Holly Barker Books in Order
Stuart Woods has written 6 books featuring Holly Barker, published between 1998 and 2009: 5 in the Holly Barker series and 1 related title. The first book is Orchid Beach (1998) and the newest main-line book is Hothouse Orchid (2009). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 6
- Published
- 1998–2009
- Confirmed
- 6 of 6 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,636 in 5 of 6 books
- Reading time
- 27–41 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,636 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 5 of 6 titles with a page count on record.
Holly Barker is a police chief, and Stuart Woods built six books around her. Orchid Beach (1998) opens the run, with Orchid Blues, Blood Orchid, Iron Orchid and Hothouse Orchid keeping the flower in the title; Reckless Abandon (2004) breaks the pattern. Drug trafficking, murder and police dogs supply the cases, and Stone Barrington belongs to the same fictional world.
How many Holly Barker books are there?
Holly Barker appears in 6 books, released between 1998 and 2009. 5 of them belong to the Holly Barker series, and 1 related title sit outside it: other titles.
Holly Barker Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 6 Holly Barker books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119984064/4
- 220012904/4
- 32002–4/4
- 420043563/4
- 520052904/4
- 620092944/4
Do you have to read Holly Barker books in order?
You should read the Holly Barker series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 1 related title (other titles) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Holly Barker book also stands alone.
Where to start with Holly Barker
Start with Orchid Beach (1998), the earliest published book in the Holly Barker series.
What is the newest Holly Barker book?
Hothouse Orchid (2009) is the newest book in the Holly Barker series.
Is there a new Holly Barker book coming?
No next Holly Barker book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Holly Barker at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest main-line Holly Barker title on record is Hothouse Orchid (2009), 17 years ago.
- Release pace
- Holly Barker books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 1,636 pages across the 5 of 6 books with a recorded length, a median of 294 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Holly Barker books, 5 of 6, were published in the 2000s.
- Corroboration
- 5 of the 6 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
What the Holly Barker books are about
All 6 Holly Barker books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 5 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Police 5 of 6 books
- Policewomen 4 of 6 books
- Police chiefs 3 of 6 books
- Mystery & detective 2 of 6 books
More books by Stuart Woods
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Stuart Woods books in order 104 books
Series featuring Holly Barker
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Stone Barrington books in order 68 books