Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: "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 fianc? 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 fianc?. Yes there are several lucky breaks, but you know what this is a work of FICTION.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: A terrific writer continues a downhill slide
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: I'm so disappointed in Woods.....
Review: Stuart Woods used to be one of my favorite 'read in one sitting' writers. Now, he's just turning out so much pulp fiction. ORCHID BEACH is a perfect example of his pulp and, frankly, I'm tired of reading it.....I won't be buying any more Woods. I agree with the reviewer who had issues with that diatribe at the end of the book where he instructs readers on how to/not to contact him.....he's fallen into the trap of believing his own publicity machine. The writing is second-rate...the chapters are short and choppy...the subject matter, while interesting, is so contrived and formulatic (is there such a word) that the whole effort is reduced to the ridiculous.
Rating:
Summary: lot of empty paper, no ink
Review: After many of Woods books, This is the worst one yet. Doubt I
will go back to the well.
Seems he just felt he needed to pen one and didn't have much
to include. Not close to his other books
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not as good!
Review: After reading Orchid Beach, I was really excited to find out that the character, Holly Barker was going to be a continuing story. This book, the second in the "Orchard" series is weaker than the first. Although I did manage to finish, I could put it down and walk away. That is not usually the case with Stuwart Woods books. If you enjoy Woods, you will still like the book. If you have not previously read Woods, start with another book
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed in PA.
Review: Because I enjoyed Orchid Beach so much I was really looking forward to this one. What a disaster!! Why was Jackson killed off?? He and Holly were so good together, he was an intelligent,
fun man and now what, is she going to become a tough old broad, who only lives for her job? I like Ham and Daisy, is one smart dog, however they could not carry this book. Too much talk and not enough action and if Harry Crisp is based on a real life FBI agent and if he is the norm, God help us all!!! I know there is inter-agency rivalry, but I would hope they get their act together for the sake of this country. Are the cameos of Stone Barrington going to lead somewhere? He would do well to ditch Arrington and get better acquinted with Holly. My library really wasted their money on this one!!
Rating: 
Summary: Lame for Woods
Review: Found myself putting the book down more often then wanting to pick it up. Just could not get into it like his Stone Barrington series, hope he continues writing more Stone than boring Holly.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't anyone else notice?
Review: Good read, enjoyable, but I have to complain on two points:
Sure, Stone Barrington makes a cameo appearance, for no reason at all except that we like him and he's easy on the eye. BUT - he's there to buy a plane, tail number November 1 2 3 Tango Foxtrot. Then in the end, when the bad guys are escaping, they escape in a plane with the tail number - you guessed it - November 1 2 3 Tango Foxtrot. Did they steal Stone's plane? Was the mysterious John actually Stone Barrington? NO! Wow, what a great plot twist was missed here. Or maybe Mr. Woods just likes that number - maybe he has a plane, too, with the tail number - well, you get the point.
The other big boo-boo was having the bad guy go to Ham's for a drink, and nobody thought to get his fingerprints off the glass. Well, he could've been wearing gloves, but you'd think someone would notice THAT.
All in all a good read, doesn't require a lot of mental investment on the readers' part, and a fairly good description of Florida's Treasure Coast.
C@.
Rating:
Summary: Great reading experience
Review: Holly Barker is going to the chapel to get married. Her best friend Daisy, her Doberman Pincher, will serve as the maid of honor. However, Holly's elation abruptly turns to horror when her fiancé is murdered during a bank robbery that turned violent. Holly leads the official investigation that takes her to a town not found on the most detailed of maps. The inhabitants are white supremacists who recruit Holly's dad Ham into joining their organization.
Ham pretends to join the militia and quickly assumes a key role amidst the group. Holly and her law enforcement peers obtain Ham's cooperation and he places listening devices in the organization's encampment. This enables them to learn that Ham is selected to assassinate a VIP, but no one knows whom the intended victim is. Unless they can learn the identity of the target, someone will die.
Stuart Woods has his more famous character Stone Barrington makes cameo appearances in ORCHID BLUES, which allows fans to feel a greater connection to the Barker series. Holly is a humorous independent soul who copes with grief by diving headfirst into a mystery filled with more twists and turns than that found in a maze. This is a good read on a cold winter's night. Harriet Klausner
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