Chiefs

Rating:
Summary: A good crime novel plus a lot more
Review: "Chiefs" is the story of three police chiefs in a small Georgia town: one was the town's very first Chief of Police in the 1920's, the second in the 1940's, and the third in the 1960's. The common thread among the three is a series of disappearances of teenage boys who were traveling through the vicinity of the town when they disappeared.

The book isn't really a mystery, since the reader knows the solution to the crime fairly early in the book. What sets the book apart is the well-drawn characters and the unerring and evocative portrayal of the evolution of a small Georgia town from the 1920's up to the middle of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's.

Woods has perfect pitch when it comes to dialogue. Every conversation, every confrontation, every characterization rings vividly true. Politics, on a local, state, and national level, is a sub-theme of the book, and the author has obviously done his homework on those topics as well. But the book's most noticeable strength is in its ability to transport the reader almost physically into a sultry Georgia town. Even if you read this during a winter in North Dakota, you'll feel the heat, the tension, the passion, and the fears of a sleepy Georgia town during the mid-20th century for as long as you're reading "Chiefs".

Rating:
Summary: A good crime novel plus a lot more
Review: "Chiefs" is the story of three police chiefs in a small Georgia town: one was the town's very first Chief of Police in the 1920's, the second in the 1940's, and the third in the 1960's. The common thread among the three is a series of disappearances of teenage boys who were traveling through the vicinity of the town when they disappeared.

The book isn't really a mystery, since the reader knows the solution to the crime fairly early in the book. What sets the book apart is the well-drawn characters and the unerring and evocative portrayal of the evolution of a small Georgia town from the 1920's up to the middle of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's.

Woods has perfect pitch when it comes to dialogue. Every conversation, every confrontation, every characterization rings vividly true. Politics, on a local, state, and national level, is a sub-theme of the book, and the author has obviously done his homework on those topics as well. But the book's most noticeable strength is in its ability to transport the reader almost physically into a sultry Georgia town. Even if you read this during a winter in North Dakota, you'll feel the heat, the tension, the passion, and the fears of a sleepy Georgia town during the mid-20th century for as long as you're reading "Chiefs".

Rating:
Summary: An Oldie but Goodie!
Review: A great read! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. A good beginning coming full circle to an ironic ending, I couldn't put it down. I loved Colonel Lee, what a guy, Holmes was good, too; but Tucker Watts was super! If you like good Southern reading with a little history, this is a good one.

Rating:
Summary: A dang good book.
Review: A wonderful depiction of what life was like in a Southern Town from the 1920s to the 1960s. The cast of characters which includes both fictional and real people is incredible and while parts may seem stale the book never stays dull for long. Told through the eyes of three different town sheriffs who are as dedicated to their job as they are complex in personality this is a book that never left me feeling disappointed. One of the best thrillers I have read in years.

Rating:
Summary: One of Stuart Woods' best books!
Review: Chiefs got my attention from page 1. Superb writing. As with all Stuart Woods' books it was hard to put it down, and when I did, I couldn't wait to pick it back up and start reading again. One of his best!

Rating:
Summary: Great History/ Mystery Novel
Review: Chiefs is a great introduction to the Stuart Woods' novels. After I read Chiefs, I have been hooked on all his books. You have to read Chiefs to get the history of the characters that you will met in all his other novels. The opening chapters gets you interested in the mystery, but overall you care about the people. This is the first book I recommend to anyone interested in a good story.

Rating:
Summary: Great History/ Mystery Novel
Review: Chiefs is a great introduction to the Stuart Woods' novels. After I read Chiefs, I have been hooked on all his books. You have to read Chiefs to get the history of the characters that you will met in all his other novels. The opening chapters gets you interested in the mystery, but overall you care about the people. This is the first book I recommend to anyone interested in a good story.

Rating:
Summary: CHIEFS IS THE EPITOME OF GREAT SOUTHERN MYSTERIES!
Review: CHIEFS IS THE EPITOME OF GREAT SOUTHERN MYSTERIES. ANYONE WHO HAS LIVED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF A RURAL TOWN KNOW, SECRETS DO EXIST. THE READER COMES AWAY WITH A SENSE OF KNOWING DELANO. THE CHARACTERIZATIONS ARE SO GOOD WE KNOW WILL HENRY, TUCKER WATTS, HUGH HOLMES, AND FOXY. THIS BOOK WILL HAUNT YOUR CONSIOUSNESS FOR SOME TIME TO COME. IT HAS MINE.

Rating:
Summary: An Epic Saga And Compelling Mystery - Absolutely Riveting!!
Review: Essentially, this novel is about three generations of police chiefs in Delano, Georgia, who attempt to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of several young men, and capture the elusive serial killer who victimizes them.

However, Edgar Award-winning novelist Stuart Woods has written not only a riveting mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, compulsively turning pages, he has described the history and culture of a small Georgia town from 1919 through the 1960s, and created such a realistic a populace that, at times, it is difficult to believe this is a work of fiction. Woods' characters are well defined and complex. There are many good moral people who live in Delano, but there are also the corrupt and perverse, those who have many secrets to hide. The story of the town's growth, as well as that of its inhabitants, over the years is absolutely fascinating, as are the details and intrigues of Georgia's state politics. And the history of the tense race relations during the entire period recalls a time of gross injustice that most of us would like to forget.

This is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long, long time, and, to my mind, Stuart Woods' best novel.
JANA

Rating:
Summary: Looking for video of Chiefs
Review: Great book and mini series. I am looking for the video of Chiefs