<P>It began peacefully enough, on one of Florida's private islands. At a reception hosted by a notorious Russian black marketeer, Doc Ford uses darkness, and his friend Tomlinson, as cover to get an underwater look at the billionaire's yacht. By the time Ford surfaces, everything has changed.</P><P>Environmental extremists have taken control of the island -- or are they thugs hired by the Russian's competitors? Whatever the motive, they have herded everyone together and threatened to kill one hostage every hour until midnight unless their demands are met, at which point they will just blow everybody up.</P><P>Electronic jammers make communications with the outside world impossible. The only hope of avoiding terrible consequences is Doc Ford. The militants don't know Ford's capabilities, or that he is still on the loose. But that situation won't last for long -- and the clock is ticking </P><P></P><P></P><P>It took Randy White's Doc Ford series a while to draw a mainstream audience, but the books started turning up on New York Times bestseller lists several years ago and are likely to remain there for the foreseeable future. </P>