Holly Barker novels

#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...

Holly is trying to get her life back together after the shattering loss of her fiance. With the help of her wily Doberman, Daisy, and her father, Ham, she throws herself back into the job with a vengeance. At a local restaurant, Holly and Ham meet a gentleman new to the area, rich and dapper developer Ed Shine, who has found an evocative name for both his favorite flower and his latest real-estate venture: the "Blood Orchid." But before Holly can...

Discovering that ex-CIA tech wizard and political assassin Teddy Fay is still alive, agent Holly Barker joins an elite task force assigned to track him and becomes suspicious in the wake of a series of insider tricks.