, and time is short. Join the Queen and her Knights as they struggle to pull the remnants of a once great civilization from the ashes of defeat. Like the Phoenix, they will rise up, giving all that they are, and the galaxy will hear their call.

Product Description

A note from the author: Spirit of Empire is, at present, a three-book series. It might go to four books next year. Each book is twice as long as a standard novel, so you are getting excellent value along with a great story. I published Book One, Last of the Chosen, on Amazon in February 2011. Book Two, Knights of the Chosen, was released in July 2011. I am planning to release Book Three, Voice of the Chosen, around January 2012, though I make no promises on that date. The important thing is this: the first three books are written, so you do not risk investing yourself in a story that never reaches completion. Take the plunge: you will not regret it. The story: The Empire, hundreds of thousands of civilizations scattered across the galaxy, has been subtly invaded by the Chessori, diminutive creatures wielding a powerful mind weapon. No one can resist this terrible mind weapon, and the war is lost before anyone knows it began. Ellandra of the Chosen, the youngest and last surviving leader of the Empire, flees the Chessori. In desperation, she lands on a little-known emerging world called Earth where she is rescued by Mike Carver, an innocent bystander. In the process, he discovers that he and the people of Earth are immune to the mind weapon. Join Mike and Ellandra on their quest to restore the Empire to its former glory. Along the way they will enlist many others, including: • Otis, a Great Cat, the most lethal Protector in the Empire. • Jake, a Rider, an intelligent alien mass of protoplasm. If a person could be considered a commodity, Riders would be the single most valuable commodity in the Empire. Unfortunately for Mike, Riders can only survive inside a host body. • George, a nearly sentient artificial intelligence. • Krys, a young woman far across the galaxy who receives unwelcome visions of the future. She hears Ellandra’s call, but she is just an orphan. What can she do?

About the Author

About the Author Born in 1950, I have been a pilot all of my working life and a writer for most of that time. I flew over 600 combat missions in Vietnam and have since traveled over most of the Earth flying private jets. About half of my career has been in management positions. If ever there was a case of life experience informing what a writer writes, I am that case. I have met people from all walks of life and from all over our wonderful planet, and I have liked almost all of them. It is only a small stretch for me to imagine liking aliens. I encourage your feedback. heck out the book's website and send an email. Email: larry@spiritofempire.com Website: www.spiritofempire.com

Review

Praise for Neil White:‘Fallen Idols has been hailed as a stunning debut’.The Blackpool Gazette‘Fallen Idols…has all the hallmarks of a great read for crime-thriller fans with celebrity killings, conspiracies, revenge and even a hint of romance’.The Weekly News’… a whirlwind of a novel…a serious contender to match the giants of the crime fiction world’Crimesquad.com

Product Description

What do you see in your dying moments…?A young woman is on the run, her boyfriend found brutally slain in their bed. A simple crime of passion. Or is it?Find out in the new heart-stopping thriller from the acclaimed author of LOST SOULS.The Lancashire town of Blackley has been rocked by the violent death of Luke Howarth. The fingers of suspicion point towards his girlfriend, Sarah Goode - missing since his murder. Just another crime of passion with a tragic end.Or is it? Reporter Jack Garrett isn't so sure - especially when he's asked by Sarah's distraught parents to find their daughter. Their description of caring schoolteacher Sarah doesn't tally with the media's portrayal of a cold-blooded killer.But as he hunts for Sarah, Jack finds himself immersed in the town's troubled history and discovers that dangerous rituals from the past are impacting on the present.Jack's girlfriend, DC Laura McGanity, in the midst of a tough custody battle, must be content to sit on the sidelines. But she soon finds herself caught up in the investigation, as the mystery surrounding Sarah's disappearance dramatically unravels.Jack and Laura find themselves in mortal danger as they come face to face with an unhinged killer who is determined that they will pay with their lives…

The award-winning author of The Memory of Water delivers a gripping tale of family, fate, and forgiveness.

When Piper Mills was twelve, she helped her grandfather bury a box that belonged to her grandmother in the backyard. For twelve years, it remained untouched.

Now a near fatal riding accident has shattered Pipers dreams of Olympic glory. After her grandfathers death, she inherits the house and all its secrets, including a key to a room that doesnt existor does it? And after her grandmother is sent away to a nursing home, she remembers the box buried in the backyard. In it are torn pages from a scrapbook, a charm necklaceand a newspaper article from 1929 about the body of an infant found floating in the Savannah River. The necklaces charms tell the story of three friends during the 1920s each charm added during the three months each friend had the necklace and recorded her life in the scrapbook. Piper always dismissed her grandmother as not having had a story to tell....

A Moonlit Night Saga follows the story of Emily Johansson. She’s a woman with a secret, one that even she doesn’t know about. All that changes when vampires descend upon the town. Creatures of the night, they have begun terrorizing the town, covered in the shroud of darkness. If Emily hopes to hold back the shadows, she must discover the power hidden deep within her.

An intense sadistic tale of how one man will save the world through sterilization. When Todd was just a child, he learned that sometimes it was necessary to sterilize or euthanize animals in order to keep their population from growing too rapidly. It was the humane thing to do, the best thing for the environment. Yet, every day at his job at the Welfare Department, Todd sees the dregs of humanity multiplying unchecked, overburdening the earth with a tidal wave of waste, abuse, and cruelty. But if he can convince them not to reproduce, if he can convince everyone to voluntarily sterilize themselves, then he might just prevent the coming population explosion. And those who can't be convinced... Population Zero is the story of an environmental activist named Todd Hammerstein who is on a mission to save the planet. In just 50 years the population of the planet is expected to double. But not if Todd can help it. From Wrath James White, the celebrated master of sex and splatter, comes a tale of environmentalism, drugs, and genital mutilation.