Short Straw

Ed Eagle #2

by Stuart Woods

Ed Eagle, Santa Fe’s pre-eminent trial lawyer, first introduced in Stuart Woods’s earlier novel, Santa Fe Rules, finds himself in extreme domestic difficulties. On the morning of his fiftieth birthday, as he is about to open his elegant new law office, Eagle learns that he is in the sort of trouble usually reserved for his unluckiest clients.

Quickly marshalling his resources, which include two private detectives, an accused murderer, and an ace ex-IRS agent, he begins a campaign to save his law practice, his wealth, his reputation and his self respect from the astonishing actions of the person closest to him.

The action takes his team across the US southwest, and deep into Mexico where trusting the police is a rare commodity. We visit the lush, southern California world of the very wealthy, the delights of exclusive spas and secluded hotels, and the ever-present dangers of the America-Mexico border. Eagle is pitted against a wily and completely ruthless adversary. Full of double-crosses and unexpected twists, Ed’s life is one of heightened risks – and pleasures.

Librarian's note: the Ed Eagle series has 4 volumes and the characters, settings, etc. have been done for: #1, Santa Fe Rules (1992); #2, Short Straw (2006); #3, Santa Fe Dead (2008); and #4, Santa Fe Edge (2010).

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Thriller, Audiobook

375 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Stuart Woods was an American novelist best known for Chiefs and his long-running Stone Barrington series. A Georgia native, he initially pursued a career in advertising before relocating to England and Ireland, where he developed a passion for sailing. His love for the sport led him to write his first published work, Blue Water, Green Skipper, about his experiences in a transatlantic yacht race.
His debut novel, Chiefs, was inspired by a family story about his grandfather, a police chief. The book, a gripping crime saga spanning several decades, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was later adapted into a television miniseries. It launched Woods' career as a novelist, leading to a prolific output of thrillers.
Woods' most famous creation, Stone Barrington, is a former NYPD detective turned high-profile lawyer who navigates elite circles while solving crimes. The series became a bestseller and remained a staple of his career, often featuring crossover characters from his other books, such as CIA operative Holly Barker and defense lawyer Ed Eagle.
Beyond writing, Woods was an experienced pilot and yachtsman. He maintained homes in Florida, Maine, and New Mexico, where he lived with his wife and their Labrador, Fred. His literary career spanned decades, with dozens of bestsellers to his name.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read!
A very good storyline and plot twists in the ongoing 'Ed Eagle' series.
Recommended book and series!

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Ed Eagle series by Woods. I finished reading the first book, SANTA FE RULES, a few days ago and decided to follow it up with this one that I got online from the library. It pretty much is a continuation of the prior novel. Eagle has married the sister, Barbara, of the killer from the first book only to find out that she is also a killer and only out for Eagle's money. Ed finds out that Barbara, who is an authorized signer on his accounts, has pretty much wiped him out by transferring his funds to a bank in Mexico. He hires two private eyes to find her in Mexico and to coerce her into signing divorce papers. In the mean time, he draws the 'short straw' from a judge who assigns him as a public defender to Joe Big Bear who is accused of a triple murder. Big Bear finds out about a hit on Ed's life while he is in jail and later gets involved with the hit himself. The story goes on to the chase for Barbara in Mexico and how she seems to outsmart everyone involved while still trying to do away with Ed.

This was just an okay story to me. It seemed like a lot of the plot points from the first novel, SANTA FE RULES, were rehashed with the wife trying to do away with Ed to get his money and the triple murder with someone else possibly to blame. Most of the novel followed the two investigators trying to locate Barbara in Mexico with Ed playing a somewhat minor part in the story. I would only mildly recommend this one. I'll probably read the next book in the series and hopefully it will be a stronger story.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. It's a grand chase. From start to finish. With two points of attack. Ed Eagle is first up; he's the tall and distinguished criminal attorney in Santa Fe. He's preparing to open a new office; the date would coincide with his big 5-0 birthday. On the morning of the ribbon-cutting with the Governor of New Mexico planning to attend, he discovers that his wife Barbara has ransacked his personal and business bank accounts! His chase? Get the millions back and, given the circumstances, get her signature on divorce documents. He recruits two of the best, Cupie Dalton and Vittorio, an Apache trouble shooter, to do most of his heavy lifting. In the other corner stands Barbara Eagle / Barbara Kennerly / Barbara Woodfield, one of the most cunning and adaptable criminals one could ever encounter. Under no circumstance does she want to sign those papers; on one occasion she tricks Vittorio into accepting documents signed, "Minnie Mouse!" Her chase? Send those trying to get the millions back empty handed, and get her hands on Eagle's insurance and estate wealth by killing him before she becomes his ex. A fun romp through the Southwest and Mexico. (Ja2021/Ap2025)

[ML · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ed Eagle is way too naive to be a defense attorney. This is almost like book 1 and same family of perpetrators. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we see Barbara. She was a huge villain!

There are a few subplots and yikes Ed was in danger often in this book!

It was a nice break from Stone Barrington popping up or Holly 🙄🙄. This was truly an Ed Eagle book. It was a fast paced read and I’m sad I have to go back to a Stone book now 🫣😬🤣… Fresh Disasters ..

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a reminder as to why I even started reading Woods' books in the first place. A fun read that wasn't over-complicated with extra plot points, fast paced and easily found at yard sales for under a $1 a book.

I had read the 3rd Ed Eagle book before I found this one but I never read any of the Stone novels in order so whatever, wasn't about to start now. I'll be honest and say that I barely can recall a single thing that happened in the 3rd book so if book 3 had spoilers for books 1 and/or 2, I have no memory of it.

This book was Classic Woods', back when he would write a book that made sense, one that he attempted to take his time with and wasn't pushing them out for money.
Ed meets a woman and they don't fall in bed minutes after meeting! They don't even sleep together after knowing each other a whole day! In fact, she stays at his house, in a different room! Poor Ed, he must just not have the same charismatic charm that Stone does.
The overall story was wrapped up by the end of the book. I don't mean that it tied up so neatly that another book was impossible but rather, you can read this book as a standalone and not be kept up at night with questions.
Ed has money, much like Stone but Woods doesn't shove it in your face every chapter. Stuart Woods has started filling his books with outrageous displays of wasting money, large, ridiculous sums of cash that boggle the mind and stretch the plot so thin that you can't even enjoy the story but this book was written previous to that bad habit. I'm not saying that Ed doesn't have cash to burn but it is nothing like the newer Barrington books.

I will complain that the fictional "town" in Ga that Woods's created for Chiefs that so many of his characters are from.... it can't be a small town if half the world of Stone, Ed and Will is fictitious from this town which must be a sprawling metropolis at this point. And enough with the Georgia drinkers loving Knob Creek. Been there, read that.. move on!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many of Stuart Woods' books....most of the Stone Barrington ones and one of the Holly Barker series but 'Short Straw ' is the funniest and craziest one to date. You will not put this down until you get to the finish line.
Ed Eagsle is a top trial lawyer in Santa Fe, usually handling 3 or more cases at once. On his 50th birthday he wakes up to find that his wife ,Barbara, the woman who he thought was the love of his life...was gone. She has conspired to steal all of her husband's money and get out of the country. Eagle discovers it and his able to rescue several million dollars of his.
But now the chase begins with Eagle doing everything to stop her , while still handling two other cases. It's a crazy race to the finish,involving police in the United States and Mexico, killers hired to murder him and innocent ? men working for both sides.
I Loved it and you will too !!!

[Ellen Spes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad private eyes chasing evil women.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly the type of book I expect from Stuart Woods. Complicated plot, interesting characters and situations.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sept 2018 I DID NOT READ IT AS OF THIS DATE. Down to 3 stars to remind me I need to wait for a re-read. Don't like the judge and his manipulation. Don't like the totally psychopathic/sociopathic antagonist. Three years was not enough of a break. Maybe I'll check it out again in 2020.
1-20-2015 still 5 stars
re-read or re-re-read Sept 2013 I had rated it **** but I just upped it to ***** because of the terrific pace and the surprises galore.
June 2011 thought I'd read it but It is ia new June 2011 read for me. it is a story of crosses and double-crosses, featuring a criminal lawyer and his shamelessly sexy wife.
great summer read.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second installment of this series, Ed Eagle is now married to Barbara from the first book. Ed soon discovers that Barbara’s interest is in his money, and she wants to accelerate the “til Death do us part” clause to become a wealthy widow. All Eagle wants is a divorce and to salvage his money, his law practice, and his reputation. Ed has a couple of detectives Vittorio & Cupie working on getting the divorce papers signed. Barbara leads them all on quite a wild chase through the Caribbean and Mexico. It is an exciting book, with lots of plot twists until the final conclusion. Who will succeed in the end – Barbara or Ed?

[Elly Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* There are times when I’m glad I am finally acquiring patience. When this audiobook started, I wondered if the train would ever get out of the station. I’m glad I didn’t give up because it has gotten to be quite a wild ride, and funny at times too. I’m enjoying it thoroughly. No deep issues to ponder, just rollicking entertainment. Good one!

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not a Stone Barrington one, but rather good just the same. It made me think of a Shakespeare play with all the characters dead on the floor at the end.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, fast paced intriguing story. This is my first book by this author and I’ll begin reading his remaining works, which happily there are many.

[Lorraine Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I enjoyed the ending. It is a quick read and fast moving. When you think justice is done it is always a trick. You are left wondering and the conclusion is unexpected

[Bill Hooten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Stuart Woods books, because he knows how to tell a story -- but, I believe that he left out a major part of this Ed Eagle story. I don't understand "why," Barbara Eagle did what she did. She gave a hint in the first 1/3 of the book -- that not everything was the way that it looked. But as the story advanced, the only conclusion you could reach was; yeah, it was just what it looked like. She was a liar, thief, and a murderer. That may be the way that Woods intended for it to go, but it was not where I thought I would be led. I story this book mid-afternoon on a Friday, and finished it before I went to bed -- that is how intrigued I was by the book's story.

[John Mcconahey]

Woods is a prolific writer with a handful of prime characters living within a fictional era (1930s to present day). These characters are incestuous – figuratively, that is – intermingling with one another in his various works. This book features Ed Eagle, the Santa Fe attorney protagonist in Santa Fe Rules, an earlier work. Yet still, a few more characters return from other Woods novels, fueling interest further for prior fans.

In this paperback, Eagle awakens late on his 50th birthday to discover his wife had drugged him the night before, cleaned out his business, personal, and brokerage accounts to the tune of $4+ mil, chartered a jet, and flew to Mexico. His efforts to recover are interrupted by a judge assigning him work that the public defender’s office is too busy to perform. A couple of detectives become involved, and the chase is on. His wife Barbara proves to be a worthy adversary.

In earlier years, Woods developed plots and characters more thoroughly. Nevertheless, I found this story sufficiently compelling to continue reading until 3 a.m. in order to reach the conclusion of the book. But “finished” with woods doesn’t mean “the end.” I expect to see yet more of Ed Eagle

[markpills · Rating 3 out of 5]

One may read book "two" as more Santa Fe rules: turbo-prop airplanes, luxury hotels, positive cash-flow, nice dinners at 5-star restaurants, cooperative judges, beautiful scenery, and the strange legal maneuvers, from the protagonist, independent legal icon, Ed Eagle; just as he's starting his new legal office in Santa Fe. In between book 1 and book 2 being published by Penguin, 14-years have passed in this difficult fictional writing business; however, Ed's newest wife, the erstwhile ex-con, gorgeous Blackwidow Barbara, aka Barbara Rifkind, Barbara Grafton, Barbara Kennerly, Barbara Eagle, Barbara Woodfield, née Hannah Schlemmer, is really the center of this second journey that picks right up after the first story. She takes off with Ed’s money, and heads to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where you never know what will happen!? Will Big Ed defend Barbara if the case ever goes to trial? Can he get his money back? What kind of law enforcement exists south of the border? Are they headed for divorce, what the heck is going on? You better wear your bullet-proof vest to read this installment!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this worn paperback while on a cruise ship during the Corona virus outbreak in March 2020. The Norwegian Jewel was being turned away from ports although no one on our ship was ill. Books were scarce. The library was closed. One woman had throw away 5 books because she was concerned about sharing books. Others were sharing what they had brought thank goodness. The books I had downloaded to my iPad had been read and due to limited, expensive and just plain lousy internet service I couldn’t download more.

This mystery was pure escape for me. It helped take my mind off worrying about those back home. It was also comforting since it was based in Santa Fe, a place I had visited many times. It was not a book I would have normally picked to read but I was relieved to have something to occupy my mind.

[Andrea Lommen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whole bunch of people with weak moral compasses out to get each other. And somehow the woman comes out as the one who's amoral. The men will come out kooking like nice guys. The woman is hilariously over the top. She kills people. She sleeps with people and then kills people. She kills people while she's sleeping with people.

The story opens with ed eagle's wife leaving him and taking a bunch of money and somehow I thought it was going to be more complicated than that and it kind of was but it also kind of wasn't. I was surprised when she turned out to be the bad guy.

Never a dull moment. Not a lot of exposition not emotion. Efficient dialogue. If that's what you want out of a book, this is your book. I must say it was entertaining.

[Nancy W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. Interestingly the main charachter was not the center of the story. Good action and a fast read. I would give this a 3.5 star but knowcked it down to 2 stars because I was a bit put-off by the authors notes at the end.

I thought he was quite rude and based on that will likely not read another of his books if I have to pay for it. I'm a firm believer of voting with my dollars. His notes in summary said don't snail nail me, I won't reply, don't send me book ideas I'll delete them, don't do this, don't do that, etc. Basically I felt it slapped his fans in the face. An author should be gracious to his fans. Without fans, he's out of a job...

[Ed Billowitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Santa Fe Rules (Ed Eagle # 1) and the characters introduced in the novel. But his wife Barbara's actions in Short Straw occur with no hint of her motivation (except money of course, but she has plenty married to a wealthy attorney). Early in the book She tells Ed "you think you know what's happening but you don't", and I expected all to be revealed as the plot unfolded. It wasn't, and I conjecture Stuart Woods had another book in mind and then either lost interest in the character (Barbara) or found he couldn't pull it off.
As in his other books, I wonder if he is rewarded for product placement.

[Roger Scherping · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very shallow book. Reading it was like watching a movie on fast forward. There are no backstories, no pauses for internal dialogue, no descriptions of any kind. You hardly know the characters at all.

The protagonist is a mostly oblivious attorney who marries a felon and is shocked when she steals from him. To find her he hires two P.I.'s -- Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dummer -- who make Barney Fife look like James Bond. The three of them can't catch a woman who is totally incapable of hiding but who outsmarts them time after time.

I really didn't care if the attorney got his money back or if the woman ever got caught.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ed Eagle begins his 50th birthday by sleeping in. But he didn't mean too and is quite shocked to look at his clock when he does wake up. But worse things are yet to come. When he arrives at work, he discovers that his wife is in the process of absconding with four million of his hard earned dollars. He is clueless. Fortunately, he is able to stop the withdrawal of most of the money, but he must put a private detective on her trail to find her and the rest of the money. What follows is a fairly complicated romp through the lives of the very rich and spoiled as they try to get away with (literal) murder.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short Straw by Stuart Woods is Ed Eagle #2
I haven't read Sante Fe Rules, which is Ed Eagle #1
It is sometimes difficult to find which Stuart Woods books are related, and all Stuart Woods books, with a few exceptions, are related to Stone Barrington series in some way, and I wish I had read this book before I finished Sante Fe Dead Ed Eagle #3 because in many ways #3 is the sequel to #2, continuing the story of Barbara Eagle, Ed's wife, who takes off with a great deal of Ed's money and is a great shooter.
,

[Alastair Carthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not finished this book but it won't take long. It is a rollicking tale of colour ful characters but completely lacking in any depth. Things happen to the characters that would not happen in real life. Crucial explanatory facts are glossed over or missing entirely to give some credence to the plot. I appreciate that Mr Woods is writing populist literature, but there comes a time when some context and depth to the plot is required. It is generally not believeable. Funny, though. I hope my own book, Proud, a novel out on Amazon in early 2019 can provide as much humour but with substance.

[Mary Buehrig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Straw by Stuart Woods
This is a great read from beginning to end. A married man wakes to find his business partner wife missing. He discovers the reason he overslept was that he had been dosed with sleeping pills. The day goes from bad to worse when he finds she has cleaned out their bank account and taken off for Mexico. Soon the chase is on, as he and his investigators track her and her sister down, determined to bring them back to face criminal charges and to get a long overdue divorce. There’s not a dull page in this thriller!

[Rick Rapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

This action thriller is high on action and low on thrills. The characters are a mixed bag; some are amusing, most are one-dimensional. The "bad guy" is known from the beginning, but we never get any clue as to what the motive is or what was the cause for the sudden change in character, other than greed. It hops around the Southwest and Mexico and stalls for time, all the while the character for whom we are supposed to be rooting behaves like a fool. This was fine for a distraction during the pandemic, but if there are other choices, I'd vote in favor of them.

[Dr. Thomas Wasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a classic Stuart Woods book before his stuff got ... well... bad. Very easy to read, written at the third grade level and not a lot of filler or back story. A good story from beginning to end and great for a beach read novel. It does exactly what it is supposed to do. It was entertaining, moved fast, semi-believable. I'll read the next two in the series between more serious thrillers. If you read other series types of books Stuart Woods books work great as fillers.
Loved his other off character books Grass Roots, White Cargo and one of his best books ever was Chiefs.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio book
Barbara Eagle tries to steal all of her husband's money, but Ed Eagle is able to reverse the transfer, all except 300,000. Barbara has also hired a hit man to kill Ed.
Ed Eagle hires two PI's, Kewpie, who has followed Barbara to Mexico, and Vittorio, an American Apache Indian. He also goes to Mexico after Kewpie is shot by Barbara.
Ed Eagle is also working on a case, defending Joe Big Bear who has been charged with 3 murders.
Lots of action and twists and turns.

[Todd Schafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ed Eagle is a formidable criminal defense lawyer who gets mixed up with a woman with murderous intent,,,,,Barbara. (spoilers)
It's not enough that she absconds with millions, she wants to have the guy killed and go after his insurance policies too.
Total greed, and can't believe she didn't get killed by the men she double-crossed.
I think she will surface in another novel.
His secretary is almost a carbon copy of Stone's. Not much imagination there.