Rating: 
Summary: Stone Barrington comes in from the cold
Review: Stuart Woods has been writing suspense novels for about 25 years now, and has been writing Stone Barrington stories, I would guess, for about 10. Stone is a former NYPD homicide detective who had to retire after he got shot, and turned himself into a lawyer. He works for a prestigious law firm, in a sort of non-conventional fashion, basically taking all of the work the firm's regular lawyers don't want to handle.In this book, one of the partners sends Stone a client. The guy is apparently rich, and he wants a niece in London protected from her boyfriend, a shady character who's smuggling drugs. Stone's assignment is to go to London, and get the boyfriend arrested for something legitimate, thereby getting him out of the picture as far as the girl is concerned. Only nothing is what it seems, of course. The guy isn't the girl's uncle, the boyfriend isn't smuggling drugs, and basically everything turns out to be a lot more dangerous than Stone had planned. Of course the romantic entanglements get a bit complicated, and of course Stone has various problems with the local constabulary (who think he killed an ex-cop), and of course there are various spies and other individuals tripping through the story all over the place. This is the most complicated novel Stuart Woods has ever written, I think. It shows. There are several plot threads that aren't taken to any conclusion at the climax of the book, and the conclusion, while generally satisfying, is a bit mundane and unsuspenseful. There are several interesting characters you want to see again (including a British girl spy named Carpenter), but there are also developments in Stone's life (Arrington's back, and his girlfriend left him). This is, to be frank, an average Stuart Woods novel...not as suspenseful as some, but more complex than most. I would recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Stone Barrington needs a long vacation or a new job.
Review: Stuart Woods seems to have taken the same road as Patricia Cornwell and other noted contemporary authors. Find a character and stay with it until it begins to smell. There is nothing new or fresh in this work. If I wanted to read amorous fiction I could pick up a tabloid press copy or a bodice ripper at the supermarket.
Rating: 
Summary: The Short Forever Fo Sho
Review: The Short Forever by Stuart Woods is just one of the many books written by him with the character "Stone Barrington." Stone is an ex-cop turned investigator for a law firm. In this novel, a client, John Bartholemew, is sent to him by an acquaintance of Stone's. He tells Stone to go to London to bring back his neece and to have the man she wants to marry sent to jail for life. Turns out the woman is not his neece and the man is a former man in British military operations that used to work with Stone's client. It also turns up that John Bartholomew is not his real name. Stone, when arriving in london, is reacquainted with an old fling of his, who is now engaged. Stone also gets caught up with busines partners of the man he is supposed to have sent to jail. To Stone, the review of this book is as confuing as what he must go through to solve everything. I personally loved this book and plan on reading other novels in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Read this series because you like Stone, not for the mystery
Review: The Stone Barrington books are more about the coolness of the main character than about detective work or suspense. It's sort of the way you keep reading a series because you enjoy the main character, who happens to be a detective, like Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins or Robert Parker's Spenser. Stone is kind of a man's man like James Bond.
If you like Stone Barrington, you'll want to read the whole series (soon to be 11 books long) FROM THE BEGINNING. No matter what Barrington books you've read, you should go back to New York Dead and work your way through the series (New York Dead, Dirt, Dead in the Water, Swimming to Catalina, Worst Fears Realized, LA Dead, Cold Paradise, The Short Forever, Dirty Work, and Reckless Abandon, Two Dollar Bill). They're not all the same quality, but the story builds and you'll have fewer spoilers if you read them in chronological order.
If you must start in the middle, I'd suggest that The Short Forever is a good place to start because it and the two books following it (Dirty Work and Reckless Abandon) continue some of the same storyline and because The Short Forever and Dirty Work are two of the best Barrington novels. You're still going to be wondering why Dulce and Arrington are so important to Stone (both were almost his wife), which you'll understand much better if you at least go back to Dead in the Water.
If you have a chance to listen to a Stone Barrington novel in audio format, you'll really enjoy Tony Roberts' voice and reading style. I listened to my first three Barrington books before I got hooked and went back to read the books, and I still imagine Roberts' gravelly, suave voice when I read Stone's dialogue.
The Short Forever is a little different from the other Barrington novels because it has more international intrigue with spies and double-crosses and travel. However, at its core, The Short Forever is like the rest of the books in the series-it's about Stone Barrington, a former cop turned lawyer who keeps his feet on the street in investigations that always balloon into something much bigger than they first appeared while Stone tries to pursue a life of romance and style.
I mentioned this in one of my other reviews of a Stuart Woods book, but like his book, LA Times, I've found that more of my male friends like the Barrington series than my female friends (and wife). My wife thinks Stone is silly and laughs at the maleness of the sex scenes. She prefers the Lee family political series (Chiefs, Run Before the Wind, Grass Roots, The Run, Capital Crimes) much more than the Barrington series. But don't let that stop you from taking an adventure with Stone!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Stone Barrington - Just Not The Best One
Review: This is classic Stone Barrington. His adventures in this storyline are not as fun and exciting as previous novels yet it is still a decent read if you are a Stone Barrington fan. Mr. Woods style continues to keep you turning pages and enjoying the antics of his character. If you enjoy the Stone Barrington series this is worth the few hours it takes to read the novel. If you have never read Stuart Woods Stone Barrington novels....I suggest you read the others first. This one probably won't get you back for more...but Dead in the Water...if you're going to enjoy this series....start there or at the beginning with New York Dead.
Rating:
Summary: Much Ado about Nothing
Review: This isn't a mystery novel. That is the first thing one should understand if one chooses to read this book. It would barely qualify as a procedural in my opinion. The problems are many. First, the main character isn't described at all untill 3/4 of the way into the book and then the only feature I was able to discover is that he has blond hair. Second, the main guy runs around a lot and has a lot of apparently great meals but that is all. He solves nothing, it is all solved for him. The only "murder" is solved in a way that would be kind of like playing a guessing game and at the end someone saying "oh it was number 13." without you even trying to guess. Needless to say, I was terribly dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Much Ado about Nothing
Review: This isn't a mystery novel. That is the first thing one should understand if one chooses to read this book. It would barely qualify as a procedural in my opinion. The problems are many. First, the main character isn't described at all untill 3/4 of the way into the book and then the only feature I was able to discover is that he has blond hair. Second, the main guy runs around a lot and has a lot of apparently great meals but that is all. He solves nothing, it is all solved for him. The only "murder" is solved in a way that would be kind of like playing a guessing game and at the end someone saying "oh it was number 13." without you even trying to guess. Needless to say, I was terribly dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Stone Barrington Rocks
Review: This Stone Barrington novel does not disapoint. Stone is, as always, a James Bond-type hottie, and you gotta love him. His buku-bucks and luck with the ladies makes for a nice fantastical read once again.
Rating:
Summary: Stone Barrington Rocks
Review: This Stone Barrington novel does not disapoint. Stone is, as always, a James Bond-type hottie, and you gotta love him. His buku-bucks and luck with the ladies makes for a nice fantastical read once again.
Rating:
Summary: Another fabulous Stuart Woods book
Review: To say Stuart Woods is a good storyteller is like saying Tiger Woods is a good golfer. This is another is what is becoming a long line of terrific and highly readable novels. Although my personal reading interests are diverse, I pick up each new Woods' release shortly after they come out and I've never been disappointed. Stone Barrington fans will love the situation he gets into this time and those not familar with him will become loyalists after this one. A quintessential beach read, even if the beach is miles away.
|
