Paradise County

By: Karen Robards

Narrated by: Vida Vasaitis

Shelby County is home to some of the finset horseflesh and bluest blood in Kentucky. With its rural beauty and tranquil lifestyle, it is easy to see why the locals call it Paradise County. But beneath the serene exterior lies a dark underside, and an evil that threatens everyone who touches it.

Alexandra Haywood and her sister Neely have always loved Whistledown, the family's Shelby County horse farm. After their billionaire father's sudden and tragic death, Alex returns to find the family fortune in shambles, and Whistledown has to go. But Joe Welch, the sexy farm manager, refuses to cooperate.

Sparks of rage give way to a fiery attraction when Joe and Alex meet head-on. But just as a volatile passion flares between them, the discovery of a shocking murder with ties to the past rocks the county - and cuts frighteningly close to home when Joe's son Eli and Neely disappear.

Alex and Joe have only each other to rely on as they search frantically for their loved ones. What they don't know is that they are racing against time, too. Because the evil that lurks beneath the bucolic surface of Paradise County has once again raised its gruesome head - and now Alex is targeted as the next victim....

©2001 Karen Robards (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"A racy read." ( Cosmopolitan)

Karen alwasy writes a good novel

What made the experience of listening to Paradise County the most enjoyable?

The narrator was very good and the story had some good twists I didn't expect

What was one of the most memorable moments of Paradise County?

The ending was very dramatic couldnt put it down

Have you listened to any of Vida Vasaitis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no this is my first

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

almost, it took a whilst to really hook me but when it did it was great

Using mistreatment of an animal is a lazy device

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I just listened to this story until it became too dark for me -- more Steven King in its use of the treat of death of a dog caused me to stop listening, and certainly has caused me to no longer wish to read any further books from this author.

Would you ever listen to anything by Karen Robards again?

As above, likely not. Too bad. I enjoyed the several I had read until this book.

Which scene was your favorite?

none

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

never

Any additional comments?

I do not recommend this book...I understand the suspension of disbelief, but this goes beyond that pale.

Paradise County Review

Paradise County is a very good book because it has a variety of themes in it. It keeps the reader interested and because there is a mystery the reader will want to keep reading until the end of the book.
The story takes place in Shelby County, Kentucky. The beautiful scenery and finest horses make people call it "Paradise County". Charles Haywood is a very rich man who owns a horse farm called Whistledown, located in Shelby County. He is there visiting his horse farm when he unexpectedly dies. His death is ruled a suicide. Joe Welch, who manages Whistledown and has lived on the farm since he was younger, is the one that found Mr. Haywood. Joe has three children and raises them by himself. Their mother and his wife left them many years before. Alexandra Haywood is Charles Haywood's daughter. She and her younger sister Neely, come to visit Whistledown to oversee the selling of the horse farm. When Mr. Haywood died, Alex and Neely were left in debt. The horse farm and the horses had to be sold. While making arrangements for Whistledown, Alex also wants desperately to find answers to her father's so-called suicide. She can't believe her father would have killed himself. Joe and Alex's first meeting with each other is very unpleasant. The meeting turns out very bad, they hate one another. After a few days at Whistledown, Neely, who is a teenage wild child, starts hanging around with Joe's son Eli. Eli is Joe's oldest son and is sixteen years old. Alex and Joe also start to develop a better relationship. It seems that their hatred for each other turns into passion. While Neely and Eli get into a few mischievous situations, Alex and Joe start a romantic relationship. All of a sudden Neely and Eli disappear. Alex and Joe start uncovering a mystery while trying to find them. Soon they all become in danger. It turns out a murderer has been living in Paradise County. Throughout the book, the story goes from the characters at Whistledown to the unknown murderer. The murderer is killing his victims and keeping some prisoner. It goes into detail about his victims at different times in the book.
I enjoyed this book because it made me want to keep listening until I uncovered the mystery. I wanted to find out who the murderer was. I also enjoyed the developing love stories. Paradise County also talks about a ghost, which might appeal to some readers. This book had passion, murders, and comedy all mixed into it. Readers will want to see if eventually the murderer is caught. Most of the story is believable. It is likely that a rich man could have been murdered. It is also likely that he could have committed suicide. People who might despise each other could fall in love with each other. There are murderers around, even in what seems like a "paradise" type of place. Some might question the fact that the girls see a ghost of their father, while others might not think twice about that idea. The author does not use extremely difficult words, they are easy to understand and follow. As far as character development goes I think Alex and Joe's characters developed a lot as the story went on. I feel that they both were judgmental at the beginning. It is interesting to see the hatred they have for each other quickly turn into love. They seem to need each other very much.
I would recommend this book to anyone but especially to people that enjoy a good mystery. If someone enjoys all types of books, this would be one to listen to because the listener gets a mixture of different themes.
Vida Vasaitis was really good with the delivery of the story

great story

Enjoyed it from beginning to end. Kept me guessing and still surprised. Great characters as always.

She is one of my favorites

I really liked the story, intense. However, the narrator almost ruined it for me. I am from Louisville, ky which is central Kentucky. In the towns talked about in this book, they do not talk like a bunch of uneducated backwoods hillbillies. I hate the idea that everyone thinks so and this is one way to confirm this idea. So sad.

Bad narration

Book was great did not like the narration at all. Story had twists and turns though out. Very good

Suspence and Romance

What did you love best about Paradise County?

The story put me there! The scenes are so vivid, I could not put the book down! I was sorry it ended!

Great book

I enjoyed book. The voice for the men especially Joe was terrible. I didn’t like Alex’s voice either. Not as bad as Joe.

need a better reader

The writing was good, though a little cliche with the princess and the gruff stable hand initial animosity, but the narration was frustrating. She had a whispery voice, which would be nice if I wanted hypnotherapy, but it wasn't good for a novel. Also, she seemed to think that Cajun is the only Southern accent. The worst part, however, was that she can't pronounce the words! Every 7-10 minutes, she'd totally mispronounce a word and by the time my eyes finished rolling, I'd missed other events of import. It's a shame they didn't get a better reader.

Nail Biting Plus Sex on Legs - Yep it all happened

If you could sum up Paradise County in three words, what would they be?

-

Any additional comments?

This novel has it all, murder, mystery and intrigue which just don't stop.
A millionaire father is suspected of committing suicide and his eldest daughter, Alex is left to clean up the mess. It seems the family has lost its fortune which brings Alex to Paradise County to sell off everything in order to pay debts accumulated and there she comes across the arrogant Joe Welch, horse trainer/farm manager, whom she has to fire as she has no choice but Joe is not going to peacefully walk away without a fight. He needs the income from this job which he loves to support this three children who he is left to raise after his ex-wife just walks away as well as to achieve his ultimate goal.

Aside from being devastated from the lost of her father, the loss of her family finances, her fiance marrying someone else, her younger sister running away from school, Alex has an even bigger problem, a killer has set his sights on her and her sister and he's a lot closer to her than she knows.

I loved the romance between Joe and Alex and the secondary romance was great as well. There were a few Hot and Steamy love Scenes and lot's of Lustful moments. Karen's description of Joe had my heart racing - Mr Sex on legs ... This was a great suspenseful/Romantic listen that kept me guessing... I couldn't stop listening - I just had to find out what happened next.

Vida Vasaitis narration was awesome !!