Orchid Beach | 
 enlarge | Author: Stuart Woods
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $13.12
You Save: $11.88 (48%)
Rating:  83 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B0000546Q5
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Amazon.com Review
Talk about a bad first day. Major Holly Barker thought she was getting out of a mess when she left the army. She'd been sexually harassed by her superior, but the exigencies of the military legal system wound up wrecking her career. Orchid Beach seemed like the perfect place to start over. Though Chief Marley, an old family friend, was worried about some local increases in the drug trade, the Florida barrier island was not a crime mecca. As the new deputy police chief, Holly would be stepping on the toes of a few Orchid Beach P.D. regulars who were being overlooked for the job, but she would prove her worth in short order. After installing her trailer in Riverview, though, the bad news started to flood the Beach. The chief was found along the side of highway A1A with a bullet through the head, and his closest friend just had his skull blown apart with the chief's shotgun. Now, Holly is the acting chief in a town she hardly knows and with a police force that's full of animosity towards its newly minted leader. Just about the only consolation is that Holly has inherited Daisy, a Doberman who's about the best and most faithful friend a troubled gal could ask for; Daisy's a fierce defender of her master and she knows how to retrieve a beer on command. Holly is a new character for Stuart Woods, and the author wastes no time getting readers into the thick of the mystery. This means that character takes a bit of a back seat to plotting in Orchid Beach, but with a mystery this fast-paced, the tradeoff is worthwhile. --Patrick O'Kelley
Product Description
New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods has entertained and engrossed readers with hisfast-paced, suspenseful novels including Swimming to Catalina, Dead in the Water, Dirt, andChiefs. Now from this master storyteller comes a riveting thriller introducing an exciting addition tothe pantheon of fictional sleuths. Smart, attractive, and fiercely independent, Major Holly Barker, thearmy-brat daughter of a master sergeant, has been forced into early retirement at the age of thirty-sevenas the result of a scandalous sexual harassment case. With the help of her dad she makes the move tocivilian life, becoming deputy chief of police in Orchid Beach, Florida. But below the calm, sunnysurface of this sleepy, well-to-do coastal island town lies a web of evil and deceit that escalates when acolleague and another associate are brutally gunned down. Alone, an outsider with no clues to go on, findingthe killers won't be easy for Holly, and her seemingly low-key new career soon thrusts her into adangerous game of cat and mouse. Surrounded by a staff of officers she neither knows nor trusts, Hollyfinds help in a most unexpected source--Daisy, a Doberman of exceptional intelligence and loyalty whoquickly becomes her inseparable companion and protector. The closer she gets to unraveling the mystery ofOrchid Beach, however, the nearer Holly comes to danger darker and more deadly than any she could everhave anticipated. Filled with the dazzling twists and sizzling turns that have made his novels nationalbestsellers and international hits, Orchid Beach ranks as one of Stuart Woods's most inventive andbrilliantly drawn works--an entertaining, nonstop tale that will keep readers on the edge of their seats asis races from the first page to its exhilarating conclusion.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 78 more reviews...
 murder, mystery, spunkiness, class - and a great dog! August 14, 2008
linda's books (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
This is my first Stuart Woods, but it won't be my last. There are ex-military buddies, sexism and its consequences, a world-class drug dealer's haven, family loyalties, romance, and a terrific dog. What I most enjoyed, however, was the author's ability to keep the energy, and the story, going, without unnecessarily wallowing in torture, bloodletting, and the uglier aspects of crime. For anyone who remembers Appalachia's brief moment in the news as a crime leader's resort, this story is the Florida equivalent, on a much larger, more international, scale. There's plenty of money showing, and plenty of power, but the real class in this tale belongs to Stuart Woods, for the sheer authority of restraint.
Guilty Pleasure May 30, 2008
Beth E. Settje (CT, USA)
I have listened to all the Orchid Beach books and found the first to be the most intense. They are all good though and I encourage everyone to try the series. Woods does a decent job with a female as the main character, though many of her characteristics are clearly male influenced. I don't know many women who go home after a hard day's work and grill a burger while drinking beer or a scotch, but Holly Barker does. It is always fun to see how Woods has her get involved in the latest mystery. Solid read and worth the effort.
Strong female protagonist January 27, 2008
Marvin Wiebener
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Margin
Close your eyes for just a moment and imagine Holly Barker's life and career: Holly a retired U.S. Army MSgt, an uncommon feat in and of itself, returns home where her father lives. Dad's best friend is the local police chief of this small, affluent community, and the chief believes Holly would make a good assistant chief. The announcement did not sit well with others that believed the position should have been filled from within the present force. Little did they know Holly was hired to look into corruption within city government, including the police force. Holly pins her badge on as assistant and the next thing she knew she was neck deep in a double murder investigation, one of the victims, her boss the police chief who had just hired her. Who's trustworthy, who's got her back, who's the culprit(s)?? Now, open your eyes and think about her dilemma, it isn't a pretty sight.
You'll be drawn into this mystery as Holly Barker, and her father, work together to solve this crime. An excellent read.
Marvin Wiebener, author of The Margin
 Great read! December 28, 2007
Kendra Peterson
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Orchid Beach by Stuart Woods is the first of several books involving his character Holly Barker & her dog Daisy. I found the book to be a quick and exciting read. The characters are well developed & the plot unusual. I really enjoyed the book.
Thriller April 4, 2007
George B. Loos (WC Fla)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
cannot put it down. typical woods but at his best. a stay on track, what's next, suspense thriller that will keep you up till late at night.
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