Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Orchid Beach by Stuart Woods - Available

Orchid Beach

#1 in series

by Stuart Woods
Debra Monk
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods delivers a riveting thriller that introduces his first female protagonist, Deputy Chief of Police Holly Barker.

Forced into early retirement at thirty-seven, smart, attractive, and fiercely independent Major Holly Barker trades in her bars as a military cop for the badge of deputy chief of police in Orchid Beach, Florida. But below the sunny surface of this sleepy, well-to-do island town lies an evil that escalates into the cold-blooded murder of one of Holly's new colleagues.

An outsider, Holly has little to go on for answers and no one to help her—except Daisy, a Doberman of exceptional intelligence and loyalty that becomes her companion and protector. The closer Holly gets to the truth, the more she knows that it'll take one smart dog with guts to sniff out this killer—before he can catch her first.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Holly Barker

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 19, 2005

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780060842055
      • File size: 156782 KB
      • Duration: 05:26:37

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 4.9
    • Interest Level: 9-12(UG)
    • Text Difficulty: 3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Debra Monk has a knack for characterization, even with the superficial variety in detective thrillers such as Orchid Beach, in which adrenaline-pumping plot twists rule. In this thriller, the beautiful (natch), smart (double natch), intrepid (ditto) heroine, forcibly retired from the military, becomes police chief of the title Florida community, where she investigates the death of her predecessor with the help of her new lover, her old father and her Doberman. Monk gives every walk-on some subtle touch, some nuance of authenticity, some humanizing characteristic. Her Chief Holly Barker sounds appropriately strong and solid, like a former army officer, though feminine enough for credible love scenes. Here's a novel definitely more rewarding in the listen than in the read. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 30, 1998
      After a string of successes based on the escapades of the redoubtable Stone Barrington, Woods (Swimming to Catalina) shifts to a female protagonist in this police procedural, with mostly smooth and satisfying results. Woods's new heroine is Holly Barker, a 37-year-old MP supervisor whose army career comes to a halt when she loses a sexual harassment suit against her superior officer. A friend of her father's offers her a position as a deputy in the small Florida town of the title, but life becomes even more problematic when she gets there and finds that her benefactor is in a coma after having been shot. The body of his best friend is discovered next. The clues quickly lead to an exclusive community for the ultra-rich within Orchid Beach that bears a suspicious resemblance to a military installation, and the trail gets hotter when several corrupt Miami ex-cops turn up on the community's roster of security workers. Aided by local defense attorney Jackson Oxenhandler, Barker gathers a raft of evidence that she turns over to the FBI, which organizes a well-planned assault on the fortress. The climactic raid is somewhat lacking in suspense, but Woods compensates by introducing a charming romantic subplot between Holly and Jackson, and the story gets extra bite from Holly's intriguing relationship with an inherited canine named Daisy, the clairvoyant Doberman that belonged to her mentor. Agent, Anne Sibbald.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Daisy the dog and Holly Barker, the new Chief of Police of Orchid Beach, face assorted crises--from the murder of the former chief to the bizarre goings-on at an exclusive gated community. George Guidall's subtly varied voices enliven the FBI agents and the OBPD. However, his voice in distinctly not the voice of a heroine. Holly comes across inappropriately as an older woman. But this is a slight flaw in an otherwise outstanding recording. B.H.B. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.9
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:3

Loading