Wild Orchids

This was the first Jude Deveraux novel I ever read, and I was not disappointed. I've noticed that a lot of reviewers have complained that the narrative was too slow, or that the plot seemed to be little bits of everything, but I kind of thought that was the point. I liked the way we had plenty of time to get to know the characters and watch them change, to really settle into the 'mood' of the town and the story. Even though this story has some incredible elements (like psychic powers, murder, and the devil), at the heart it is a story about realistic people and how they affect each other as they go through life, about jealousy and prejudice and how events can change when you look at them from different points of view. And what I enjoyed most was the caustic relationship between Jackie and Ford. My grandparents have been married for sixty years and they can't get through a day without snapping and poking at each other-I thought it was wonderful to see an author portray love as something that happens gradually, when you aren't looking; showing it as having more to do with coming to know someone's every quirk and soft spot and habit, all the little niggling details, instead of love-at-first-sight lightning-strike passion, where two characters don't even know each other but are suddenly, implausibly in love. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a story that feels like it could have happened to someone you know, instead of a romantic fantasy.

Ford Newcombe is an aging writer who has lost the desire to write and is basically living in the past. He knows he needs a jump start to get back to writing and is thinking of putting together a collection of stories of the occult. When he asks Jackie Maxwell to be his assistant, she puts him on the track of a story she had heard long ago about a woman in a small North Carolina town being presseed to death for allegedly consorting with the devil. When Ford and Jackie move into a crumbling Victorian house in the deep woods of this town to investigate the story they start finding troubling answers that raise even more troubling questions. Such as why does Jackie seem to have so much first hand knowledge of Cole Creek? Could a body found recently point to a community using a "ghost story" to cover up nefarious activities? And if this is a true, could they be exposing themselves to real danger by exposing the killers? It is rare to find modern fiction with character developemnt of this caliber. By page 23 I was so into the character of Ford Newcombe that I had to read privately in case something made me cry. (He recounts the best moments in his life with his late wife). The format, one chapter from Newcombe's point of view followed by one from Jackie Maxwell's gives each character time for development as well as enhancing the story line by letting us see multiple angles somtimes of the same event.

I picked up the book because it was written by Jude Devereaux and I was looking for a few hours of romance. When I put the book down, I found I was stunned instead. As others have said, this is not about romance; but, it is about love. Told in the first person, the story is NOT a formulaic story. No typical heroes or heroines here. The book is a journey into the heart and mind...it's like one of the Pulitzer novels that were spoofed by Jackie in the early dinner party setting. The book tugs at you....you'll find yourself fascinated, teary, happy, and thoughtful. A great read.

I have been reading Jude Deveraux for years, and I just love her writing style and her compelling characters. Both were present in this book.The plot kept me on the edge of my seat, I love the dark aspects and the mystery. I read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down all day.However, if you are a romance fan, the romance in this book will probably not be satisfying. There are no love scenes, and not a whole lot of sexual tension. Their romance almost seems like an afterthought to the whole book. But, I wasn't reading it for the romance. I was reading it for the ride, for the mystery and for the characters. I can't wait for her next one!

Although he is considered by the mystery genre as an "important" author, Ford Newcombe learned the meaning of life six years ago. Life is death to Ford whose beloved wife Pat died after a six month battle with cancer. Ford knows he is only surviving as he died along side of his spouse.At a party, Ford hears university research assistant Jackie Maxwell tell the story of a woman who fell in love with the devil. For the first time since his wife shattered his well being with her cancer sentence, Ford feels alive. He travels to the town that Jackie mentioned and buys a house there to live in while he works on his new tale. He persuades the vivacious Jackie to assist him on researching the story. However, he soon wonders if she witnessed a real homicide as a child. His renewed passion for life includes learning the truth even if it means putting himself in harm's way.WILD ORCHIDS is perhaps Jude Deveraux best work to date although the William James-like plot will surprise many of her fans. The story line moves forward at a fast clip with alternating first person paragraphs between Ford and Jackie. The key to this taut eerie thriller is the lead protagonists who are complete people still feeling respective tragedies from their pasts. Is the novel psychological suspense, a murder mystery, or a horror tale? Read the book as Ms. Deveraux will keep her audience hooked to learn the truth alongside the hero.Harriet Klausner