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Title: Doesn't compare to Doc Ford or Thorn
Review: I teach writing for a living --literature, we call it. So what a shock when I picked up what I thought would be a pot-boiler by Randy Wayne White and was absolutely knocked cold by who, I think, is a genuinely brilliant writer. I've read all of White's books and they led me to other Florida writers: James. W. Hall, Carl Hiaasen and Mr. Shames. I have just finished Mangrove Squeeze and it is, frankly, far beneath the quality of the books by the aforementioned writers. It is trite, strained, predictible and just plain silly. Mr. Shames tries so hard to be a tough guy and it just doesn't ring true. He tries equally hard to be literate and literary. Same results. Sorry -- I seldom write negative reviews but this guys is out of his league.
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