Orchid Blues

Product Description <br/>On the way to her wedding, Chief of Police Holly Barker is sidetracked by a high-tech bank robbery that results in murder, and she, along with her father and her canine companion Daisy, make a startling discovery that plunges them into the very center of psychotic criminality and political motivation. Simultaneous.<br/> From Publishers Weekly <br/>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).<br/><br/>Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.<br/> From Library Journal <br/>"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.<br/>Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.<br/> About the Author <br/><br/>Stuart Woods is the author of fifty novels, including the New York Times���bestselling Stone Barrington and Holly Barker series. He is a native of Georgia and began his writing career in the advertising industry. Chiefs, his debut in 1981, won the Edgar Award. An avid sailor and pilot, Woods lives in New York City, Florida, and Maine.<br/><br/> From AudioFile <br/>[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with the Brilliance unabridged version of ORCHID BLUES.]--Weddings don't always go as expected, but police chief Holly Barker's couldn't get worse. With a stunning opening chapter, author Woods sends Holly off on a chilling investigation of robbery, murder, and treason in central Florida. The abridgment is taut and intense and narrator Jan Maxwell captures Holly's moods and grit beautifully. She portrays an array of male characters--Holly's father, retired Army chief master sergeant, the gun fanatics, FBI agents--with confident style. The dual narration by Dick Hill and Susie Beck of the unabridged version lacks some of the tension of Maxwell's version. The two-voice narrative occasionally breaks the flow of the suspense although the integration of the two voices is flawless. Even Hill, a master at the thriller genre, doesn't seem fully connected with this story. The single narrator proves the better choice. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine--<br/>Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine