[.ca] Orchid Blues (ISBN 0399147772)

Just Okay:
I picked this up because I enjoyed Woods' earlier works. This is okay light reading. The story is fast-paced, the characters likeable. My difficulty with the book is that the reader has to suspend reality. The militia is too powerful; the "star" character's father (who really is the star character in this novel) is too good or too lucky (In one place he is able to plant a bug in a completely ridiculously lucky set circumstances.); and, the twists in the story-line are never quite believeable. The man is also immediately taken in as a blood brother by this super-careful super-paranoid group. Also, the killing of the main character's fiance at the outset is absolutely superfluous to the story - although it was a good way to hook me into the book. If you can suspend reality it is okay beach reading. If you can't, it is a trumped up mystery where the author pulls all the strings to make the story work. Although this novel can be read in a matter of hours, there are other better ways to spend that reading time.

Good for my particular mood:
I had spun my wheels trying to read two other novels before getting to this one. I'd read half of each novel. So when I got to this one, my expectations were pretty low. This was definitely a page-turner. I thought I was going to be extremely disappointed when I saw that Barrington character turn up. Especially with Woods' occasional references to Holly's wondering if she'd every sleep with someone again. I was braced for her being Barrington's latest conquest. Fortunately, that didn't happen. So there you see my low expectations. Desperation to finish a book I read and dread that Holly would be the next woman to fall all over herself over Barrington. Thus, as I've stated, the book was a page-turner. Some criticize Woods' dismissal of Holly's grief; I was grateful that the plot moved on with minimal wallowing. There was a case to solve and Holly had to put her feelings aside. Okay, it was a far-fetched case and all that, but it was like watching network TV when you're too tired to do anything useful. It passed the time. The best part of the book, though, was the author's notes at the end. Pretty humorous. "Write me only if you're going to praise me otherwise don't bother." I like the guy's nerve. This is the type person who would make Barrington his protagonist. Kind of immersed in his own fantasy.

Enjoyable Read:
"Orchid Blues" is not a heavy, deep, dark mystery. Now that that's out of the way, the book is a good read. If you've read "Orchid Beach" you are already familiar with the characters and the writing. The hook is Holly's fiancé being killed in cold blood at the beginning of the story. The real star in this story is Ham. He is able to infiltrate the group of underground militia that murdered Holly's fiancé. Yes there are several lucky breaks, but you know what this is a work of FICTION.

ANOTHER RAPID FIRE PLOT CRAFTED BY STUART WOODS:
The second adventure of Police Chief Holly Barker and her erstwhile companion, Daisy, an unbelievable Doberman, is thoroughly entertaining. 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.

A Fast Read:
Stuart Wood's Orchid Blues is a fast read ... his chapters are short, making you want to read on & on. Having only read one of Sutart's books (Orchid Blues), I am definitely going to read more of them. You know there's violence; you know there's mystery; you know there's accuracy. I read it so fast, I didn't even look at the back to see how it ended! Now that's a good mystery! And no swearing ... I am now going to read Blood Orchid. And since Holly meets up with Stone, I will then go on to read the series of crime scenes he's involved in. Thank you, Stuart Woods.