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Will Lee #2
Run Before the Wind
A breathtaking novel of suspense and high-adventure by New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods. Will Lee ran from a life of Southern wealth and privilege to spend a peaceful summer on the coast of Ireland. But there is no peace in this beautiful, troubled land.
Restless and dissatisfied, Will dreams of shipbuilding and sailing on crystal-blue waters. But an explosion of senseless violence is dragging the young American drifter into a lethal game of terror and revenge. For the fires of hatred rage unchecked in this place of lush, rolling hills and deadly secrets. Now Will Lee must run for his life from a bloody past that is not his own-and he will find no sanctuary on the rolling waves of the Irish sea.
Restless and dissatisfied, Will dreams of shipbuilding and sailing on crystal-blue waters. But an explosion of senseless violence is dragging the young American drifter into a lethal game of terror and revenge. For the fires of hatred rage unchecked in this place of lush, rolling hills and deadly secrets. Now Will Lee must run for his life from a bloody past that is not his own-and he will find no sanctuary on the rolling waves of the Irish sea.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 1983
580 people are currently reading
1292 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Woods
400 books3,199 followersStuart 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
August 28, 2018
Stuart Woods is a great storyteller, but this is a disappointing sequel to Chiefs with a spoiled brat protagonist who gets a European vacation as punishment for getting kicked out of law school and then keeps acting like a jerk over there.
February 17, 2014
As we first meet Will Lee, he is in his mid-twenties and has just taken the last of his second-year law school exams. But he has not yet finished law school; there is still a third year to go. In fact, Will Lee has never finished anything in his life, other than school courses, and is emotionally adrift in a sea of insecurities and failed expectations. And when the dean of his law school forces him into an educational sabbatical so that he can "find himself,” Will has absolutely no idea just how adrift at sea he will find himself, both literally and figuratively.
Will embarks upon the traditional “year abroad” that so many of the upper class and motivationally lost students of the Sixties and Seventies used to flee from both themselves and the Vietnam War. After a few weeks with his grandfather in Ireland, Will is waiting on the docks at Cowes (in Britain) to take a ferry across the English Channel to France.
As he waits, Will spots a yacht that has slipped its mooring in the crowded harbor. The tide is swift and several other boats, including the Queen of England’s yacht, are in its path. With the help of a young lad and his dinghy, Will overtakes the yacht, leaps aboard and, after several attempts and several battered vessels, succeeds in getting a line secured to an immovable source and stops the drift and destruction, just shy of the Queen’s yacht.
Having missed his ferry, Will is making plans for another when he meets the beautiful and gregarious Annie Pemberton-Robinson, immediately falling in lust with her. A short time later he meets her husband, Mark, accompanied by Derek Thrasher, the owner of the yacht he saved. It turns out that Thrasher has commissioned Mark to build for him a 60-foot sailing racer. After Mark learns of Will’s experience with sailing, carpentry and diesel engines, he convinces Will to join him in the project as his right-hand man.
And thus begins the most terrifying coming-of-age story that I have read in some time. When Stuart Woods has Will step aboard the Robinson’s boat, headed back to Ireland and the boatyard where the racer will be built, neither Will nor the reader has any idea just how much he will have to endure, emotionally or physically, in order to survive his “year abroad.”
It takes 15 pages to establish the basics of Will’s situation. But it only takes 5 pages to understand that Will’s sections will be told in first person and that the story is being told from the vantage point of hindsight, many years of hindsight. And the allusions of “had I known then…” lead the reader early on to determine that Will Lee will be the last person standing at the end of the tale, literally and metaphorically.
Wood’s use of this literary device makes for a tale that is both tense and spellbinding. And you do not need to intimately understand the world of sail boating to understand this storyline. While knowledge of boating – either power or sail – would smooth out some areas, the building of the boat is not the main focus of this story. It is simply the plot device that allows for the emotional, political and financial plots to transpire.
And as those plots transpire, tumbling over each other and compounding, the book becomes one that you simply do not want to put down. But put it down I had to do, if only to step back momentarily, catch my breath and prepare myself for the train wreck that would so certainly occur before the last page was done.
In the end, Stuart Woods has taken events and places from his own past to form the background of the story. He has, by his own admission, taken people from his past, who, in their living and in their dying, became the inspiration for several of the major characters in the novel.
And, using both tactics, he has written the story of a young man lost at sea metaphorically, if not literally. It is a story of innocence lost and gut-burning maturity found. And it is a story of the pivotal events that form the character that Woods will, in later novels, make President of the United States.
Will embarks upon the traditional “year abroad” that so many of the upper class and motivationally lost students of the Sixties and Seventies used to flee from both themselves and the Vietnam War. After a few weeks with his grandfather in Ireland, Will is waiting on the docks at Cowes (in Britain) to take a ferry across the English Channel to France.
As he waits, Will spots a yacht that has slipped its mooring in the crowded harbor. The tide is swift and several other boats, including the Queen of England’s yacht, are in its path. With the help of a young lad and his dinghy, Will overtakes the yacht, leaps aboard and, after several attempts and several battered vessels, succeeds in getting a line secured to an immovable source and stops the drift and destruction, just shy of the Queen’s yacht.
Having missed his ferry, Will is making plans for another when he meets the beautiful and gregarious Annie Pemberton-Robinson, immediately falling in lust with her. A short time later he meets her husband, Mark, accompanied by Derek Thrasher, the owner of the yacht he saved. It turns out that Thrasher has commissioned Mark to build for him a 60-foot sailing racer. After Mark learns of Will’s experience with sailing, carpentry and diesel engines, he convinces Will to join him in the project as his right-hand man.
And thus begins the most terrifying coming-of-age story that I have read in some time. When Stuart Woods has Will step aboard the Robinson’s boat, headed back to Ireland and the boatyard where the racer will be built, neither Will nor the reader has any idea just how much he will have to endure, emotionally or physically, in order to survive his “year abroad.”
It takes 15 pages to establish the basics of Will’s situation. But it only takes 5 pages to understand that Will’s sections will be told in first person and that the story is being told from the vantage point of hindsight, many years of hindsight. And the allusions of “had I known then…” lead the reader early on to determine that Will Lee will be the last person standing at the end of the tale, literally and metaphorically.
Wood’s use of this literary device makes for a tale that is both tense and spellbinding. And you do not need to intimately understand the world of sail boating to understand this storyline. While knowledge of boating – either power or sail – would smooth out some areas, the building of the boat is not the main focus of this story. It is simply the plot device that allows for the emotional, political and financial plots to transpire.
And as those plots transpire, tumbling over each other and compounding, the book becomes one that you simply do not want to put down. But put it down I had to do, if only to step back momentarily, catch my breath and prepare myself for the train wreck that would so certainly occur before the last page was done.
In the end, Stuart Woods has taken events and places from his own past to form the background of the story. He has, by his own admission, taken people from his past, who, in their living and in their dying, became the inspiration for several of the major characters in the novel.
And, using both tactics, he has written the story of a young man lost at sea metaphorically, if not literally. It is a story of innocence lost and gut-burning maturity found. And it is a story of the pivotal events that form the character that Woods will, in later novels, make President of the United States.
January 5, 2018
I really enjoyed Chiefs, the first book of this series, which had a historical theme set in Alabama between 1920 and the early 1960’s. This book continues with Will Lee's son (also called Will Lee) as the main character and narrator. It is set mainly in England and Southern Ireland during the early 1970’s.
Both books are superbly written, with Stuart Woods' silky smooth writing style to the fore. However, the plot of this book is nowhere near as interesting as the first. At times, it was more like a sailing instruction manual. I love boats but the large amount of technical content ground me down a little.
It won't stop me from carrying on with the series, but I'll give it a rest for a while.
Both books are superbly written, with Stuart Woods' silky smooth writing style to the fore. However, the plot of this book is nowhere near as interesting as the first. At times, it was more like a sailing instruction manual. I love boats but the large amount of technical content ground me down a little.
It won't stop me from carrying on with the series, but I'll give it a rest for a while.
April 5, 2021
Interesting story and enjoyed watching Will accept some responsibility!
July 8, 2024
I read this one pretty fast. It was super interesting.
Will Lee is rudderless and leaves law school to head to Ireland to “find” himself. His major flaw is he never finishes anything he starts. That’s about to change by the end of this book.
IRA terrorists, English royalty and a billionaire make this story super intriguing to read.
I really did not think it would end well. It did for Will but almost no one else. Will is really nothing like his parents. He’s a bit selfish and needs to learn not to use people so casually. Lesson learned by the end.
Off to read the next Will Lee….
Will Lee is rudderless and leaves law school to head to Ireland to “find” himself. His major flaw is he never finishes anything he starts. That’s about to change by the end of this book.
IRA terrorists, English royalty and a billionaire make this story super intriguing to read.
I really did not think it would end well. It did for Will but almost no one else. Will is really nothing like his parents. He’s a bit selfish and needs to learn not to use people so casually. Lesson learned by the end.
Off to read the next Will Lee….
May 5, 2011
Will Lee, or Willie, as he is called later in this book is the son of Will Lee, the attorney in Stuart’s book Chiefs. It’s a tale of, the law, love, and the IRA. Taking place around 1971. Will Lee is asked to take some time off Law School due to the fact that he was not living up to his expectations. So he travels to Ireland, the land of his mother, and spent some time with his grandfather. He meet a girl named Connie who teaches at a local school. When he can’t get what he really wants from Connie he moves on traveling to England. He meets a couple named Annie and Mark after saving a boat from crashing into other boats. Mark is a slightly eccentric ex Royal Marine is having issues with his wife Annie but is slightly oblivious to it. The boat that Will saved belongs to a man named Derek Thrasher. Thrasher is a very secretive man who has a high financial standing but likes to remain very private. Thrasher is sponsoring Mark to build a boat that Mark will sail in a single handed race and then turn the boat over to Thrasher. Mark asks Will, only after having known him for a few hours, to help him build to boat. Willie agrees taking the job that leads them back to Ireland to the same small town that his grandfather lives. In a pervious life, Mark killed a young member of the IRA while he was still severing in the Marines. When word gets out in this small Irish town it stirs up a lot of trouble for the three new friends. When Mark re-injures his knee, an injury that originally occurred the night he killed the kid in the IRA, and has to go back to England to have it repaired leaving Willie in charge, all the while trying to sneak the boat out of Ireland because Thrasher is being sued and it has been found out he is the true owner of the boat and the lawyers are trying to attach the boat to the lien. After a spat with Will, over a trip to Paris, Will hooked up with Thrasher’s personal secretary; Connie still helps Will finish the boat. While Thrasher’s law troubles are handled things start to settle down. It turns out that Connie’s best friend who was a nun is in the IRA and is the cause of major trouble for Mark, Annie, and Will. What keeps Will safe is his father is a prominent politician in the US and the IRA does not want to harm him because it could cause loss of support in the states. With the IRA after Thrasher, Mark and Annie the tale is intriguing.
This reviewer believed since, it was the second book Mr. Woods published he really found his style here. The book started out very slowly but about half way through it really pick up and almost could not be put down. Giving this book a four star rating. With a list of books to read it might be a little bit before this reader orders the next in the series.
This reviewer believed since, it was the second book Mr. Woods published he really found his style here. The book started out very slowly but about half way through it really pick up and almost could not be put down. Giving this book a four star rating. With a list of books to read it might be a little bit before this reader orders the next in the series.
October 1, 2020
October 2, 2020. Remains a good story, especially if you like boats and dry docks.
April 2018 It's been 5 years since I read this book. I just upped the rating from **** up to *****. I read other reviews and can only think that was easier for me to relate to this book than folks without any maritime exposure. There were descriptions of western England and of the Irish coast that had similarities to western Washington state and to Puget Sound. Having spent time around docks and dry docks as a kid, there was a strong sense of familiarity, which probably added a few stars to my rating. The fictional Will lee and I are the same age. The fictional activities of the IRA and of Irish and British politics was vividly re-kindled with this story set 50 years ago.
Nov 2013 This is the second in the Will Lee series 1983.Lots of sailing in Ireland and England.
I'm surprised I've not read the Will Lee books from the beginning before now. It is best to read this series in order. it is also a coming of age book for will lee,
April 2018 It's been 5 years since I read this book. I just upped the rating from **** up to *****. I read other reviews and can only think that was easier for me to relate to this book than folks without any maritime exposure. There were descriptions of western England and of the Irish coast that had similarities to western Washington state and to Puget Sound. Having spent time around docks and dry docks as a kid, there was a strong sense of familiarity, which probably added a few stars to my rating. The fictional Will lee and I are the same age. The fictional activities of the IRA and of Irish and British politics was vividly re-kindled with this story set 50 years ago.
Nov 2013 This is the second in the Will Lee series 1983.Lots of sailing in Ireland and England.
I'm surprised I've not read the Will Lee books from the beginning before now. It is best to read this series in order. it is also a coming of age book for will lee,
March 28, 2013
Not so interesting to me, as I am not into boating. Ad lot of adjectives, too many for my liking. Much about boating, and though a decent mystery, too much boating info for my interest.
June 20, 2014
Book Two in the Will Lee series. Very nautical, which often bores me, but there's enough intrigue and machinations going on that I was able to stay engaged.
December 12, 2019
This was an early book writing with Will Lee. Willie as known in the book is about England and Ireland after being asked leave law school by the Dean. International terrorism at it’s finest along with yacht building. Interesting but complicated.
October 28, 2025
Set in the 1970s, I loved a look at the world I was too young to understand at the time. Great storytelling and a wonderful adventure for Will Lee.
March 4, 2016
Listened to the CD while driving 3,100+ miles in ten days. Excellent narrator. I usually listen to thriller books while driving as they keep me awake. This on felt a bit slow until about half way through for me. I wanted the main action much sooner. In the end, however, the build up of the background was necessary to show the growth of the main character, Will Lee. I appreciate the attention to the small details. I discovered I wanted to have the book in hand so I could go back a few chapters to reread some sections to verify suspicions - there is an advantage to having a hard copy. Fascinating information about race sailing and the financing of such. I am eager to read/listen to more about Will Lee.
January 25, 2016
This is a coming of age story in the age of terrorism and is set in the 1970s. The author's theme and point of the book is terrorism and the stupid "vendetta" style killings around Northern Ireland in that time period. While that's going on, the sailing story is absolutely engrossing. Admittedly, some of the terminology is the arcane language of sailing: jibs, stays and bilge to name a few. There are few characters and our hero, Will Lee, is involved with all of them--book's written in the first person...seems that he has woman problems and just can't get it right with them. Little knowledge of the first book in the series is required to like this one--there's a 30 second summary near the beginning. I presume that the third book will be the same.
July 2, 2016
Firstly, I read all of Stuart Woods' books - Stone Barringtons are his cash cow. Will Lee has appeared in a few of the books, but this one is different. This tells of a summer job Will got after his second year of law school. By chance he met a couple who were building a 60 ft sailboat for a wealthy client. Will gets pulled In and there's a lot of excitement! Of course there are some beautiful women, but not as much graphic sex as Stone partakes of. There are scenes in the Isle of Wight, scenes in County Cork, Ireland, scenes at Plymouth, England. There are a few shootings, explosions, betrayals, fatal accidents, etc. There is A LOT about sailboats and sailboat racing, both of which I love!
July 10, 2012
Situated in the 60's, the story of a young man trying to find himself.. He leaves law school to take a break and visits his grandfather in Ireland..and from there the story takes off.
It was a very entertaining tale. I enjoyed the book... I think this was the second Will Lee Book written by Woods. i gotta start reading them in order.
It was a very entertaining tale. I enjoyed the book... I think this was the second Will Lee Book written by Woods. i gotta start reading them in order.
June 22, 2015
This book and Chiefs are by far his best books and "Run Before the Wind" is my favorite. Will Lee is also my favorite of all Woods' main characters. In this novel "A young law student visiting his grandfather in Ireland inadvertently becomes involved with the Irish Republican Army."
June 30, 2016
Woods hit it out of the park with this novel. if you like sailing, ireland, UK, you will love this book. Nicely done, and a cut above the Stone/Holly novels. Much better writing
December 21, 2023
Stuart Woods' "Run Before the Wind" is a coming to age tale for Will Lee, aka Willie, the son of Bill Lee from the previous story "Chiefs". Will finds himself adrift, under-performing in the second year of Law School. His father Bill Lee is planning a run at a Senate seat in Ga. Will decides to take a year off, go to Ireland to visit his maternal grandfather & then bum around Europe as many did in the late 1960's early 1970's. Will meets Mark & Annie Pemberton-Robinson via recovering Marks boat adrift in a harbor about to run into Queen of England’s yacht. The three strike up a friendship that leads to Will helping build a 60' yacht that can be sailed single-handed which Mark intends to do in a trans-Atlantic race. Two potential problems may capsize these plans, lack of funds & the IRA. Mark was in command of a unit in the Royal Marines & killed a teen during an ambush in a pub in which one of Mark's knees was severely damaged. The "troubles" in Ireland are prominent in the storyline which primarily takes place in Ireland & England during which Will interacts with wealthy businessmen & English royalty. It's an interesting tale that occasionally gets slow but has twists & a surprise ending that makes it worth reading.
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March 17, 2021I recently finished reading Woods's book "Chiefs." Woods considered it to be his best book, and I agree. That is why it was so disappointing to transition to this book. Unless the reader was highly knowledgeable about sailboats, both their construction and their sailing, there was a lot of boredom and lost flow to the narrative. The reader needs to understand a great deal of sailing terminology to not lose the flow. For the first time, after having readi64 of Stuart Woods's books, I almost quit this one partway through. In addition to the required knowledge of sailing, one would need a pretty strong grasp of the animosities between the British and the Irish Republican Army which existed at that time. Without this knowledge, it was difficult to grasp the depth of the hostility between the members of these two groups.
December 22, 2021
This is one of the better Stuart Woods book I’ve read. The writing is much “cleaner” than the Stone Barrington series. I enjoyed the details on sailing that he took time to include without being too much. The early Will Lee character seemed genuine enough to be a 24 year old. I like that he didn’t fully grasp his good fortunes where little more than being used by those more powerful. This was a good lesson. And this book was a lot about him growing up, to follow a project to completion, and to learn what relationships are built on. The book does have a background of IRA type terrorist going after Mark, the Aenglish boat caption, and others, and as typical of Stuart Woods, they meet a justified end. But this is mostly a book about Will Lee.
August 25, 2022
In 1970, after his 2nd year of law school, Will Lee decides to take time off to bum around Europe. Flying to Ireland to see his grandfather, he is immediately attracted to Connie, a high school athletic teacher he meets st the village pub. Spurned for a lack of seriousness, Will decides to continue wandering. On the Isle of Wight, he is able to prevent an unanchored sailboat from colliding with the Royal Yacht, & is hired by a retired Royal Marine to work on a new yacht destined for a transatlantic race. Will comes to the attention of the IRA, who are targeting the retired Marine because of a shooting when he was stationed in Belfast. A summer filled with assassinations, bombings, & accidental deaths send a newly dedicated Will back to law school, planning on a career of service.
June 23, 2024
Spoilers.
The story itself is not terrible. It can be summed up fairly simply. Boats and players. If you like both of those things, you'll enjoy this book. Will Lee is privileged and un motivated. Off to a bad start. Goes to Ireland and sowes his wild oats. Feels guilty for using a lovely woman, then angry for being used by a second woman in the same way, and finally sleeps with the wife of a man he is working with on a boat only to learn she was using him. Soap opera drama at its finest. Leaves Will feeling guilty and angry, but at least he is now motivated to do something proactive. The side plot didn't have much to do with the overall story.
Disappointed by this story. Chiefs was interesting and courageous. This feels flat by comparison.
The story itself is not terrible. It can be summed up fairly simply. Boats and players. If you like both of those things, you'll enjoy this book. Will Lee is privileged and un motivated. Off to a bad start. Goes to Ireland and sowes his wild oats. Feels guilty for using a lovely woman, then angry for being used by a second woman in the same way, and finally sleeps with the wife of a man he is working with on a boat only to learn she was using him. Soap opera drama at its finest. Leaves Will feeling guilty and angry, but at least he is now motivated to do something proactive. The side plot didn't have much to do with the overall story.
Disappointed by this story. Chiefs was interesting and courageous. This feels flat by comparison.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2020
Talented writer but the constant nautical/sailing prose was lost on me and Some of the characters felt unnecessary. Overly engineered cast. Also, I found Will Lee to be a shallow narcissist. Don't buy the implication that these experiences matured him.
Summary:
Will Lee, grandson of Will Henry Lee from Chiefs, is an immature and unmotivated law student. He takes a gap year to Europe. Rather than traveling, he gets sucked into helping Mark and Annie to build a gorgeous sailboat. Set in Ireland with lots of IRA and the like causing trouble. Will meets Connie and eventually realizes he lives her after treating her badly.
Summary:
Will Lee, grandson of Will Henry Lee from Chiefs, is an immature and unmotivated law student. He takes a gap year to Europe. Rather than traveling, he gets sucked into helping Mark and Annie to build a gorgeous sailboat. Set in Ireland with lots of IRA and the like causing trouble. Will meets Connie and eventually realizes he lives her after treating her badly.
June 13, 2021
Tough book to rate… I enjoyed the story, but at times way too much detail about building or sailing…but that is classic Stuart Woods - so I kinda overlook it reading his books😉
I enjoyed the early years and beginning of the Will Lee character I am familiar with from the Stone Barrington series, but doubt I would have enjoyed this book as much if I had not listened to the audiobook. The narration was really good and kept me coming back chapter after chapter. After Chiefs, the next book in this series was gonna have a tough time reaching that bar.
Good story, good characters, really good narration- but I’m sticking with my 3 rating.
I enjoyed the early years and beginning of the Will Lee character I am familiar with from the Stone Barrington series, but doubt I would have enjoyed this book as much if I had not listened to the audiobook. The narration was really good and kept me coming back chapter after chapter. After Chiefs, the next book in this series was gonna have a tough time reaching that bar.
Good story, good characters, really good narration- but I’m sticking with my 3 rating.
October 31, 2019
This book was slightly different in pace from Chiefs, the first in the Will Lee series, but probably because there were fewer characters involved. I found the bits about sailing interesting, but it's rather detailed and some readers/listeners might find the level of detail a bit much. I enjoyed the setting, don't know much about Irish feelings and politics in the late 1960s but it wasn't too hard to follow that part of the story. The characters were well fleshed out, was a bit impatient with Will at the beginning but appreciated his growth throughout the story.
February 12, 2025
Run Before The Wind is Stuart woods second novel, and a continuation of his “Lee”characters from Chiefs. However, the narrator is new to us.
Will Lee, “Willie,” as he hates to be called, is the son of politician William “Billy” Lee.
Set in the early 1970’s, Will takes a year off from law school with plans to see the world. Heading to Ireland to see his maternal Grandfather, he soon finds himself embroiled in the dangers of Irish Politics, love, and an international Yacht race that will change his life forever.
Will Lee, “Willie,” as he hates to be called, is the son of politician William “Billy” Lee.
Set in the early 1970’s, Will takes a year off from law school with plans to see the world. Heading to Ireland to see his maternal Grandfather, he soon finds himself embroiled in the dangers of Irish Politics, love, and an international Yacht race that will change his life forever.
March 20, 2018
Great
Having read all of the Stone series of books by this author, I enjoyed putting a Will Lee prospective. I haven't joined the Stone Lee with this Lee but will continue with this Willie Lee series. The only negative I had was deferiating between Will, Willie, an Will Lee. But the answer to that is I'm 79 years old and have to turn back a few pages to get head on straight.
Having read all of the Stone series of books by this author, I enjoyed putting a Will Lee prospective. I haven't joined the Stone Lee with this Lee but will continue with this Willie Lee series. The only negative I had was deferiating between Will, Willie, an Will Lee. But the answer to that is I'm 79 years old and have to turn back a few pages to get head on straight.
May 1, 2018
I have always loved boating from afar (meaning I have no real knowledge!) so I enjoyed learning about sailing and boat building. I also loved the bits about Ireland. The characters had depth and the storyline kept me intrigued, wondering who Will Lee would next moon over or what trouble he would find himself in. I love mysteries and books on finding oneself. Just Will's chance to go off and explore the world for a bit makes a vicarious reading for me.
July 15, 2019
Just a bit disappointed with this book in the Will Lee series. Chiefs was MUCH better (5 stars) and this one was 3 stars for me although I think I really give it 2.5 stars. It was not horrible, but it just was OK. I didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. Some exciting things happen in the book, but it just wasn't a great read. I will continue with the series though. I just need a bit time off now.
December 9, 2019
I'm reading the first three books in this series as a trilogy although there are seven in the series to date. The first three span the 1920s through President Reagan.
Woods can get chatty in his dialogue but by and large discourse between the characters furthers the plot and rounds out the characters.
Woods' storytelling is compelling and his plotting flows using some tropes and few surprises.
An enjoyable, good read.
Woods can get chatty in his dialogue but by and large discourse between the characters furthers the plot and rounds out the characters.
Woods' storytelling is compelling and his plotting flows using some tropes and few surprises.
An enjoyable, good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews