Blood Orchids

(Paradise Crime Mysteries, Book 1)

By: Toby Neal

Narrated by: Sara Malia Hatfield

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Fast-paced crime mystery with a touch of romance, readers call Blood Orchids "un-putdownable"!

Hawaii is palm trees, black sand, and blue water - but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there's a dark side to paradise. Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers - one of whom she'd recently busted. With its echoes of her own past, the murdered girl's harsh life and tragic death affect Lei deeply. She becomes obsessed - even as the killer is drawn to Lei's intensity, feeding off her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity. Despite her obsession with the case and fear that she's being stalked, Lei finds herself falling in love for the first time. Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches, and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei's quest for answers - and the stalker is closer than she can imagine, as threads of the past tangle in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer - but he knows where to find her first.

©2011 Toby Neal (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Like being there

I love Tony Neal's books and would never walk away from a copy of one of her books, no matter the form. But her narrated books are extra special. By choosing a woman who is from the area and is familiar with the dialects really brought it alive for me. Between her descriptions and the native voice using the native dialects when needed and regular American English when required, l felt like I was right there,th e fly on the wall.

I wouldn't and couldn't compare 's. Neal's books with anything on the market today. Few novels come out about the Hawaiian Islands, and fewer still mysteries. Than you have a great kick as female cop who acknowledges she is not perfect and has her priorities in order. I'll continue reading and listening to Ms Neal's books as long as she keeps writing them.

Perfectly narrated, gripping story!

Loved this book in paper form and wanted to reread. The audio was fabulous! The narrator did voices/accents well.

Amazing

Where does Blood Orchids rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 10

What did you like best about this story?

I grew up in Hilo and even went to the same HS she writes about. Toby writes w/ such passion for the islands that although I have been away from Hilo for many years, I can still see thru her words all the familiar places of home.

Which character – as performed by Sara Malia Hatfield – was your favorite?

Pono!

Any additional comments?

To borrow a line from Jane Austen "For my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short." (Northhanger Abbey) This book was too short and I wish it had gone on and on. I hope that Toby never runs out of ideas for Lei, Stevens and the Islands of Hawaii.

Island Crime Life

What did you love best about Blood Orchids?

I loved the twists and turns, and a strong female lead character.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was interesting enough for me to want to keep reading and be sad when the book was over.

Which character – as performed by Sara Malia Hatfield – was your favorite?

Lei was my favorite.

Not much of a reader, but Wow great to listen to!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes... Fast paced and suspenseful!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yep

What does Sara Malia Hatfield bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Definitely, when I read it's just my voice in my head.

Island Crime delight

Toby Neal writes a wonderfully engaging story with tense crime drama surrounded by memorable characters and eloquently descriped island setting. The narration was beautifully perfect.

Head into the Lei Crime Series and You Can't Stop!

I started Toby Neal's addictive mystery/romance series enticed by the reviews, gorgeous covers, and the appeal of reading a born and bred Hawaiian writer. So much that happens in 'Paradise" is swept into the shadows to keep tourists happy, and I was very intrigued by my initial introduction to heroine Lei Texeira, who had never been sheltered from the islands' poverty, drug crimes, racism, sexism, violence, and broken families--all the real life issues that we who live and work in Hawaii confront daily.

From the initial chapters of "Blood Orchids" you can't help but admire Lei's brave, true spirit, and feel for the deep scars and pain of her past. She is a remarkable, compelling character, and watching her fight for justice in the male-dominated world of law enforcement makes for the type of page-turning suspense where you just can't stop reading! I confess I embarked on a series binge that felt like a breathless adventure holiday. Neal manages to portray the unique beauty, history, and vitality of the Big Island (and Hawaii's other islands in following books) even as Lei is trying to find a serial killer while being stalked herself. This combination of atmosphere, plot, and truly original characters makes reading "Blood Orchids" a rare and enjoyable experience--especially when love interest Michael Stevens enters the picture.

While most of the series books focus on the narrative voices of Lei and Stevens, "Blood Orchids" also segues into glimpses of the psychopath stalking Lei. Narrator Sara Malia Hatfield is amazing as she creates unforgettable voices for both male and female characters and keeps the exposition interesting. Her renderings of our local "pidgin' dialect as well as second- and third-generation Japanese and Chinese accents are flawless.

I recommend "Blood Orchids" with five stars across the board--but be warned, once you get started you'll likely have a hard time stopping. Also, I found that I had to keep reading in order--I had purchased one book ahead in the series, skipping the novel in-between, and after five minutes realized I just couldn't resist the pull of what I might have missed in the former book--and was forced to stop, go online and get the missing book before I was happily immersed in the series' flow once again. So far--and I just finished the sixth in the series--these well-crafted thrillers have made me uneasy, tearful, frustrated, jealous, moved, inspired, and eager for more. Don't wait--drop a credit on 'Blood Orchids" now! It's so much better than TV.

Very solid intro to the series.

This book contains rape – you have been warned. It is done in as tasteful a way as possible while still making it clear what has happened, and the voice actress does a particularly excellent job with it. It gets the point across without making you feel really dirty afterwards.

Set in Hawaii so a great location and one I’m familiar with due to Hawaii 5-0, so I’m finding it easy to immerse.
I like the protagonist – her combination of messed up and natural intuition. The scrapes she gets into border on being too much, but I didn’t feel like they crossed the line really – it’s just enough to be believable.

I like the conflicted relationship with Stevens – it’s refreshing not to have a perfect romance, but to have a much more realistic relationship, without it being overwrought or annoying.

Really like the reader – her accents are very enjoyable, and I find her easy to listen to. I am very pleased she reads the whole series. I also enjoy her accents, some of them are really spot-on and very immersive. If I had one comment – maybe more of a pause before switching character but this does seem to be addressed from the next book (which I’ve already read after this).

The first book has some dark sexual content, as we’re dealing with a rapist/murderer but I felt it was handled well – just enough detail without being explicit or off-putting. On a spectrum of crime mysteries, from casual to really dark and gritty, I’d rate this in the middle. A very decent first book – it’s not the most brilliant book you’ll ever read, but a very enjoyable crime mystery with relatable characters. I’ve already bought several more in the series and am already listening to them – many of them are very reasonably priced if you buy the Kindle book first. As someone on a budget for my audio books, these were a delightful find.

Narrator needs to speak up

Really enjoy the series but sometimes cannot disringuish words. Narrator uses somewhat "whispery" voice that occasionally fades to an indecipherable whisper.

Amazing Narrator

Sara brought this story to life in a completely new way. This book is amazing and the fact that the stalker/killer POV is there from the beginning draws you in. Amazing read