FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Holly is trying to get her life back together after the shattering loss of her fiance, Jackson Oxenhandler. With the help of her wily Doberman, Daisy, and her Father, Ham, she throws herself back into the job with a vengeance." But before Holly can settle into her routine again, bullets crash into the home of a friend and a floater is found bobbing in the Intercoastal Waterway. Holly connects these developments to mysterious goings-on in Miami, but she can't imagine how such violent events could be related to her own quiet, unspoiled town of Orchid Beach. Holly joins forces with an undercover FBI agent, and together they track the clues straight to the source, only to find a scam more lucrative and more dangerous than any this idyllic town - or Holly - has ever seen.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In Woods's 24th novel-his third in the Holly Barker series (after Orchid Blues)-the prolific bestselling novelist revisits savvy, sexy ex-MP officer (and her dog, Daisy), now police chief of the small Florida east coast town of Orchid Beach. As the fast-paced but fluffy and rather predictable thriller begins, two out of three Miami bidders for a glitzy, gated residential complex with golf course are shot and killed. The third bidder, orchid fancier Ed Shine, a former New York real estate mogul and new resident of Orchid Beach, narrowly escapes the same fate. Shine renames his newly acquired property Blood Orchid, after an exotic hybrid blossom he has developed-a name that seems gruesomely prophetic when it turns out that the Miami mob may be involved with the property. Meanwhile, Barker, investigating the case and trying to discover who is bugging her beach house, spots the intruder's van from the plane of her flying instructor, Ginny (who is also her dad Ham's new bedmate). The two women make an emergency landing on the beach and scare the perp away, but his body is soon found floating in the Indian River. The trail leads to a shifty Cuban locksmith in Fort Lauderdale and the late intruder's fiance . Enter a Miami restaurateur with mob ties, and corpses pile up as the plot thickens. Woods writes strong action scenes, but his usual flair for tight, creative plotting is sadly missed here. Author tour. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Woods's third novel featuring Orchid Beach, FL, Chief of Police Holly Barker is a suspenseful thriller. This intriguing case begins when she and her father, Ham, visit a new friend, Ed Shine, a property developer from New York who is bidding on prime real estate that the government is selling. During the visit, Ed is shot at, and, shortly after, a body is found floating in the Intercoastal Waterway. The FBI, it turns out, is as interested as Holly, especially after she connects the two crimes. She and an agent join forces but find themselves at odds when the agent, with whom she becomes romantically involved, refuses to share information. Very persistent, Holly proceeds on her own, dealing with a mob operation in Miami and shady activities within her own jurisdiction. Woods's detailed character and plot development are quite apparent in the unabridged version, well read by Dick Hill and Susie Breck. In the abridged program, Alison Fraser captures the essence of the book and still provides a high level of suspense and entertainment. Libraries opting for the abridged set may have to repackage for circulation. Recommended for public libraries.-Steven J. Mayover, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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