β Scribed by Stuart Woods
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
When his plane exploded off the coast of Maine, authorities thought they had seen the last of Teddy Faythe ex-CIA tech wizard who kills his political targets for sport. But now theyve found irrefutable evidence that he is alive and up to his old tricks. Now working for the CIA, ex-chief-of-police Holly Barker joins the elite task force tracking Fay in New York City. As he begins to pick off Americas enemies one by one, Holly unexpectedly finds herself face-to-face with the killer, kick-starting a high-speed chase through the canyons of midtown Manhattan, the Metropolitan Opera house, Central Park, and the United Nations Plaza, all to prevent another assassination before Fay disappears againmaybe this time for good.
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 Faywho, 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.)
Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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
Library : General
Universes : Holly Barker [04]
Formats : EPUB
ISBN : 9780451215765
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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
Now working for the CIA, ex-chief-of-police Holly Barker joins the elite task force tracking Teddy Fay-a man who kills his political targets for sport. As he begins to pick off America's enemies one by one, Holly unexpectedly finds herself face-to-face with the killer, kick-starting a high-speed cha
When his plane exploded off the coast of Maine, authorities thought they had seen the last of Teddy Fay--the ex-CIA tech wizard who kills his political targets for sport. But now they've found irrefutable evidence that he is alive and up to his old tricks. Now working for the CIA, ex-chief-of-police
SUMMARY: Now working for the CIA, ex-chief-of-police Holly Barker joins the elite task force tracking Teddy Fay-a man who kills his political targets for sport. As he begins to pick off America's enemies one by one, Holly unexpectedly finds herself face-to-face with the killer, kick-starting a hig
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