Order of Randy Wayne White Books

Born: January 1950
Hometown: Ashland, Ohio, USA
Alive and Writing: Oh, very much so—pen still ablaze with thrill and wit
Education: University of South Florida
Profession: Novelist, fishing guide, newspaper columnist, adventurer (and probably a pirate in a past life)

If Hemingway had a kayak, a penchant for crime scenes, and a taste for the Florida mangroves, he might've been named Randy Wayne White.

From the get-go, Randy wasn’t your run-of-the-mill, bookish, bespectacled scribbler. Born in chilly Ohio in January 1950 but spiritually adopted by the scorching, sunbaked shores of Florida, White grew up with the kind of wanderlust and wild streak most of us only flirt with in daydreams. His early years were soaked in Midwestern simplicity, but somewhere along the line—maybe on a humid fishing trip or knee-deep in Everglades muck—he traded that life for saltwater suspense and untamed thrill.

Before Randy became a New York Times bestselling author known for his electrifying Doc Ford novels, he spent 13 years as a fishing guide at Tarpon Bay Marina on Sanibel Island. Yes, really. While the rest of us might fish for fun or post for Instagram, Randy was out there battling tarpons and tides, cataloging Florida’s gritty soul through sunburnt eyes. This wasn’t just a hobby—it was an immersion into the kind of life that would later breathe authenticity into every one of his novels.

But he wasn’t just reeling in snappers. He was quietly writing, observing, and fermenting stories beneath that tan-and-saltwater façade. In fact, under the pseudonym Carl Ramm, he penned dozens of action-packed thrillers in the 1980s, sharpening his craft in the shadows before stepping into the limelight under his real name. Like a literary chameleon, he transformed from pulp action to something deeper, more richly atmospheric, and rooted in the murky underworlds of crime, politics, and survival.

His claim to literary fame exploded with the introduction of Marion "Doc" Ford—a marine biologist with a shadowy past as a government agent. Sound deliciously ironic? A man who studies sea creatures by day and takes down criminals by night? That’s Randy Wayne White’s signature genius—crafting characters as layered and unpredictable as the Florida backwaters they patrol. And through Ford, White channels his own understanding of the region: raw, untamed, and riddled with secrets.

He’s authored dozens of Doc Ford novels, a few compelling Hannah Smith books, a handful of non-fiction adventures, and even a series for young readers, proving that his storytelling sails just as smoothly across age groups as it does through the Gulf of Mexico.

But Randy Wayne White isn't just an author—he’s a brand, a mood, a vibe. He’s the spirit of Florida boiled down into ink. He’s the bridge between man and mangrove, mystery and marine life. And he’s done it all with a pen in one hand and a fishing rod in the other.

Still alive? You bet. Still writing? Relentlessly. His most recent novels are just as sharp, sun-drenched, and suspenseful as ever.
Death? Nowhere on the horizon—though if he ever does go, expect it to be with a cocktail in one hand, a Doc Ford manuscript in the other, and maybe an alligator smirking from the shadows.

So if you're craving stories steeped in tension, brimming with salty air and soaked in Southern grit, Randy Wayne White is your guy. Just beware: once you step into his world, you won’t want to come up for air.

Ready to dive into the Doc Ford series? Or maybe something even deeper? Just wait till you hear about the books...