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Summary: Dirty Work
Review: "Dirty Work" is the ninth Stone Barrington novel by Stuart Woods. Bill Eggers of Woodman and Weld, the law firm of which Stone is of counsel, asks Stone to arrange for someone to photograph Larry Fortescue, husband of Woodman and Weld client, Elena Marks, having an illicit tryst. Stone hires Herbie Fisher. While Herbie is photographing the encounter, he falls through the skylight onto Fortescue. When Herbie comes to, Fortescue is dead. It becomes apparent that Herbie did not kill Fortescue. Meanwhile, Carpenter, the beautiful British agent from "The Short Forever", comes to New York. She is looking for Marie-Therese duBois, a dangerous killer who has a grudge against certain members of British intelligence. It just so happens that the woman cheating with Fortescue was duBois, also known as La Biche who actually murdered Fortescue. Carpenter, Stone, and Dino Bachetti begin to search for La Biche before she can kill again. Stone always gets the girl in his books, and Carpenter is his love interest in "Dirty Work". This novel is one of the best Stuart Woods books in a long time. It is action packed and the suspense keeps the reader turning pages. This novel is highly recommended!
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Summary: Stuart Woods at his best - and that is saying alot
Review: Brilliant dialogue, seamless plot transitions and Stone Barrington. What more could you want? Keep up this level of storytelling, Mr. Woods. With great writing like this you deserve to be the number one bestselling novelist.
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Summary: Stuart Woods has crafted a very entertaining read
Review: DIRTY WORK by Stuart Woods is the ninth book in his popular Stone Barrington series that follows quickly on the heels of SHORT FOREVER, which began his foray into the world of espionage. Thus, series fans who enjoy Woods's continuing characters and familiar settings, yet wish to stretch the genre occasionally, will be able to have their cake and eat it too.DIRTY WORK is kind of what Stone Barrington, cop-turned-lawyer, usually does, being of counsel to the prestigious firm of Woodman and Weld. He takes the cases that might not "look good" for a firm of such snooty stature. So cases that involve the drug dealing kids of wealthy clients or the straying spouse of a political cohort are given to Stone, along with a hefty fee, of course. This time the case involves a simple extracurricular sex snoop. He is to obtain evidence that proves an important client's husband is being unfaithful, thus allowing her to wiggle out of a prenuptial agreement. Of course, Stone is not going to hide in the closet and photograph the tryst, so he hires the nephew of an old friend to do the deed. Unfortunately, Herbie Fisher is not a top quality snoop; he falls through the skylight while taking his pictures, lands on the wayward husband and kills him...or so he thinks. This puts Stone in a very awkward position, seriously jeopardizing his standing with Woodman and Weld as their go-to guy. So, he embarks on an adventure that plunges him into the murky world of espionage and a trail of bodies that began more than a decade ago in Switzerland and continues at a deadly pace right up to Stone's front door. This is a world where the "good guys" commit atrocities and the "bad guys" become admirable and where a female Jackal, who eludes capture and pursues her treacherous quest for revenge, is portrayed as more sympathetic than the determined agent who is out to stop her. Stuart Woods has established himself as one of the all-time great storytellers, with never a wasted word or a rambling detour to sidetrack the action. We sometimes fail to pay tribute to the fertile minds of prolific authors who continue to create story after story to keep us entertained. DIRTY WORK is definitely entertaining, even if you have to drag yourself out of the more comfortable black and white world of straight mysteries where you can more easily detect who the bad guys are. --- Reviewed by Maggie Harding
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Summary: ENTHRALLING LISTENING
Review: Few protagonists in the thriller/crime genre have proven to be as popular as Stone Barrington, once a lawyer now a cop. He's sophisticated, sexy, smart - everything readers could want. And he's given a voice laced with all of those qualities by able performer Tony Roberts Stone is hired to catch Lawrence Fortescue in the act - the act of being unfaithful to his wife, a rich-as-all-get-out woman who wants photographic proof of her mate's infidelity. To this end Stone hires a photographer who turns out to be a bumbler. The cameraman falls through a skylight onto the wandering husband who is then declared dead. Problem is he was poisoned, his playmate disappears, and the photog is charged with murder. The only pleasant surprise for Stone is running into Carpenter, the gorgeous British agent he met in past adventures. She's now in the Big Apple on an assignment of her own. Before long we learn that her life is also on the line. Stone Barrington and Stuart Woods - what a pair! Imaginative, woven with surprising twists and turns, "Dirty Work" is enthralling listening. - Gail Cooke
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Summary: Very entertaining, fast-paced thriller
Review: I came across this book as a member of an online book club, and was hooked after the first two chapters. It's a very fast-paced story that somehow manages to keep you on a thrill ride for almost all of its 300+ pages. Though this is the fifth or sixth book in a series with his main character Stone Barrington, I did not feel at a loss at all for not having read any of his previous books. That alone impressed me, but then add on top of that a story that grabs you and does let go until the thrilling conclusion. Woods combines characters that are cops, ex-cops, lawyers, British intelligence, and international assassins and does it all masterfully. Pick this book up and you likely won't be able to put it back down until its over.
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Summary: Dirty Work??? Try Sloppy Writing by S. Woods
Review: I eagerly anticipated this book but was so disappointed and angered by the obvious sexist slant. The characters were flat. Plus there were tons of typos and run on sentences. Woods is slipping fast into dementia.
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Summary: Dirty Work
Review: I eagerly awaited another Stone Barrington novel, and was very disappointed in this one!! The characters (other than Stone and Dino) were very boring, and towards the end when I hoped for an explosive conclusion, I was even more disappointed. Hopefully the next Barrington story will lift my spirits about Stuart Woods.
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Summary: Not the best....
Review: I enjoyed this book, and it did keep me turning the pages...but to a certain degree. I thought that the plot was nothing different for Woods, and his Barrington series. There were some points in the book I was confused too...is Carpenter and bad girl, or is she a good girl?? It got a little tiring when "La Biche" kept changing her identity and it was hard to kepp up on who she was at that moment. Overall it was a good book, but I did not care for the overall story...better luck next time Mr. Woods....also I think that the author needs to get a new proofreader....found some spelling errors in the book.
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Summary: Stone Barrington plots revisited.
Review: I have read every novel of Stuart Woods. I was looking forward to the next Stone Barrington saga. Unfortunately, when I read this book it was like reliving many of the same plots included in Woods other books. The plot of this book was totally unbelievable. I read the other reviews listed. I honestly did not have the same impression. One small point, Woods does not finish the storyline that the story begins with. From the size of the print and line spacing it appears that Woods had to really stretch to make his 300 pages. One of the teasers from the last book was not followed up on. The Arrington character does not appear in this book, even though she was moving to New York and Barrington was desperately trying to reach her in the Short Forever. This book was not worth buying.
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Summary: A fine Barrington, as well as the others
Review: I have to admit that this is my first encounter with Stuart Woods and Stone Barrington, and I found them quite refreshing. It reminded me of Jeffrey Deaver in that the dialogue is crisp, the action substantial and the "New York kinda' attitude" ever present. Barrington must service the sleazier side of one of his lawfirm's clients, and while I am sure that it goes on, it might be odd that the "of Counsel" on the letterhead is tasked with this responsibility. In any event the job is botched but one poor photograph of the encounter between a straying husband (of the client) and a "masseuse" appears to be the face of an international chameleon-like assassin (get ready for the play on words) code name "La Biche." This starts an exciting ball rolling that creates a series of murders, sex, but no Rock 'n Roll. You'll have to see George Pelecanos for that. Nonetheless, while perhaps not riveting certainly a great airplane read, and at a minimum, magnetic. The only portion I found truly unbelievable was Barrington's moralizing at the end. I mean he's a lawyer for God's sake. At any rate, good stuff. I'll read more of Mr. Woods and take advantage of some of the readers' citations to other good Barrington tales. Four stars. Larry Scantlebury
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