Iron Orchid (Holly Barker Novels) - Hardcover

Woods, Stuart

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039915325X ISBN 13: 9780399153259

Publisher: Putnam Adult, 2005

Synopsis

Holly Barker, the sexy, no-nonsense former police chief from Orchid Beach, Florida, has been known to crack cases that even the FBI couldn't break. Now Lance Cabot, whom readers will remember from The Short Forever, makes Holly an offer she can't refuse: to join an elite intelligence unit hunting down terrorists on American soil. Their first prey, however, may turn out to be all-American.
Teddy Fay, the ex-CIA technology wizard introduced in Capital Crimes, apparently blew up his own airplane while being hotly pursued by the FBI and U.S. Navy pilots. But now a series of attacks on a new kind of victim - terrorists with diplomatic immunity - makes some in the government, up to and including the president of the United States, believe Teddy may be back. And Holly finds herself in the thick of the hunt.

About this title

About the Author

Stuart Woods is the author of fifty novels, including the New York Times���bestselling Stone Barrington and Holly Barker series. He is a native of Georgia and began his writing career in the advertising industry. Chiefs, his debut in 1981, won the Edgar Award. An avid sailor and pilot, Woods lives in New York City, Florida, and Maine.

Reviews

Having ditched her Orchid Beach, Fla., police chief post, returning supersleuth Holly Barker opts for a CIA career in Woods's by-the-numbers thriller, the fourth in the Barker series (Blood Orchid). Barely through basic training at a highly regimented CIA "training farm," Barker's class is suddenly enlisted to track down calculating killer (and opera buff) Teddy Fay (first seen in Woods's Capital Crimes). An ex-CIA agent himself, Fay uses insider information to continue assassinating international political figures who also happen to be enemies of the U.S. Barker stakes out the Metropolitan Opera House, and narrowly misses Teddy in disguise in several contrived set pieces. The narrative accelerates from a somewhat sluggish first half when CIA operatives' solid deliberation moves Barker ever closer to nabbing the elusive Fay—who, by the way, lives mere blocks away from her. But Fay dupes the CIA again, with the help of a Santa Claus costume, and assassinates a Saudi prince before vanishing. Woods's latest lacks the urgent plotting and bracing thrills needed to make it truly memorable, and though Barker is a tough, formidable protagonist, the question remains why she, after absconding with over $5.5 million in untraceable drug money, bothers to clock in at all. Only Barker's dog, Daisy the Doberman, knows for sure. (Oct.)
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As Woods' three different contemporary crime series evolve, their story-lines begin to converge. His latest thriller brings them even closer, when former Orchid Beach police chief Holly Barker leaves her home in Florida to travel to Langley, Virginia, where she begins her training as a CIA officer. At the same time, assassin Teddy Fay, who previously capped several right-wing politicians, has decided to turn his sites on Middle Eastern diplomats with terrorist ties. While Holly completes her training, Fay begins taking out diplomats, leading to political headaches for President Will Lee, as the suspicions mount that the CIA might be responsible for the assassinations. Holly's training is cut short when the CIA decides to place her on a special team sent in to track down Fay, who is such a master of disguise that he manages to elude Holly after spending an evening with her at the opera. Alas, Woods' most charismatic hero, Stone Barrington, makes only a brief appearance and Holly loses much of her sparkle away from the Florida sun. Too much CIA training and a bland villain make this a lackluster outing. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 039915325X
• ISBN 13: 9780399153259
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304