Dead in the Water

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Summary: Dead in the Water: Page-turner extraordinaire
Review: Stuart Woods' novel Dead in the Water is a suspenseful tale of murder, romance, and deception. Woods has crafted a story that captures the reader's attention from the opening paragraph until the closing lines. Never is there a dull moment in this thriller. The reader follows the adventures of Stone Barrington, an ex-cop turned lawyer who is intriguing yet refreshingly real. Stone's tropical vacation is interrupted when he meets murder suspect Elizabeth Manning. Through his own good will, he decides to defend this mysterious beauty who stands to lose her life if found guilty. The case has a new twist at every corner, and somehow it never manages to get dull. The story rises to higher levels of suspense as Stone and his client become romantically and passionately involved. The characters develop nicely throughout the novel. As the story line progresses, the reader develops a seemingly intimate relationship with the novel's protagonists and exhibits genuine concern for their well-being. Woods should be commended for this stellar literary accomplishment. By constantly introducing new elements into the complexity of the plot, Woods manages to keep the reader guessing. In fact, the novel's outcome is not clear until the final pages; therefore, no reader can willingly put it down without finishing. The story's conclusion is slightly far-fetched but enjoyable and ironic nonetheless. Woods' endeavor is a page-turner extraordinaire and a treat for anyone lucky enough to pick it up. Dead in the Water receives four out of five stars. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Dead In The Water but Not Dead Reading
Review: This is the first book I have read by Mr. Woods. The plot combined with Mr. Woods writing style made for exciting reading. I found it extremely hard to put down. I often found myself feeling sorry for Allison and Stone as well as thinking "She Did It", only to find myself a few pages later thinking "She Didn't Do It". Later in the book I found myself thinking, "Insurance Scam". I won't spoil the book by telling you what happens or if she did or didn't do it. What I will tell you is that this is definatly a must read book with a fantastic ending. Being the first book I have ever read by Mr. Stuart I was plesantly surprised to find that there was nothing about this book I didn't like. Easy, smooth flowing reading. I will definatly be reading more of Stuart Woods writing. Even though this book is not listed as a legal thriller, I would rank it right up with authors suchs as John Grishim and Brad Meltzer's"Dead Even". Let me take a minute and reiterate that this is a great book and a must read for any avid reader.

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Summary: Dead in the Water is Not A Dead Story
Review: ... The author was effective in keeping my attention because not only was there the suspense of the sexual tension, she threaded the suspense of trying to find the real murderer throughout the novel.

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Summary: "Dead in the Water" is the consummate beach read.
Review: Take "Dead in the Water" to the beach, but leave it in your casita for the next guest. If you like to finish quick-paced thrillers in an afternoon, this book is for you. It's the sort of mind candy that makes a good treat rather than a steady diet. Woods makes no attempt to be cerebral, and I'm glad that he didn't. Never mind the hanging plot lines (i.e., why was there a thump from the gallows?) and delight in the guilty pleasures of this lurid thriller. After all, if your body is on vacation, doesn't your mind deserve a vacation, too?

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Summary: Whatsup???
Review: I was walking and reading this book on tape. It concluded with Stone hailing a cab to scuttle off to LA because his former girlfriend was pregnant and he'd gotten a call from her new husband????? That's it????? Why should I ever read another Stone Barrington story if it doesn't conclude!

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Summary: Way too unbelievable...
Review: Let me start off by saying that I have read numerous books by Nr. Woods, with the latest being Dead in the Water, and that is exactly what this book was...Dead in the Water! I usually speed right through his books with no problem, but with this one...it was kinda hard to finish...I did not even want to read the Epilouge! The ending was way far fetched and very unbelievable. I dont want to give it away, but it stunk!! I wonder what Mr. Woods was thinking when he wrote this one. I wonder if I will be inclined to read another one of his books in the future. I am finding that I am getting bored with his style and the whole thing.

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Summary: Just Dead
Review: Stuart Woods has quickly become one of my all-time favorite authors, however, I found this Stone Barrington series to be a little bit far-fetched and not so good (as compared to his others in the series). Woods does a great job of maintaining a great character in Stone, I just did like some of things that Stone did in the book. He is supposed to be madly in love with Arrington, yet he keeps finding comfort in the arms of others. I guess it goes with Stone's character loving many different women. The ending was very far-fetched and kind of a letdown. If you have never read Woods before, I would suggest that you not make this your first novel of his that you read. Instead, go with "New York Dead," "L.A. Times," or "The Run". Not that this book isn't good, it is just definitely not his best.

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Summary: first read by this author...I will have to read them all..
Review: I am not an avid reader, but I read a few pages and could not put it down. Does not take a long time to get started and it moves along at a very fast pace. VERY GOOD

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Summary: Good...but no cigar...
Review: I had the fortune of listening to this book as read by Richard Ferrone. What a build up! What characters! What a scenario! Too bad none of it goes anywhere. Of course, I cannot go into too many narrative details but suffice to say the ending is very disappointing...and things you felt should have happened didn't. Perhaps the greatest disappointment of all was the author using the ending as the beginning of another book...as though I want to read something else equally as dissatisfying?

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Summary: 4 hours later...
Review: This is my first novel by Stuart Woods and I have to say that I enjoyed it very much. I sat down Saturday night at 10:00 to read a few chapters only until my husband came in from the garage with the intention of then watching a movie that I had taped. Needless to say 3 cups of coffee and 4 hours later I finished the book and we never did start the movie.The novel moves quickly and there is no unnecessary detail to skim over.It has lots of plots twists and I had fun trying to figure them out(even though I was only partially right)My next book is "Swimming to Catalina" which is where this novels ends. I look foward to it and I hope it is as enjoyable as this one has been.