Swimming To Catalina

Stone Barrington #4

by Stuart Woods

New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods kept a nation of readers glued to their seats as one of his best-loved characters, ex-cop-turned-Manhattan attorney and investigator Stone Barrington, battled a viciously corrupt Caribbean minister of justice in Dead in the Water and fought the gossip-mongering hordes of the newspaper business in Dirt, proving that the line between what's legal and what's lethal can be deadly fire.In Swimming to Catalina, Stone is back, still smarting from his sudden breakup with the brilliant, beautiful magazine writer Arrington Carrington, who has left him to marry Hollywood's hottest male star, Vance Calder. Then Calder calls Stone for help: Arrington has vanished without a trace, and Calder, refusing to call the police, wants Stone to find her. Arriving in L.A. with little to go on, Stone soon finds himself in the deepest kind of trouble as he nearly drowns in a sea of lost leads and empty clues that take him from Bel-Air to Malibu to Rodeo Drive. In a town where the sharks drive Bentleys and no one can be trusted, Stone must use all his wits to find Arrington and keep his head above water... without losing it.

Drenched in Hollywood glitz and glamour, and filled with the dizzying plot twits and turns that have made his novels New York Times  bestsellers and international sensations, Swimming to Catalina is Stuart Woods's fastest-paced, most riveting and unabashedly clever thriller yet.

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

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

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 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! mystery,entertaining,lots of action and even has a little adventure from Stone because of him being reckless after he finds out about Arrington & Vance's relationship..Mr.brokenhearted becomes distracted from his job of investigating the case to do the usual banging every female in his eye site or meets-- at least there was a satisfying conclusion to this series (paperback!)

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're down to just 3 stars. Each book seems to get half a star worse. The sex is increasingly gratuitous. I wish Woods would just let these be mysteries, rather than trying to add in a sex element. It seems so contrived--like I'm reading a nice detective story and then someone slipped in a Playboy amateur writing contest page.

Also, the way Stone, who I generally find to be likable and I believe is written with the intention of being likable--treats and talks about women is, well...far from enlightened, so say the least. He cheats on the woman he supposed to be so madly in love with that he's willing to leave behind his storied bachelorhood (in the last book), and yet I'm not supposed to think he's an a-hole because of that. In this book, he gets tired of sleeping with one of his catches, so he hands her off to a friend, who then sleeps with her. It's a little bit gross. I believe there are 24 book sin this series. At this rate, book 24 must be about Stone trying to solve the mystery of which of the dozens of women he slept with is the one who gave him the Clap.

Anyway, this review is getting awfully prurient, so I'll sum it up by saying that the detective elements are strong and interesting, but the sex and the way that every woman in the books is utterly one-dimensional (gorgeous, utterly infatuated with Stone the moment she meets him, great in bed, and nothing else) is getting old. I likely read at least one more, but I suspect this will be a rare case where I don't make it through a series.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. I couldn't have done it. Could you? Two thugs dump Stone Barrington into the Pacific just off Catalina Island near L.A. He's strapped to a heavy anchor. Three things would have quickly flashed through my mind: "This water better not be deep," "I've got 60 seconds to chuck this anchor," and three, "If it's too cold, hypothermia will get me first!" Luckily for Stone and readers who enjoy his adventures, it isn't; he's up to it, and it's not! The story is dominated by Stone's continuing love for Arrington Carter. ln the previous novel, Dead in the Water, she was about to join him on vacation in the Caribbean where he was planning to pop the question. Momentous for him. She was delayed; became enamoured with Vance Calder, the Hollywood superstar, and soon married him. They now live in L.A. When Vance calls Stone to report her mysterious disappearance and requests help, he responds immediately. He's still in love. The Hollywood movie business, he actually lands a small part, is fascinating but Stone fails to discern an undercurrent of evil swirling around. Is it the mob? A light and enjoyable outing. (No2021/Oc2025)

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooooo many books in this series, I’m looking forward to catching up!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4th book in Stone Barrington series and very good. In this book Stone solves the kidnapping of his former lover, Arlington.

[Dosha (Bluestocking7) Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so very entertaining, even if they are too far fetched and unbelievable at times. I'm enjoying listening to this series as I crochet my holiday afghan. Dino is my favorite character, and he is the lead character's best friend. He is not in this book as much as I would like, but he is in it and that is good enough. I'm looking forward to continuing this series because of the backstories more than because of the lead character. Stone Barrington is just a lil bit too naive for me to believe. All in all, it's worth checking them out on OverDrive from the library. I wouldn't want to have to make purchases - there are at least 50 books in this series and this is only #4. On to #5! Happy reading everyone. :-)

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the sheer cheesiness of Stone Barrington. You gotta love it.

I think I've mentioned here before that I always read portions of these books to Adam, who then wonders why I bother reading them if they're that bad. But they're of the so-bad-they're-good variety.

As this one is pretty early in the series, I think I'd read it before. But given that I'd ran through most of what I'd brought on vacation (and wasn't willing to tackle the two non-fiction left), I was grateful the MIL had some beach-worthy reads.

Stone is like James Bond with a dose of smarm. Predictable and often silly. But easy on the eyes and mind.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swimming to Catalina by Stuart Woods is the 4th book in the Stone Barrington series. Stone Barrington travels to LA after receiving a call from actor Vance Calder who had married his former girlfriend Arrington telling him that Arrington had disappeared. An entertaining book with plenty of action and unbelievable stunts, very James Bond like. Pure escapist entertainment.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone Barrington is so cliche and cheesy, I love him!!!

[Eric Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story but for an ex-cop and high priced lawyer Stone Barrington is kind of a naive idiot at times. Especially when it comes to women. A lot of the sex seems unnecessary too. In the middle of all the crap that’s going on with the kidnapping and attempt on his life and all the work with the LAPD and FBI to get the situation resolved and he’s still sleeping with multiple women and having sex into the late hours of the night? Man get your priorities straight. I hope his character grows up a bit with time because I don’t know if I can do the entire series face palming because of the main character.

[Aja · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible. I’m not a person who is easily offended. With that in mind, I have never read such a offensive, demeaning book that takes every opportunity to degrade its female characters. The women are written so poorly that it leads me to believe this author thinks women are unintelligent and easily talked into the bed of a complete stranger. Every woman he meets either wants to sleep with him or does after having maybe a five minute conversation with him. Evidently, he’s so desirable that even married women can’t resist him. After he’s done with one of the women he repeatedly sleeps with, he drops her off at the house of a friend (which she goes to willingly despite the fact that he too is a complete stranger). Stone, the main character, talks to his friend about the woman’s sexual prowess and alludes to the fact that this friend should have an easy time getting her into bed.

This doesn’t even scratch the surface of the plot which is completely unrealistic and even too bad for a Lifetime movie of the week. Basically, Stone is the best lawyer in the world, he looks like if Brad Pitt and George Clooney had a baby, he solves kidnappings and murders and complex financial schemes, he slays with the ladies, oh and he can fly a plane and drive a boat, and on and on. He is so shallow and egotistical that he really makes me wonder what this author was missing in his real life.

The only reason I finished this truly awful book was because it had such high reviews on Goodreads. And I just can’t understand why.

[ML · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrington is definitely more trouble than she’s worth. Stone ever the hero has to save her yet again. And doesn’t even get the girl in the end. She’s kryptonite

This is Stone’s LA adventure. Studio bosses, fixers and Hollywood all meet their match with Stone Barrington in town.

Kidnapping, murder and financial crimes make this a pretty fast paced story with Stone having sex with all the women he can while foiling all these plots. It was entertaining if not unbelievable. But is a Stone plot ever believable 🤔🤔🤔.

[Kristina Deluise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I HAVE started to wonder why i keep reading these. oh yeah, because it's something new.
and i am desperate for books i have not read.....

i am so very tired of stone sleeping with everyone, damn barbara and betty in the same book
strange women . no mention of condems and no mention of aids either

the story it self didn't hold my attention. i'm hoping it gets better

i need to find a new author?

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stone is called to California to help find his lost love, Arrington, now pregnant and married to Vance Calder, a famous actor. With his usual dalliances, Stone does not cotton to being swept out of town, and stays to solve the mystery, involving shady characters looking to acquire a movie studio to develop its extensive real estate holdings,

[Gary Gallucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another terrific story in the long-running Stone Barrington series. Barrington is a James Bondian character who lives on the edge. His life is constantly in danger, and he seems to have beautiful women at his beckon call. Just the same, the stories are always interesting. The books are pretty easy reads, while maintaining enough complexity to keep one's interest at a fairly high level.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a ride! Stone inadvertently butts heads with the Mob - who will win? I wouldn't bet on either one. Our hero must save his damsel in distress without getting killed. Can he do it? Twists and turns abound in this swimmingly breezy mystery. Loved this great addition to the series.

[Tgordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I just really like these books! Mostly you know the bad guys and suspect that the amazing Stone is going to rule the day but boy he takes on a lot of water before he rises! He reminds me of a James Bond type. He can do anything, escape anything and a real ladies man! Fun reads.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books)]

Always an easy read...

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*
Ugh. Why do I read these books!?

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

AnD the beat goes on. Stone goes to California to rescue Arrington.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realized 78% into this book that I'd read book 4 BEFORE book 3. Ugh. Oh well. I finished it and then immediately read Dead in the Water. Both stories were really well done.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stone Barrington figured he would never hear from his former girlfriend, Arrington, after she left him and went to LA then married Hollywood superstar actor, Vance Calder. So, the last thing he had ever expected was to hear from her new husband telling him that Arrington had disappeared and asked him to come to LA to find her. Once he arrives to LA, Stone is sucked into the shady, superficial world of Hollywood. The missing ex ends up being just the tip of the iceberg and soon, he realizes he is going to need help if he's going to figure out what is really going on and why Arrington was taken. I enjoyed this installment of the Stone Barrington's series. This has been my favorite one in the series so far. It had a bit of funny, a bit of subterfuge and a little bit of risqué behavior. It was a solid 4-star read for me.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my kind of book. The main character, Stone Barrington, is more like James Bond than a retired police officer turned lawyer. He's apparently so irresistibly handsome and charming that in no less than five minutes, every beautiful woman he meets sleeps with him. He gets out of more impossible situations and has more "lives" than Jack on 24, and he even has a pen that shoots bullets. In short, there was little that was believable, and that made the story silly.

[Jannene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book was incredibly stupid and not believable. This has to be the worst one in the series so far. I really loved the Holly Barker series. Stone just isn't my kind of a character. I haven't found any endearing qualities yet.

[Arnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...

[Debbie Napier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stone is called to rescue his former girlfriend, Arrington, who has married actor Vance Calder. Still some good moments of tension and a quick read. This may be the book where some of the plots start to become just a little silly.

[Buck Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy fun read. Stone Barrington is quite the ladies' man, and I learned how to sink a boat.

[Paul La Fata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Okay once again I am now looking forward to book number 5 from Stuart woods. Sometimes you wish that things would turn out for the best and sometimes you realize that it's just a story but you would always hope that stone would get what he was looking for.

[Barbara Shanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot , kept me on my feet all the time.