Deep Shadow

June 28, 2010
When approached by old friend Arlis Futch to help search for lost Cuban gold at the bottom of a Floridian lake, there's no way Doc Ford could anticipate that the easy afternoon dive with friends would turn into a struggle for life both below and above the waterline. A collapsing underwater shelf traps Ford's pal, Tomlinson, and a young troubled teen, Will Chaser, under tons of limestone. When Ford rushes to the surface he discovers more peril: two escaped murderers holding Futch hostage. As precious minutes pass, it is up to Ford to keep himself and Futch alive, outwit the deadly duo, and rescue his friends before they drown. Some listeners might find George Guidall's homespun delivery too folksy for this gritty thriller, but his enthusiasm for the material and fine character portrayals soon push any such qualms aside. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 4).

March 8, 2010
At the start of bestseller Whites 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 Docs 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 Batistas treasure plane, which disappeared in 1958 while flying the ex-dictators 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 youve got a nail-biter thats virtually impossible to put down. "Author tour. (Mar.)" .

Doc Ford and his sidekick, Tomlinson, stumble onto a troubled teen, a curmudgeon, two ex-cons, and a 1950s treasure-laden plane wreck at the bottom of a Florida lake. George Guidall makes the transitions between the six male characters seamless by giving each adventurer his own distinct accent and voice. Guidall's narration sounds effortless as he navigates this tangled, sometimes overly descriptive, story. His suave style makes the challenges faced down by the heroes--seemingly insurmountable odds, near-death experiences, and the ever-present threat of a sea monster--seem perfectly credible. A.R.H. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine