What do you think?
Rate this book
Harry Stein #2
Stein, Stung
A pilfered colony of honeybees and an elephant tusk that seeps up through an underground channel of tar propel Stein into his next series of escapades. He is catapulted out of the cushy comfort of his friend and now love's Beverly Hills home to investigate the most trivial of events, the theft of some honeybee hives. As in all of Stein's adventures, this little cottage industry is revealed to be a gigantic global economic force—a force that influences the billion-dollar almond pollination season in California as well as the honey that finances Al Quaeda.
- GenresMystery
300 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2011
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 9, 2024
A fun caper/mystery featuring bees and skeletons bubbling up out of the ground.
April 29, 2015
Honey is a lot more interesting to me than pot, which was the previous focal point for Stein.
Again Ackerman chooses to put two mysteries in his book. One involving bee-rustling and another involving finding human remains in your backyard.
A lot has changed since STEIN, STONED. Stein now has more access to his 16ish-year-old daughter, Angie. He has moved in with Lila. He's getting used to living her luxurious lifestyle, and worries that this means he's lost his hippie roots.
Again, the mysteries are the weakest part of the novel. For strange, convoluted reasons beyond my understanding, Stein is ordered by his boss to track down some stolen bees/beehives. This leads to him (and us, the readers) learning a lot about honeybees and the business of honey. He goes traipsing around, interviewing people in a small town rife with corruption. Did I mention he's deathly allergic to bees? Meanwhile, his daughter and Lila's son are flirting up a storm while excavating a little tar pit in Lila's back yard. That's where they slowly piece together what amounts to a human skeleton. Angie, taking a page out of her father's book, turns into quite the little sleuth. She also seems to have inherited his thirst for justice and need to "Stick It To the Man", which tickles Matthew (her quasi-boyfriend/Lila's son) to no end.
The strongest parts of the novel are Stein's observations about the world around him. Ackerman has quite a way with words. He makes me laugh. I laughed out loud multiple times reading this - and that's not common for me. The absolute funniest part was the two or three pages when Stein thinks he's dead. His thoughts about the afterlife and his slow realization he's still alive were priceless.
I've said it before: Stein's a stand-up guy. Although for some reason, Ackerman makes Stein less sweet in this book. I mean, he's still obviously a great guy. He loves his daughter, he tries to get along with everyone, he tries to help people out (even people who don't deserve his help), he keeps secrets for people, he's charming, considerate and respectful. He's not a money-grubbing bastard who sells his morals for gold. However, there's a small...twinge of something darker in this book that wasn't in the previous one. Stein's more protective and parental with his daughter (which I don't appreciate). He seems a bit more judgmental of women's looks than in the previous books, and sidesteps some opportunities to flirt (in my mind, a bad thing). There are some strange passages involving sex and also a strange subplot involving a trucker which I did not appreciate. It's a subtle and slight shift in a well-established character, but I noticed it.
There's also a strange Apologue, smack dab in the middle of the novel, which consists of about a page and a half of italicized text speaking from a bee's perspective. o.O This was jarring, unnecessary, and not really in sync with the rest of the book.
The epilogue (not to be confused with the Apologue, this is at the traditional end of the book) also made it clear that, unlike STEIN, STONED, this book has a Message. Save the bees! This is a good message, one I can appreciate and get behind, but I thought Ackerman hammered it home a little too hard.
The end of this book was genuinely sad for me. I won't say what happened, but I will say that it made me sad. This was a good sign that I had enjoyed the book and gotten attached to the characters and their lives. So props to Ackerman. I had only picked up these two STEIN books at random, not expecting anything from them, but ended up getting a kick out of them. Well played, Ackerman.
Again Ackerman chooses to put two mysteries in his book. One involving bee-rustling and another involving finding human remains in your backyard.
A lot has changed since STEIN, STONED. Stein now has more access to his 16ish-year-old daughter, Angie. He has moved in with Lila. He's getting used to living her luxurious lifestyle, and worries that this means he's lost his hippie roots.
Again, the mysteries are the weakest part of the novel. For strange, convoluted reasons beyond my understanding, Stein is ordered by his boss to track down some stolen bees/beehives. This leads to him (and us, the readers) learning a lot about honeybees and the business of honey. He goes traipsing around, interviewing people in a small town rife with corruption. Did I mention he's deathly allergic to bees? Meanwhile, his daughter and Lila's son are flirting up a storm while excavating a little tar pit in Lila's back yard. That's where they slowly piece together what amounts to a human skeleton. Angie, taking a page out of her father's book, turns into quite the little sleuth. She also seems to have inherited his thirst for justice and need to "Stick It To the Man", which tickles Matthew (her quasi-boyfriend/Lila's son) to no end.
The strongest parts of the novel are Stein's observations about the world around him. Ackerman has quite a way with words. He makes me laugh. I laughed out loud multiple times reading this - and that's not common for me. The absolute funniest part was the two or three pages when Stein thinks he's dead. His thoughts about the afterlife and his slow realization he's still alive were priceless.
I've said it before: Stein's a stand-up guy. Although for some reason, Ackerman makes Stein less sweet in this book. I mean, he's still obviously a great guy. He loves his daughter, he tries to get along with everyone, he tries to help people out (even people who don't deserve his help), he keeps secrets for people, he's charming, considerate and respectful. He's not a money-grubbing bastard who sells his morals for gold. However, there's a small...twinge of something darker in this book that wasn't in the previous one. Stein's more protective and parental with his daughter (which I don't appreciate). He seems a bit more judgmental of women's looks than in the previous books, and sidesteps some opportunities to flirt (in my mind, a bad thing). There are some strange passages involving sex and also a strange subplot involving a trucker which I did not appreciate. It's a subtle and slight shift in a well-established character, but I noticed it.
There's also a strange Apologue, smack dab in the middle of the novel, which consists of about a page and a half of italicized text speaking from a bee's perspective. o.O This was jarring, unnecessary, and not really in sync with the rest of the book.
The epilogue (not to be confused with the Apologue, this is at the traditional end of the book) also made it clear that, unlike STEIN, STONED, this book has a Message. Save the bees! This is a good message, one I can appreciate and get behind, but I thought Ackerman hammered it home a little too hard.
The end of this book was genuinely sad for me. I won't say what happened, but I will say that it made me sad. This was a good sign that I had enjoyed the book and gotten attached to the characters and their lives. So props to Ackerman. I had only picked up these two STEIN books at random, not expecting anything from them, but ended up getting a kick out of them. Well played, Ackerman.
June 18, 2012
This was a fun and different sort of mystery. You should read it.
October 12, 2012
Hal Ackerman can definitely write outstanding prose. When he's on, he's a joy to read. Once in awhile he gets carried away with the similes, but that sometimes that's the tradeoff for exquisite, spicy writing.
The main characters are well-drawn and distinct, especially the teenage daughter and her wannabe boyfriend. The minor characters are equally as entertaining, even though less developed--as to be expected, of course. The backdrop of the multibillion dollar bee business in northern California is fascinating and educational.
My biggest complaint is the "head hopping" POVs of different characters in the same scene. It was a little disorienting for a line or two as I adjusted to experiencing a scene from a new viewpoint.
All in all, a very entertaining read. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.
The main characters are well-drawn and distinct, especially the teenage daughter and her wannabe boyfriend. The minor characters are equally as entertaining, even though less developed--as to be expected, of course. The backdrop of the multibillion dollar bee business in northern California is fascinating and educational.
My biggest complaint is the "head hopping" POVs of different characters in the same scene. It was a little disorienting for a line or two as I adjusted to experiencing a scene from a new viewpoint.
All in all, a very entertaining read. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.
December 10, 2013
This is a good series. Harry Stein is a private investigator who is hired to investigate the case of a beekeeper who claims that his bees have been stolen. He learns a lot about the business of beekeeping but is very allergic so he tries to avoid them when he can. He meets a lot of strange people in his quest but sticks to it until he finds out what happened. In the meantime, his daughter finds a body in the muddy back yard of his girlfriend's house. This is a quirky, funny and very good story. I will read more.
October 28, 2012
Former hippie Harry Stein goes up and down the California coast investigating (on his own) the theft of several honeybee boxes. It was an OK mystery...not the right kind of humor for my tastes. Stein's relationship with his lover and almost-wife seemed very California...she's beautiful, rich, nice, his daughter loves her, he loves her, but she has to sleep with her former brother-in-law? What's up with that? Seemed wierd to me.
June 17, 2017
I guarantee your reading time will be well-spent as you travel with P.I. Harry Stein through the captivating inner-workings of the honeybee industry, while at the same time following him deeper and deeper into a dangerous case of murder.
I also read Hal Ackerman's first Stein book, "Stein, Stoned." Both are a big plus in my reading history.
I also read Hal Ackerman's first Stein book, "Stein, Stoned." Both are a big plus in my reading history.
May 3, 2012
Quite entertaining. He has a bit of Carl Hiaasen's flavor with a touch of Christopher Moore's.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews