Woods has a clever way with setting, and the small island community in Florida called Orchid Beach is very tangible. As characters visit different parts of the town, the reader is given a good look at the location and its recognizable features.
The plot swerves delightfully, from a pair of almost immediate murders to a red herring or three. Everyone isn’t a suspect, but you’ll wonder until the very end who you can trust.
The main character is a 37-year-old retired Army major who has relocated to Orchid Beach to become the deputy police chief – and Holly is perfectly capable of handling her new duties. Her adopted, beer-retrieving sidekick, a Doberman Pinscher named Daisy, is a tough customer too.
Woods clearly does his homework and the way he explains things to his reader through his characters’ conversations and observations is excellent. One doesn’t feel insulted or talked down to. I was willing to overlook some of the more far-fetched parts — like the dog’s heroics — in trade for a great plot and brisk pace.
But there was one area that I felt let down: The characters are flat. There’s not enough warmth in the people. Holly is savvy and sharp; likeable, maybe, but not terribly lovable. Her relationship with her father seems both distant and close at the same time and left me feeling unconvinced that they could be completely comfortable with each other.
However, the book carries everything else off so well, one might be willing to overlook that in favor of a page-turner like Orchid Beach. It’s certainly worth the investment of an afternoon’s read.
About the Book Orchid Beach copyright 1998 by Stuart Woods ISBN 0061013412
Sites of Interest
The Stuart Woods Official Web Site http://www.stuartwoods.com
Other reviews:
Barnes & Noble http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearc... GWB0JEELDQS12NXD00JP42CB59QJ3SFB&pcount=0&srefer=&isbn=0060191813#The Publisher
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...
Write to the author: stuart@stuartwoods.com
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