Randy Wayne White is having a moment.

But actually, the Florida-based novelist has pretty much been having a nonstop moment ever since he wrote his first exciting thriller back in 1981.

Fishing and wildlife expert, author of more than 60 books and owner of four Gulf Coast eateries, White is best known for his bestselling series about Marion “Doc” Ford — a marine biologist (and, as it turns out, a skilled action hero) who lives on Florida’s Sanibel Island.

The latest Ford adventure — One Deadly Eye, set during Hurricane Ian — has just come out in paperback; and a new one — Tomlinson’s Wake, the 28th in this impressive series — is due in August.

White is currently my favorite writer; and I suppose that’s tied to my long-standing love for Sanibel — a low-key Gulf Coast island with one-third of its area given over to wildlife refuge.

On our first somewhat life-changing Sanibel vacation, my wife and I wandered into Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, which has since expanded to three additional locations. Owned by White and named for his most famous character, the place proffers peerless food and drink, along with books and other merch associated with the proprietor’s booming literary career. During that visit, I grabbed a signed copy of White’s latest title, and that did it — I was hooked.

While Doc Ford, the restaurant’s namesake, prefers puttering around in his lab and boating among many nearby islands, his background as a retired NSA agent is well suited to the conundrums, kidnappings, killings and other cases he’s been stumbling into since his debut in 1990.

The Ford books provide perfect summer reading for beaches, pool-sides and airport layovers. Expertly plotted and meticulously researched, White’s novels blend nail-biting action with bracing evocation of life in and around their Gulf Coast locale.

A sort of thinking man’s action novel, your typical Ford tale filters events through Marion’s knowledgeable, no-nonsense approach to science and crime. He’s a man’s man, and he doesn’t suffer fools. Yet, White also touches on mysticism and the supernatural via Ford’s best friend, Tomlinson — an overgrown hippie with a predilection for mind-altering substances, Zen Buddhism and attractive women.

Amid twisty plots and stirring ecological detail, White distills remarkable wisdom. A few samples:

“Guilt is the curse of those who care.”

“I do not believe in large-scale conspiracy theories. If I ever meet more than three or four people who can actually keep a secret, then maybe I’ll reconsider.”

“The only real death we suffer is the things left undone.”

“Entertainment is one of those rare industries that pretends to loathe wealth and power, but, in fact, is a courtesan to both.”

“Events don’t change world history. Events as symbols change history.”

Top-notch titles include Everglades, Ten Thousand Islands, Black Widow and the breathlessly exciting One Deadly Eye. But as you can probably tell, these gritty adventures aren’t for kids.

Fortunately, White recently launched “Sharks Incorporated,” a young-adult series featuring teen protagonists, with Doc as a minor character. I haven’t read the latest, but the first two are classic White toned down for youngsters.

In addition to Ford and “Sharks Inc.,” the author’s oeuvre also offers four novels about Doc’s friend Hannah Smith, eight nonfiction works (including such evocatively titled anthologies as Bat-Fishing in the Rain Forest), and several early thrillers written under the pen-names Carl Ramm and Randy Stryker.

Born in Ohio in 1950, White skipped college to work as a Florida newspaper reporter and tackle-fishing guide. He launched his book career as Ramm and Stryker, penning 18 novels in only four years (the first emerged from his typewriter in a mere nine days).
So if you’re jetting off to some exotic locale at any time in the next few months, grab a White work to take along.

Especially if you happen to be heading to the Gulf Coast of Florida.