Orchid Blues [Large Print] [Paperback]

Stuart Woods (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2003

A New York Times Bestseller

A team of men hits a local Orchid Beach, Florida, business, and nearly capsizes Holly Barker's life. The small-town police chief vows to find the culprits, who left nothing behind but the corpse of an innocent bystander.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Police Chief Holly Barker, Woods's popular heroine from Orchid Beach, is back, and this time it's personal. The morning of their wedding day, Barker's fiance is shot and killed during a bank robbery. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the robbers are part of a much larger, more dangerous organization whose schemes could affect the future of the country. Along with her Doberman, Daisy, and her father, Ham (a retired army chief master sergeant), Barker begins to peel away the layers of mystery surrounding the killers, and what they find is truly shocking. Maxwell's reading is strong and confident. A veteran theater and film actress, she is quite adept at separating each character by accent and tone. Overall, however, the power of her performance comes from the reader's and protagonist's shared strength and engaging personality. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Forecasts, Oct. 1, 2001).

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"Orchid blues," indeed: Holly's wedding day is ruined by a nearby bank robbery that leaves no clues but one unfortunate corpse, and when she investigates she finds that the robbery has political trimmings.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 357 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (July 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0783897472
• ISBN-13: 978-0783897479
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,680,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stuart Woods is the author of forty-four novels, including the New York Times-bestselling Stone Barrington series and Holly Barker series. The last twenty-eight of them have been New York Times best-sellers. He is an avid private pilot, flying his own jet on two book tours a year. His latest novel is Santa Fe Edge,to be published on September 21st. You may see his tour schedule and learn more about the author on his website, www.stuartwoods.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Plot to Nowhere...., December 1, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orchid Blues (Holly Barker Novels) (Hardcover)

Orchid Beach Police Chief, Holly Barker, is working on a bank robbery and murder that's hit close to home, and turned very personal. The well planned crime was almost perfectly executed, and the thieves didn't leave a shred of evidence behind, except for the body of an innocent bystander. Now they're four million dollars richer, and Holly is on a mission to find the culprits and bring them to justice. As she begins investigating what appears to be an inside job, she discovers evidence that points to an unknown little town inhabited by a mysterious and closed-mouth group of gun lovers. With the help of an old FBI friend, and her father, retired Army chief master sergeant, Ham, the three decide to infiltrate this clan, and find out what's really going on..... Stuart Woods' latest is a silly and mindless read that goes nowhere. The writing is uninspired, the dialogue, inane, and the story line thin, and neither suspenseful nor very compelling. This book needs to be tightened up and given some direction. His characters are lifeless and one dimensional, and need to be fleshed out. At times, it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys, and even harder to care. Mr Woods' all time favorite character, Stone Barrington, makes a cameo appearance, but it's never clear why he's there, and he adds nothing to the plot. Add to that a predictable ending, with a lot of loose ends left hanging, and you have the makings of a mediocre novel, at best. There are a lot of great thrillers out there, unfortunately Orchid Blues isn't one of them.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TWO VOICES = TWICE AS GOOD AUDIO, November 24, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orchid Blues (Holly Barker Novels) (Audio Cassette)

Just as two heads are better than one two voices, those of Dick Hill and Susie Breck, beat one in this satisfying reading of the second adventure of Police Chief Holly Barker and her erstwhile companion, Daisy, an unbelievable Doberman.

Holly isn't thinking work but wedding as she's about to tie the knot with her boyfriend, Jackson Oxenhandler. The path to the altar turns rocky when a crime occurs - a bank robbery in Orchid Beach, Florida, and a vicious one at that as the thieves take everything with them except for a dead body.

Her investigation takes Holly and her father, Ham, a retired Army sergeant to a rather strange town, Lake Winachobee. Despite its name not much is placid in this little burg as it turns out to be a hotbed of white supremacists who are planning the assassination of an important leader.

Stuart Woods has once again proffered a rapid fire plot and a stunning conclusion.

- Gail Cooke

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A terrific writer continues a downhill slide, December 19, 2001

By 

Don M Howard "Don M. Howard" (Rimrock, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orchid Blues (Holly Barker Series) (Audio Cassette)

"Chiefs" was a terrific novel, richly detailed and with fully-fleshed out characters you could really care about. The plotting was intricate and believable - in short, a great, satisfying read, and I looked forward to much more of the same from this author.
Unfortunately, he is turning out to be a one-trick pony, as everything he's written since a great beginning has been glib, facile and formulaic. One dimensional, unlikeable characters for the most part (Stone Barrington is a pleasure-loving sybarite who'd screw his brother's wife if he had the opportunity) and flat, unexciting stories.
I hate to see it. Writers with real talent are rare, and Stuart Woods used to be one of the best. Now he's become something much less.
I don't think I'll be reading any more of his books.