Customer Reviews

Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

After another futile run in with former CIA Technical Service Department agent turned international terrorist, Special Agent Holly Barker's superiors decides she needs extended down time away from the job, Teddy and the bad publicity. Teddy is a lethal person who kills right wing extremists he believes is dangerous to his beloved United States. That is no longer important to a distraught Holly who heads home to Orchid Beach, Florida, where she once was chief of police chief in what seems like a different life. At the same time Teddy rents a house in the next town.

To her horror she learns the new chief is James Bruno, her commanding officer who tried to rape her when she served in the military. He succeeded in raping then Lieutenant Lauren Cade who is now with the State Police. Someone is killing young women and leaving them where they can be found easily. Holly and Lauren believe Bruno is the culprit, but lack proof. Lauren becomes involved with Teddy, who uses a disguise to watch over her as sets a trap to catch the serial rapist killer.

Stuart Woods writes thrillers in which Teddy comes across as an avenging angel while the killer is the monster; though some will challenge and others agree with Teddy's the end makes the means acceptable with the predators he dispatches. HOTHOUSE ORCHID is filled with plenty of local color, eccentric characters, and plenty of twists and surprises. Holly is coming back to life at home, but can't wait to return to work at the CIA while she is sure of her new lover, who ironically applies for a job with the Firm mostly to be with her when he assumes she returns. Although the coincidence of Teddy next door is a stretch longer than the Florida Turnpike (I didn't say I 75 which is longer), fans will relish Holly Barker's latest thriller.

Harriet Klausner

After taking a hiatus from Stuart Woods' books, I decided to see if anything had changed. This book encouraged me to take a permanent vacation from Mr. Woods poor writing. The plot (which other reviewers have described) is superficial and unrealistic. Mr. Woods continues to assume everyone has sex at the drop of a hat, serious relationships develop as soon as people of the opposite sex meet each other, and most people own and fly airplanes. Character development is non-existent (who is Jimmy? Who is Hurd? Who are the victims?).

Even if you are only skimming this book, there is an obvious need for an editor: irrelevant information is repeated throughout -- sometimes on the same page (e.g. the last few sentences of chapter 20 include "Holly was more excited than she had been since she had started training at the Agency's Farm" AND "She hadn't been this excited since she began training at the Agency"), characters names are confused (e.g. beginning of chapter 61 ... "Holly isn't hurt" should be "LAUREN isn't hurt"), potential clues that could have helped develop the plot are abandoned (e.g. whatever happened to the DNA analysis of those cigaret butts?). The same arrogant 'Author's Note' continues to appear in Mr. Woods books.

Thank goodness I didn't pay money to read this book! I'm off to read better stuff ('so many books, so little time'); don't waste your time on this one.

I have to say that, as usual, the basic premise of this Holly Barker story was well done and compelling. You can reference the other reviews for more in-depth details, but here is the base storyline. Holly Barker, a high ranking CIA employee and former military officer and Orchid Beach police chief, is sent "on vacation" by her current boss and she returns to the house she still owns in Orchid Beach for a month's leave. However, Orchid Beach currently has a serial rapist/killer on the loose. Holly almost becomes a victim of the killer and later teams up with an array of law enforcement associates to determine the identity of the killer and bring him to justice. There is also another plot line involving a rogue former CIA employee.

The thriller/mystery part of the story was fine. It was the secondary romantic relationships that I found to be a little far-fetched and, in some instances, a bit icky. I understand that Mr Woods was probably trying to lay the groundwork for another installment in this series, but I think it could have been done in a more believable manner.

If you can overlook the life-changing "relationships in less than thirty days" parts of this book, this is a good story that many Holly Barker fans have been waiting for.

As with many others, I was excited about the release of this book. My excitement was short lived. This book is horribly written and very rushed. The plot could have been very good, but the poor writng and lack of emotion ruined it. At the beginning of the story, Holly is assaulted, yet she acts as if it is no big deal, an every day occurance. Also, the romances in the book are completely unbelievable and ridiculous.
Stuart Woods is becoming lazy, much like James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell.
Save your money and your time.

One of the most disappointing things to me, as a reader, is when a really good writer gets lazy and puts out a lousy book. Such is the case with Hothouse Orchid. The plot is stupid. The dialogue is worse than amateurish. All I can say about the positive reviews is that they either got free books in return or they are friends of the author.

I wanted to give the book zero stars but the system wouldn't let me.

PLEASE don't encourage this good writer to write more books like this. Do not buy this book.

Very disappointing. Amateurishly written, and very contrived. Not nearly as good as the earlier Woods novels. The ending creates the feeling that the author couldn't get on to writing the next book fast enough. I'll try the latest Stone Barrington, and if written the same way, I will move on to fresh authors.

I believe that someone else wrote this story or Stuart has become very lazy with his writing. The story is tedious, but I always finish reading what I purchase thinking the story will get better. Boy, was I ever wrong in this case. The whole thing is a waste of time and I would like to think that as a loyal Stuart reader, he would refund all the money he earned.

A fast paced read in Woods' typical style. I do enjoy the sharp lines he uses to delineate his characters, but their actions frequently beggar belief.

I'm giving it three stars because the pacing and the dialog kept me distracted enough that I only registered my disappointment in the book after I had finished it!

After I was done, it felt like ephemera and entirely too similar to all the other books of his that I've read. The characters fall too easily into social and sexual intimacy and the coincidences defy logic. The close knit community of characters across all his novels has begun to sour primarily because they all constantly and conveniently show up at some crucial moment in the others' lives bringing wealth and good fortune. All the time. No one can believe that.

I felt fortunate to have used my library service to get this book because I would be very resentful of it otherwise.

I read this book in less than 2 hours. After being a fan of Stuart Woods books for many years I was totally let down by this book. It had no content and was all fluff. The characters were not believable ,the plot was not developed .... Waste of my time and waste of my money. I don't know what happened but I will not be purchasing any more books by Stuart Woods.

Midway thorough Stuart Woods latest Holly Barker mystery titled, Hothouse Orchid, I remembered why I had a mixed reaction to an earlier book in this series: there are just too many dead bodies. One murder or two can be enough for most mysteries. Beyond two, it's just gratuitous violence that distracts from solving the mystery. In this installment, Holly is forced to take a vacation from her busy CIA job in Virginia, and she returns home to Orchid Beach, just in time to meet up with figures from her past, and a local crime spree. Holly Barker is a very interesting character, but Hothouse Orchid offers a weak vehicle to showcase her personality and skills. Woods fans will read out of habit, other readers may want to think twice.

Rating: Two-star (Mildly Recommended)