Who is Susan Orlean from The Orchid Thief and what is their importance?

The narrator and writer of the novel, Susan is also one of the main characters in the book. She reads a newspaper article about John Laroche and three Seminole Indians accused of lifting endangered orchid species from the Fakahatchee Strand in Florida. The story interests her and she decides to travel to Florida to visit John Laroche and find out more about the exclusive world of orchids and the unique club that orchid collectors have founded.