Stone Barrington seems to have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Isn't that what makes this series exciting?
When Manhattan’s elite are beset by a series of clever crimes — and Stone is a material witness — he and his former partner Dino Bacchetti find themselves drawn into the world of high-end security fraud, where insider knowledge and access are limited to a privileged few, and the wealthy are made vulnerable by the very systems meant to keep them safe. As Stone and Dino delve deeper, they learn that the mastermind behind the incidents may have some intimate ties to Stone... and that the biggest heist is still to come.
Librarian's note: the characters, settings, etc. for the first 30 books in the series are complete: #1, New York Dead, 1991; #2, Dirt, 1996; #3, Dead in the Water, 1997; #4, Swimming to Catalina, 1998; #5, Worst Fears Realized, 1999; #6, L.A. Dead, 2000; #7, Cold Paradise, 2001; #8, The Short Forever, 2002; #9, Dirty Work, 2003; #10, Reckless Abandon, 2004; #11, Two Dollar Bill, 2004; #12. Dark Harbor, 2006; #13, Fresh Disasters, 2007; #14, Shoot Him if He Runs, 2007; #15, Hot Mahogany, 2008; #16, Loitering with Intent, 2009; #17, Kisser, 2009; #18, Lucid Intervals, 2010; #19, Strategic Moves, 2010; #20, Bel-Air Dead, 2011; #21, Son of Stone, 2011; #22, D.C. Dead, 2011; #23, Unnatural Acts, 2012; #24, Severe Clear, 2012; #25, Collateral Damage, 2012; #26, Unintended Consequences, 2013; #27, Doing Hard Time, 2013; #28, Standup Guy, 2014; #29, Carnal Curiosity, 2014, and #30, Cut & Thrust, 2014.
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.
How could there be be so many good reviews for this book? I have read every one of Stuart Woods' books. There is always some sex but this book begins with sex and goes downhill from there. There is no plot and I am extremely disappointed. No, I did not finish it, nor will I ever read another Stone Barrington novel. They are all the same and Stone has become a character with which I will not waste anymore time. If I could, I would give it zero stars. It is offensive.
Three and a half stars...while I have enjoyed all 29 novels in this Stone Barrington series, it is far from the best. It was fun, and the characters are engaging. It is a very entertaining read with a satisfying ending. I agree with Melanie Johnson's review: "Same old Stone Barrington from Stuart Woods. Sex with women he meets within 10 minutes, and trouble following him everywhere he goes," but I disagree with giving it only two stars. It did have a plot (Stone gets robbed and bamboozled by a recent girlfriend, then plans to get even), and the ending was logical and satisfying. The read was fast and enjoyable; I had fun with it, as usual.
Stone Barrington and Stuart Woods are becoming tiresome. This is formulaic fiction at its worst. Stone meets a beautiful insurance investigator who has come to adjust his claim and that's not all she adjusts. Ten minutes later she's in his bed. After a couple of more rolls in the hay she moves on to seduce another target. This is part of a scheme she and her ex-husband are running to burgle wealthy insurance clients.
But really the characters and the dialogue are flat as a pancake. Amazing that Woods continues to sell oodles of these novels, each of which is a carbon copy of the others.
Food, drinks, sex, politics, white collar crime, police, feds, white house and devious plans to steal jewelry. Big mistake picking Stone Barrington as a mark... see where that lands you... I have decided I want to be Joan, the secretary. I would like to be on the fringe of all the excitement. Book 29 down and 30 to get. Just about all the characters were in play this time. I do love to see where they all are as Stone navigates his way in and out of messes.
Based on my math, you are--at a minimum--pushing 60 years of age. (18 + 4 yrs college + 3 yrs law school + 14 years as a cop + 2 years to meet Arrington, take/pass the bar, reconnect with Arrington, date, live with, get pregnant, break up & have baby Peter + 16 years of not being a dad + 2 years for Yale + 1 year since Yale = 60).
If a much-younger woman wants to sleep with you within minutes of meeting, she probably wants something else. Like your money. Or your fabulous possessions. Or free legal advice. Why--after getting robbed last week/month by the lovely Hank--would you trust a woman you barely knew just because she threw herself at you? Was getting conned and nearly losing $5M of your dead-wife's-dead-first-husband's money not enough for you to take a step back and maybe think before pulling off your trousers?
We get it. You like sex. A lot. Frankly, at your age, it's extraordinarily impressive that you can perform as often as you do. (There's probably a bottle of little blue pills in your dressing room nobody talks about.) It's also a wonder that you've only ever managed to father one child, as you have a constant stream of women of child-bearing age streaming through your Master Suite where you do naughty things to them in front of millions worth of your mother's paintings and never once have you fumbled for a condom. Perhaps you should be more particular about who shares your Craftmatic Adjustable Bed.
When the woman who just threw herself at you, told you that she wasn't married, but that--oops! really she was, an alarm should've gone off. And if that didn't do the trick, perhaps when she immediately reconciled with said ex who had tried to have you KILLED, perhaps you should've taken a step back and considered that something hinky was going on. Frankly, I'm surprised that Dino didn't even pick up on this one, as he's usually steps in to be your common sense when your penis has completely eliminated any you might have naturally.
In conclusion, dear Stone, think before you screw. Or you'll be screwed.
I am getting bored with the wealthy people in Mr. Woods novels. They all have airplanes, drink champagne, have sex four times a day (often with several people) and spend like there is no tomorrow. And his (through the characters) proselytizing is becoming just a bit much. I stopped reading another author's books because the heroine was such a whiner and people trying to help her kept getting killed because she was so obnoxiously stubborn. Sorry, Stone, but you are close to extinction on my reading list unless the plots improve greatly. There is a reason why soap operas were cancelled.
. With each 'Stone Barrington' novel comes whiskey, entertainment, and danger - usually Stone Barrington's lusty exploits and adventure by plane as well. This is a cozy mystery in an ongoing series, even if some of the contents is far-fetched on the scale of believe-ability.
The nudity and sexual encounters really don't add any positive energy to the book. It was not extraordinary, but it is interesting in it's own way.
They are easy to read and each can stand on its own.
If you're looking for a book that reads quickly, this may be the one; I polished it off in spare time in a single day. It also follows the mundane, laid-back pattern I've found in the series featuring filthy rich attorney Stone Barrington; action happens, but nobody gets excited about it. Case in point from a phone conversation between Barrington and a friend:
Friend: "Everything all right?"
Barrington: "Well, let's see. I was at a dinner party on Saturday night when four men with shotguns arrived and took all the available jewelry."
Friend: "How interesting for you."
And so it goes from start to finish. Even Barrington's between-the-sheets adventures - and there seem to be more of them happening here than in past books - are quite ho-hum. I'm sure it's written that way intentionally, but it does seem to me I yawned through more of the pages of this one than usual.
My interest was piqued at the outset, though, when early on Barrington is visited by a gorgeous blonde insurance adjuster sent to investigate his claim as a result of stolen works of art. Her unusual name is Crane Hart - a reversal of poet Hart Crane, who as it happens was born in Garrettsville, Ohio, not far from where I live (he died in 1932). Other than that reference, however, no more mention is made of the name - leaving me to wonder what the connection is, if any, between the poet and author Woods.
Not long after Barrington and Hart hit the sack, she reveals that she's being stalked by her hulk of an estranged husband - who also appears to be the ringleader of a gang of thieves (remember the subject of that above-mentioned phone call)? Barrington and his police buddies, of course, try to round them all up; in between, Barrington also gets involved with the campaign of friend Kate - the wife of the outgoing U.S. President who has thrown her hat in the campaign ring to replace her husband. In that process, he meets yet another beauty with whom he jumps into bed almost immediately (proving, I suppose, that he's still got it even though he's old enough to be a grandfather several times over).
Oh yes, I did learn a new word: "tsuris." It was used several times in the book, so I looked it up and found that it's defined as a Yiddish word for stress or troubles (aha - maybe that's how readers are supposed to know some of the characters really are under a bit of duress). All rightee then, I said to myself as I pondered ways to work it into future conversations.
One thing I won't be talking much about, though, is this book - somewhat entertaining, but certainly not worth paying much for.
3 Stars. Another day, another dollar. Or, another day, another Stone Barrington. A good read but not extra special. I listened to it on Libby, an online audio service available from my local library; I've started #30 on Libby and that one will be a five for sure! Barrington has new clients, Hilary and Jack Coulter; he's working on a legal document about their taxes when an unannounced visitor drops in. It's a lovely insurance adjuster named Crane Hart - no relation to the famous American poet, Hart Crane (1899-1932). She's visiting Stone to look into the loss of a half million which happened in the last entry, Standup Guy. If you recall, Johnny Fratelli was recently released from prison and had consulted Stone, in a hypothetical way, about a stolen stash. Fratelli found the legal advice helpful, located the money, became Jack Coulter, and married a very rich woman. Now the new couple need help with their taxes. It all comes together when Stone and his date attend a swanky, black-tie party at the Coulter's new penthouse and four masked men storm-in with guns demanding everyone's jewellry. Was Crane Hart the finger? Curious. That's a very interesting question. (Oc2025/No2025)
Stone meets a woman. Stone and the woman have drinks and dinner. Stone and the woman have sex numerous times in one night. Stone meets another woman. Stone and the woman have drinks and dinner. Stone and the woman have sex numerous times in one night. One of the women turns out to be bad, leading Stone to become involved in some sort of crime. Stone throws around mountains of money. Holly Barker, Lance Cabot, Max Freeman, and many others from Woods’s novels make token appearances. Stone and Dino work together to catch the bad guys.
There, in a nutshell, you have the plot of not just this, but every Stone Barrington novel. If you’ve read one, you’ve pretty much read them all. Only the location changes from time to time.
And Woods still writes some of the most stilted dialog ever committed to paper. All of his main characters speak as if they graduate from some toney private academy in 1920.
These books are Twinkies for the mind. Not necessarily nourishing, but sometimes, junk food is all you want to eat or read. As junk food, Stuart Woods’s novels stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Another typical Stone Barrington book. Woods usually comes up with an okay plot so if you can stick with the book long enough to get to it [my husband couldn't] it makes up for the effort. Stone only likes to eat and have sex and the book is full of it! The best news is that it doesn't take long to read it.
A quick read with action that is not as good as other Woods works. A couple of his more interesting characters including Herbie Fisher and CIA Fay have small bit parts and with them goes much of the humor and excitement. 6 of 10 stars
Plot weak and predictable. NOT one of Woods best in the least. Stone Barrington needs to evolve in his character like Dino has done. I will give Woods one more try but if the next one is anything like this one, it will be my last.
Another very enjoyable read from Stuart Woods! Stone Barrington is predictable,but always interesting.If you have enjoyed previous books in this series, you will enjoy Carnal Curiosity.
Another author who's fast pace books I've always like. Good characters and plot always interesting women involved with the lead character Stone Barrington.
This series is really cheesy and that’s okay I expect it but this one was not great. And he is still just throwing the name of the book title in there oddly.
I'm a big fan on Stuart Woods, and his Stone Barrington, Dino Bacchetti series.
Stone becomes involved with a woman, Crane Hart, who's husband, Don Dugan, is a big time thief. Stone was lead to believe she was divorced.. One night when Crane and Stone where sleeping in Stone's home, eleven of Stone's mother's, Matilda Stone (deceased), paintings were stolen from his home Since is mother was a renowned painter, Stone's collection were valued at approximately twenty million dollars. As he's on the search for these paintings, he discovers Crane was involved in the theft. He found all the paintings in Anita's Artfest, a small resale boutique. While Anita Hill and her boyfriend, Bill Murphy, are confronted with the theft, they tell Stone, Dino, and Mike Freeman of Strategic Services, about a major theft that is to take place at a jewelry convention to be held in a few weeks. They have a plan set in place to capture Don Dugan and his band of theives, after Crane gives them the further details.
July 2021. I need a break from this story, more 2 1/2 years. It seems the author was already bored with the story and just ended it. And poof - end of story.Once he was over 300 pages (306 to be exact) he was finished, even if the ending was amazingly abrupt. Too bad for the reader. Lots of loose ends to at least pretend he cared about the reader's enjoyment. I just reduced rating to 3 stars due to the authors disregard of the reader.
Jan 2019 ditto 3-2018 ditto 2014 4-7-2016 still like it and I'm healthy! It would have been nice to have a few chapters between 63 and 64. 5-1-2015 read for 3rd time - great while nursing a chest cold 12-1-2014 Just read this one 5 months ago. Once again, I agree with myself and my remarks. July 1, 2014 This is a current (2014) Stone Barrington novel. Same formula but I like the characters, so the story keeps going on (and on and on and on....)
Another entertaining book in this series. Thank goodness there were not a lot of murders; get tired of that.... Dino and Stone up to their usual antics.
Stone Barrington seems to have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Manhattan’s elite are beset by a series of clever crimes—and Stone is a material witness—he and his former partner Dino Bacchetti find themselves drawn into the world of high-end security and fraud, where insider knowledge and access are limited to a privileged few, and the wealthy are made vulnerable by the very systems meant to keep them safe. As Stone and Dino delve deeper into their investigation, they learn that the mastermind behind the incidents may have some intimate ties to Stone . . . and that the biggest heist is still to come
again woods has his streamlined format down pat. this story continues the presidential sub-plot and a small hint of the fay character and the Russian mob. stone has another new girl fiend who is really a crook and another who looks like a keeper. faster paced and due to larger basic print an easy read. (finished in 6 hrs with a dinner break and nap included ) like parker and cussler this series in programmed for quick events, snapping dialog and characters that have been developed for so long that the new players can be defined in easy terms and fit in without lengthy descriptions or as walk on players who need no depth. another book on it's way this year.
A vapid piece of literature that would work best if reading on a beach or on an airplane. I have read all 29 Stone Barrington novels. They are now just formulaic and full of caricatures of the original players. The plot set ups are now atrocious. In the first 20 pages of this book Stone meets and beds the woman, we get references to past books and plots, a sarcastic (and needless) political aside is inserted, and basically all of the characters are thrown into the mix. There is no intent to make any of the plot smooth or well-thought-out. It's just a dump of information. I'm disappointed. I'm sad. I'm done. Goodbye Stone.
Stone is working out his insurance claim, when of course, he sleeps with the beautiful insurance investigator, who is still married to bad guy. The bad guy stages a series of robberies, including all eleven of his mother's (Matilda Stone) paintings from Stone's townhouse, miraculously defeating the FBI's state-of-the-art security system. Throw in a little political plot around Kate Lee's announcement that she is seeking the presidency, and you have a typical story. This one was weaker than usual.
As always, Stone gets laid up front and the woman turns out bad. Sorta! Then, another comes along and she appears permanent, at least for awhile. Dino and Stone solve a robbery problem in NYC. Dino is Chief of Detectives in this book; while I believe that role is largely administrative, Dino takes an active operational place. Will and Kate Lee also interact, but it's an aside to this plot; likely this book is used to set up some future action. A couple of plots come to a head in the last few minute so the listen. Tony Roberts did a great job in the narration.