Rating: 
Summary: Quick but flawed entertainment
Review: In the latest Stone Barrington mystery, Stone gets entangled with a beautiful spy from British intelligence and an international assassin who is a master of disguise. While not a great novel by any stretch, this story is distinctly better than recent ones in the series.Probably the reason for the improvement is that Stone is not as obsessed with bedding every woman he sees and instead is actually more interested in the actual mystery. Unlike recent books, Stone is practically monogamous, which in itself is an interesting change-of-pace. In fact, Stone comes off more human than usual and not always very likable, especially when he is practically ready to abandon a photographer who he has hired when his employee's mission goes awry. If this book is better, it is not without its significant flaws. Stuary Woods puts out over two books a year and his speedy writing pace often shows. This is a book that is a fast read (I can't remember the last time it took me more than a day to read one of his books), but not a very deep one. Certain plot points rely on contrived accidents, perhaps none more gratingly than when the whole story turns on an utterly minor character misplacing a fax. In the end, this is a novel for Woods/Barrington fans only. For those who find the story interesting at all, I think a better read along a similar line (main character versus a female assassin with whom he has a bond) is John Sandford's Certain Prey and Mortal Prey from his Lucas Davenport series. Dirty Work is, on the other hand, a weak three star effort.
Rating:
Summary: Quick but flawed entertainment
Review: In the latest Stone Barrington mystery, Stone gets entangled with a beautiful spy from British intelligence and an international assassin who is a master of disguise. While not a great novel by any stretch, this story is distinctly better than recent ones in the series. Probably the reason for the improvement is that Stone is not as obsessed with bedding every woman he sees and instead is actually more interested in the actual mystery. Unlike recent books, Stone is practically monogamous, which in itself is an interesting change-of-pace. In fact, Stone comes off more human than usual and not always very likable, especially when he is practically ready to abandon a photographer who he has hired when his employee's mission goes awry. If this book is better, it is not without its significant flaws. Stuary Woods puts out over two books a year and his speedy writing pace often shows. This is a book that is a fast read (I can't remember the last time it took me more than a day to read one of his books), but not a very deep one. Certain plot points rely on contrived accidents, perhaps none more gratingly than when the whole story turns on an utterly minor character misplacing a fax. In the end, this is a novel for Woods/Barrington fans only. For those who find the story interesting at all, I think a better read along a similar line (main character versus a female assassin with whom he has a bond) is John Sandford's Certain Prey and Mortal Prey from his Lucas Davenport series. Dirty Work is, on the other hand, a weak three star effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book, terrible reader!
Review: Robert Lawrence is a horrid reader for the Stone Barrington series. His British accents are laughable, and he makes all of his characters (especially Dino, Stone's best friend) sound like morons. He even makes Stone, himself, sound like an unsophisticated jerk. I was very disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Stone Barrington Back Home
Review: Stone Barrington is back in NYC from his last adventure in London, but his relationship with the British spy agency continues. Stone inadvertently becomes involved with an international assassin being pursued by Carpenter, one of Stone's paramours from his London vist. The elusive assassin happens to be a very attactive and cunning female who holds a grudge against the British secret service, and is known as La Biche. Before you know it there are numerous dead bodies around NYC, with Stone and his former NYPD partner Dino Bachetti involved in the chase. As usual, Stone and his friends spend a lot of time at Elaine's, a well known Manhattan restaurant frequented by celebrities, and running around various expensive city hotels and landmarks. Stone's relationship with Carpenter heats up as the number of dead bodies accumlate. La Biche also manages several sexual encounters along the way with a few innocent bystanders who she disposes of when they are no longer of use to her. Readers of the series know what to expect when they pick up a Stone Barrington novel, and Woods does not disappoint: a fast moving plot with some sex and killing every other chapter or two.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining entry in the Stone Barrington series.
Review: Stone Barrington is back, and this time he is on the loose in New York City. Assigned by his law firm to aide a client in the dumping of her unfaithful husband, Stone thinks this case to be "dirty work", but when a dead body turns up he realizes there is more to this case than meets the eye. As Stone begins looking for answers he runs into Carpenter, the beautiful British agent he met while in London. Carpenter is in New York for her own investigation, on a case she is not willing to discuss, but the deeper Stone probes the more he gets the feeling her case is related to his. Teaming with his ex-partner Dino, Stone hits the streets of Manhattan in search of a very dangerous woman with the answers to a bizarre and complicated crime. 'Dirty Work' is a fun, enjoyable novel...one that will keep readers guessing. The Stone Barrington bestsellers are mysteries filled with surprises, sexy vixens, rogue heroes and intriguing plot lines, and this is one of the better entries in the series. Stuart Woods can always be depended upon to create an original, fast-paced thriller, and 'Dirty Work' is a great way to spend a few hours in an easy chair. Expect to see this on all the lists. Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: Exciting Barrington tale
Review: Stone Barrington serves of counsel to the New York law firm of Woodman & Weld, which means they are one step removed from any dirty work that has to be done for their high paying clients. Stone is asked to find someone to take pictures of Lawrence Fortescue cheating on his heiress wife so that, according to the terms of the prenuptial agreement, she can get a divorce and not pay him a cent in alimony. While the man Stone hires takes pictures, he has dinner with Carpenter, a beautiful espionage agent he met in England last year. When Stone retrieves the pictures, Carpenter recognizes Lawrence as one of the agents in her unit who quit the service. The woman in the picture Marie-Therese, a deadly assassin who blends as well as a chameleon into her surroundings killed him. She has a vendetta against those people in Carpenter's unit and has killed most of them with the exception of three people. Carpenter intends to get her before Marie-These kills her but Stone is the wild card in this spy game with no rules. The protagonist of this novel stays true to his own moral code even if it means working against his current lover. Stone brings a touch of class to the spy game, not waiting for foreign nationals who are supposedly the good guys, to make a hit on American soil. The antagonist of this thriller is easy to understand and even sympathetic when she agrees to a truce that Stone arranges. Stuart Woods knows how to tell a good story while showing his audience just how ugly the spy game can get. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: I've sometimes wondered about
Review: Stone Barrington's soul. I've read most of the books in this series, and sometimes, Stone decisions are right on the ethical/moral edge; especially the ones dealing with Arrington, the love of his life.
However, in DIRTY WORK, Stone's sense of right and wrong shows up early and stays through the last line. I loved the contrast between Felicity Carpenter's English approach and Stone's ethically correct rationale in dealing with a deadly and very smart assassin.
No spoilers here, but the ending was rather sad to me. However, Stone's moral compass was not bent or broken and it will live to serve him again.
Good riddance to Ms. Carpenter. Hope she stays on her side of the pond. :)
Than you, Mr. Woods, for diving below the surface.
Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Carpenter in New York?
Review: Stone is back in New York and who should appear "Carpenter". But, it seems that she is involved in a simple divorce case that Stone is working on. This simple case seems to have international intrigue written all over it. As usual the voice that I associate with Stone Barrington is Tony Roberts and he does a great job with all the other voices. While some of this book was predictable it was also interesting how Woods put a few twists and turns in which show how every day booboos can cause a big problem.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful characters
Review: Stuart delivers one of his strongest plots. Good characters and, for a change, a smart criminal. Stuart also has found a good ending, seemingly so hard in book writing today.
Rating:
Summary: Short and sweet...but, totally Stone!
Review: Stuart Woods never wastes words. Take Stone's description of Herbie Fisher.."He was small, ferret-like, sleekly dressed, and annoying." I would know Herbie in any crowded room and there's the power of Stuart Woods. I read Woods less for plot, more for Stone's familar style, and knowing that I will be rewarded with his unique sense of morality. And face it, he's a women's man with constant character...and, heck, he's even a man's man which he proves time and again in his relationship with the ever-present, long-suffering Dino. There are two great scenes with Dino - one, in a hotel restuarant in St. Thomas where their squabbling is even better than any characteristic married couple; and, when they lock themselves on the rooftop and debate on who will slide down the drain pipe. Plotting is probably predictable and simplistic. Stone takes on the dirty work of providing physical evidence that a rich woman's husband is cheating to invoke a pre-nup clause. Said cheating husband, a former British agent is killed, thus bringing the beautiful British agent, Carpenter, to NY city and Stone's bed. This is "spy light" because Carpenter would never have divulged her operation quite as openly, especially given Dino's position in the NYPD. But Stone is never ordinary or predictable and proves yet again that he's no one's yes-man. Dialogue is crisp, wity,and fun. Even though it's as quickly paced as Woods' other books, it doesn't diminish the story line. He sticks to the point, doesn't digress unnecessarily and when it ends, there's always something left for Stone's next adventure. Will Arrington return? Will Stone stick with spy light? Will he be in NY or in Europe next time? Will Carpenter reappear? I for one can't wait for the next episode!
| 
