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The story of one John Laroche, and the criminal world that surrounds the trade in rare Florida orchids. What started out as an article for Orlean's newspaper turned into what Anna Pavord of "The Independent" called "...this brilliantly conceived account of obsession".
Synopsis
The story of orchid thief and obsessive, John Laroche, and the bizarre world of the orchid fanciers of Florida. The world of the orchid hunters, breeders and showmen, their rivalries, vendettas and crimes, smuggling, thefts and worse provide the backdrop to an exploration of one of the byways of human nature, the obsessive world of the collector.