Paradise County (Hardcover)

by Karen Robards (Author) "The instant he stepped inside the dark barn, Joe Welch knew he'd found the source of his urgent sense that something was wrong..." (more)
Key Phrases: upstairs porch, Miss Haywood, Victory Dance, Whistledown Farm (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Setting: Contemporary Kentucky

Sensuality: 8

Grief-stricken at her father's suicide and struggling to cope with the collapse of the family businesses, photographer Alexandra Haywood travels to her family's thoroughbred horse farm in Paradise County, Kentucky. She cannot understand why her father would take his life, and her journey to Whistledown Farm is driven by her need for answers as well as the need to sell the farm. Sparks fly when she encounters farm manager Joe Welch, and Alexandra is yanked from the cold lethargy of grief that has gripped her emotions since her father's death. She doesn't want to be attracted to the handsome, difficult man but her hormones refuse to cooperate. Joe doesn't want to crave the gorgeous blond who intends to sell the farm and destroy his dreams, but he, too, has no choice.

The two have bigger problems, however, when a crazed killer whose heinous crimes have gone undetected in Paradise County for many years targets Alexandra. Before Joe can save her, his own son and her young sister may also fall victim to the madman. Robards expertly balances an intensely sensual love story with a truly chilling suspense plot set against a colorful Southern backdrop. Paradise County will have readers on the edge of their seats until the final page. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly
Set in Kentucky bluegrass country, Robard's latest romance-cum-thriller (after Ghost Moon) is suspenseful and atmospheric, another winner by a doyenne of the bestseller lists. By turns the gory saga of a psychopath with a penchant for burning his victims alive and a tender tale of true love, the novel veers into extremes, but is still an engaging read. Joe Welch, the stalwart manager of Whistledown Farm in beautiful Paradise County, is a struggling single father possessed of an alcoholic dad, three kids and a passion for horseflesh. When his employer, Charles Haywood, turns up dead in the Whistledown stables, an apparent suicide, Joe knows trouble lies ahead, but he doesn't expect to be fired by Haywood's gorgeous, brilliant photographer daughter, Alex. Granted, Alex doesn't have much choice. Not only is her beloved father dead, but his financial empire has crumbled. Alex's woes soon multiply: informed by telephone that her duplicitous fianc has married someone else, she must also cope with her willful young sister, Neely, who has run away from boarding school to join Alex in Kentucky. Though Alex and Joe (described as "sex on a stick") start out on the wrong foot, events require them to get to know one another better, and sparks fly. Meantime, however, a resourceful local who makes Hannibal Lecter look tame threatens their happiness, their families and their sanity. Even though the narrative loses steam after a particularly strong first chapter, and Robards's villain is two-dimensional, readers will cheer and care for her protagonists. 125,000 first printing. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Atria; Library Edition edition (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671786458
• ISBN-13: 978-0739414156
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #867,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexy Romantic Suspense with an evil villain, January 2, 2001

By	booksforabuck "BooksForABuck.com" (Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Karen Robards is one of the leading writers in Romantic Suspense and in PARADISE COUNTY, she has done it again.

Alex Haywood is recovering from her father's death (an apparent suicide) and the discovery that his fortune is gone. She has to fire Joe Welch, manager of the family horse ranch, except Joe refuses to stay fired. Joe wants to protect his family and grow his share of the ranch. Falling for a rich girl who is bound to leave (like his ex-wife did) is not on his list. Especially if she has a sister like Neely who falls for one of Joe's sons. Fortunately for the story, Joe's hormones, and Alex's, don't listen to their rational sides.

All is not well in Paradise County, however. A truly evil villain (he is so bad he not only rapes and murders women, he also sets dogs on fire) is intrigued by Alex and Neely. Noone, not even Alex herself, can believe the increasing evidence that she is being watched--stalked.

PARADISE COUNTY is steamy-sexy, with a believable attraction between Joe and Alex. Unlike most romantic suspense novels, this one ends the romantic conflict before the suspense--but the suspense ends in an epic struggle between good and evil. Robards penetrates deep into the mind of the 'predator' creating a far more frightening character than would have been possible if she had not. Be careful, though. The predator is not for the faint hearted.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robards best since Walking After Midnight, November 19, 2000

By	"booksrlis" (Milton Freewater Oregon) - See all my reviews

All in all an excellent read. Not since Walking After Midnight, have I enjoyed reading about a hero, so much. Joe Welch certainly personifies the sexy man of the 21st century. Handsome, compassionate, family man, with a great body, Joe really sparks up the pages. When he and Alex after facing off twice, find themselves alone at an opportune moment, things really heat up. The supporting cast of teenagers was wonderfully characterized and so believable. I am so tired of reading about nearly perfect teenagers in a lot of Romances these days.I mean who do those kids belong to? With two of my own, it was refreshing to see that someone else has normal, body piercing, hair dyed pink, teenagers that smoke marijuana, even if they aren't real. It was obvious that Karen has teens or has been around them. As with all of Karen's books there is a macarbe psycho pervert on the loose and there is a nice plot twist with the old house and the secret passages. Best of all was the highschool pep rally, hay ride and walk in the woods, reminiscent of days gone by and it was nice to see not much has changed that way in small communities.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read, August 13, 2001

By	"snowflake_1108" (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise County (Audio Cassette)

This was the first audiobook that I've listened to completely. The reader did a good job. You get the damsel in distress, with a knight in shining armor trying to take care of them and his three children. You get a killer whose next victim could be anyone. It was fun to listen to with just the right amount of suspense, drama, humor and romance. I don't know if I would call it Paradise, but I would call it an enjoyable read.