David's Reviews > Black Widow

I find Doc Ford to be an enigmatic character. It is almost as if he is a split personality (like many of our heroes) in that he is mild-mannered and studious, but also a capable action hero (former spy). In this outing he goes to help his goddaughter out of a jam when she is blackmailed. He uncovers a HUGE blackmailing scheme that even envelops a U.S. Senator and in an attempt to be a realist, the name of the senator is never revealed as if the character was an actual live senator and the book was written to protect the name.

The plot thickens and the reader eventually discovers that the evil Ford is fighting isn't the one he thought and the identity of the widow, telegraphed early on, is quite different from the enemy Ford is facing.

What makes this novel just a cut above average is the historical details offered by the ambiguous character, an aged 70's former British spy who dabbles in history and archaelogy who becomes Ford's accomplice. The book never says so, but there are hints that this character is the basis for the James Bond character Ian Fleming wrote about. But, he continues to drop historical and archaelogical details that are very interesting, along with a Templar conspiracy theory that add to the book. Coupled with information about so-called Black Magic/voodoo type religion practiced on the Caribbean Island that provides the setting, the book informs while it entertains.

I enjoy the Ford thrillers, because nobody seems to take Ford seriously. His cover as a marine bioligist always provides interesting details, I especially enjoyed a description of how jellyfish operate versus their prey.

The evil supposed widow is also an interesting character and Ford's exposure of this character is one I could offer as interesting depths to this novel, but to do so would be to offer spoilers I am not willing to drop your way.

The Ford thrillers also feature an old hippy druggie/zen enthusiast, and some of his theories about life are so entertaining because on one level they are the insane drug-adled philosophies and on another offer some actual philosophical fodder.

Good books... not great, but good.