Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Teddy Fay hedges his bets in the latest thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods.

When Peter Barrington and Ben Bachetti come under threat while working at a film festival abroad, Teddy Fay is lured to the glittering city of Macau to resolve the problem. He'll soon come to find that world of posh casinos, luxurious developments, and boundless wealth has a dark underbelly of crime and political intrigue . . . and that the biggest players behind the scenes may be far closer to home than anticipated. With international deals and private vendettas at stake, the villains behind the plot aren't about to let Teddy stand in their way. What they don't know is that this seemingly harmless film producer has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2021

1253 people are currently reading
654 people want to read

About the author

Stuart Woods

408 books3,220 followers
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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,181 (28%)
4 stars
1,032 (24%)
3 stars
1,100 (26%)
2 stars
565 (13%)
1 star
315 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews
Profile Image for Kay.
2,212 reviews1,200 followers
June 9, 2021
2.5⭐
Oh noos, where is Parnell Hall? He co-wrote Teddy Fay book 1-4.

Unfortunately, I thought this book was just okay. The story summary sounds a lot better than the story itself. Teddy, ex CIA, film producer goes to Macau when Peter and Ben got themselves in a tight situation.

I enjoyed the beginning, probably because Stone and Dino appear briefly. I didn't care for the rest with Chinese and Russian bad dudes. The casino setting isn't my thing. The audio is 06:15:34 hours and not 8 hours as stated in the blurb.
Profile Image for Tim.
2,497 reviews329 followers
June 16, 2021
Barely 2 star material. Lots of junk happens lacking coherence and care for the characters. 4 of 10 stars
Profile Image for Peter.
3 reviews
June 17, 2021
What to say? Probably the most painful book I've read in the past several years. Stuart Woods' books are usually a guilty one-day pleasure read. This one was so disjointed and boring it took several days of Herculean effort to get through it.
Profile Image for Aniruddha M.
213 reviews20 followers
June 16, 2021
Teddy Fay aka Billy Barnett is returning to LA with a layover in Hongkong. He is suddenly summoned to Macau by Stone Barrington for investigating a blackmail/extortion scheme against his son Peter. Teddy, an ex-CIA operative himself, finds an intricate plan to further the business aspirations of a Macau based business tycoon, through nefarious means and who won't hesitate to murder, if the need arise!
Please read my detailed review from the link below

https://www.aniblogshere.com/books-re...

Do read, like, comment, or share! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

#stuartwoods #teddyfay #stonebarrington #cia #hongkong #macau #mysterynovel #thriller #crime #thrillernovel #thrilling #mysterious #bookfan #bookreviewer #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booklovers #bookbuzz #books #bookreviewers
16 reviews
June 8, 2021
Most likely one of the worst books I have ever bothered to finish reading. None of Stuart Woods usual type of humor. Very dry overall. Coauthored by Bryon Quertermous, who must have done most of the writing, I found the plot uninteresting and dull. Billed as featuring Stone Barrington, Stone was decidedly lacking in appearances or integral to the plot. I hope Stuart Woods is well and still writing the Stone Barrington series.
1 review1 follower
June 11, 2021
This the worst Stuart Woods book ever. I don’t believe he even wrote it.
Have read every one of his books. All the other Teddy Fay books were enjoyable. Lucky I got it from the library as would have been a waste of money to purchase .
What a shame. Used to enjoy his books. Not sure what his next one will be like but hope it’s back to his normal style.
Profile Image for Frederick Heller Jr.
11 reviews
June 6, 2021
Worst book of Stuart Woods I have ever read,convuleted plot which was hard to follow and a cast of people never developed.
1 review
June 19, 2021
This book had too many extra characters introduced too quickly. The plot was zigzagging with tons of side plots that it took away from the storyline. I thoroughly enjoy the Teddy Fay character and think he can stand alone in his own book series. But this one missed the mark for me.
1 review
June 6, 2021
A waste of time in a word. All of the Stone Barrington books were getting a bit long in the tooth. That is to be expected. The Hardy Boys got old after a fashion.

To team up with a writer who’s style is very very different, and not remotely true to the characters is a rip-off. Unfortunately, My Woods belongs to a group where, what you say, is all that matters. Might work for some, but he single handedly crashed the Stone Barrington legacy. In simple words, the new Co-writer is so pathetic, I actually got mad as I read, and quit at 65% completion. His addition tells me all I ever suspected about Stuart. Good Bye
106 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2021
A bit of professional advice, lose the co writer and go back, literally and figuratively, to your ROOTS.
Plot weak, characters, sans Teddy Fay,shallow, editing weaker than the plot, if you can imagine that!
The price of books is rising, and your readers expect the quality of your novels to do the same.
2 reviews
June 11, 2021
NOT well written: full of superfluous, stupid words and young-adult phrasing. Unsophisticated, boring, silly, disappointing. But I’m glad the usual brand-name overload vanished with Woods. (I feel sure this isn’t Woods’ voice)
649 reviews4 followers
July 9, 2021
A complete waste of reading time. Poorly written and nonsensical.
Profile Image for Caleb.
166 reviews142 followers
December 6, 2021
My fav Teddy Fay novel thus far
Profile Image for Dr. Thomas Wasser.
136 reviews4 followers
Read
May 25, 2021
Not going to give a star rating here. I suspect that Stuart Woods didn't even write this book at all. I'm guessing that the Teddy Fay character was bought or something through the publisher and sold or this 'co-author' bought it or was hired to write it. I'm not falling for it.
Profile Image for Nick Sanders.
478 reviews4 followers
Read
June 13, 2021
No stars whatsoever. The utter crap that is being dished out here deserves no star. Not a single one. And mr. Woods isn't even there to take the blame: he had it written by some wellmeaning amateur called Bryon Quertermous. Sorry, Bryon, but do not try again.

I can honestly say that I have been a long time fan of mr. Woods, ever since the earliest Stone Barrington novels. I even enjoyed his digressions, mainly those that stayed close to the Stone Barrington character, such as Holly Barker, Will Lee or even Teddie Fay. He might have been stretching credibility here and there, and some of his work has gotten formulaic on occasion, but it was always good fun.

But this is where our ways might part. Please, throw out this crappy ghostwriter, and write yourself again. Please.
1,180 reviews6 followers
June 6, 2021
I am a Teddy Fay fan. His character being the anti-hero is a gift to the Woods cast. Read this one and enjoy an old style adventure.
Profile Image for Rick.
514 reviews25 followers
July 4, 2021
I have enjoyed many, many Stuart Woods books but this one had no point, inconsistent characters and no tension.
Profile Image for Claire Sellers.
216 reviews6 followers
June 6, 2021
Very disappointing, definitely not up to Stuart Woods usual, did really even seem like his writing style. I have read every SW books and this was a dud for me!
489 reviews
June 12, 2021
Not the usual

This didn’t work for me. I felt like I was just dropped into a mess. Having Stone in less than 10 pages is not featuring Stone as cover states. The writing style isn’t Stuart Woods and this other author wasn’t mentioned when I paid for the book. I will pay much closer attention to who actually wrote before purchasing again. There is no back story for characters, who are they, what are they even doing in the story, Teddy is the only character I knew. The Stone, Dino, Lance name dropping was ridiculous since they weren’t even part of story. Read at your own risk.
Profile Image for Gail C..
347 reviews
April 12, 2021
I was new to this series, which may have helped me enjoy it that much more. It was refreshing and fun, fast paced with just enough action to be enjoyable but not so much I felt squeamish. Here's a copy of the review I wrote for the online magazine, mystery and suspense: https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/
Jackpot is the first novel co-authored by Stuart Woods and Bryon Quertermous although there are some previous novels featuring Teddy that were co-authored with another writer. None of those previous stories are referenced in this novel and the story is complete within this book. In this novel, Teddy is called in by some friends in the film industry who have obtained a copy of a video showing their sons to be cheating at a Macau casino. Trouble is, the two young men were sitting in an office with their fathers at the time the video was supposedly being taped. Someone is trying to frame them, and Teddy’s friends want him to find out who and why.
Jackpot is the first novel co-authored by Stuart Woods and Bryon Quertermous although there are some previous novels featuring Teddy that were co-authored with another writer. None of those previous stories are referenced in this novel and the story is complete within this book. In this novel, Teddy is called in by some friends in the film industry who have obtained a copy of a video showing their sons to be cheating at a Macau casino. Trouble is, the two young men were sitting in an office with their fathers at the time the video was supposedly being taped. Someone is trying to frame them, and Teddy’s friends want him to find out who and why.
Jackpot is a well written, light, fast read with a satisfying conclusion. There are some physical encounters and stunts throughout the book with just enough detail to engage the reader but not so much that the reader gets inundated with blood and gore. The pacing is good with a plot that is well designed with new angles and information being incorporated in a seamless fashion that keeps the reader moving at a steady pace.

My thanks to G.P. Putnam Sons Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital read copy for review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Profile Image for Jacqui.
Author 65 books225 followers
February 13, 2021
Jackpot (G.P. Putnam's Sons 2021), next in the Teddy Fay series, takes place in Macau the international hub of gambling and golfing, known throughout the world for its complicated and extravagant lifestyle. It is a fast moving, intricately plotted story about subterfuge and international terror complete with powerful and angry madmen and weaponized drones. There is no shortage of stress and drama. The characters are varied high-octane giving the reader little time to catch our breath between death defying events.
x
That’s probably my only complaint. It moves so fast, I don’t feel like I get to know the characters well. I have read most of the five novels in this series and always enjoyed them. I'll definitely read the next one.
Profile Image for Karen Clements.
247 reviews5 followers
March 26, 2021
Read this as part of an assignment. I haven't read any of Woods' other books, which would have been helpful in this case, as it is the 5th book in the Teddy Fay series. There was not much in the way of backstory, so this is best for readers of this and/or other Woods stories, especially the Stone Barrington books. As the reviewer for PW said, "fans will enjoy the ride, but this isn’t the place to start for newcomers.”
The action was nonstop, there was a host of characters, and the setting (Macau and Hong Kong) was exciting and different.
Thanks to NetGalley and Booklist for the arc!
Recommended for those who have read the series.
11.4k reviews192 followers
May 31, 2021
I'll be honest- this is a popcorn book perfect for the beach or travel because it's absolutely plot driven. I've read a lot of Stuart Woods but I'm new to Teddy Faye, international man of, well, action and sort of mystery. Here he heads into the gambling dens of Macau where Peter Barrington (son of Stone) and his business partner Ben Bachetti (yes, son of Dino) have been accused of cheating, with the proof supplied by a video. Except the video is faked! There's obviously more at stake than the movies the two are involved with and Teddy, now using the name Billy Barnett, leverages his background to find out what's going on but even he is surprised at the International conspiracy and so on. I admit to getting a little confused- there are many characters with more bad guys than good guys- but I very much liked the setting, which lends itself to this sort of thing, as well as the humor. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Fans of the series will be pleased.
Profile Image for Brenda.
1,503 reviews
September 7, 2021
This was a horrible book and was no more written by Stuart Woods than the man in the moon. He should have read the book before he put his name on the cover. It is hopeless. I have loved all the other Stuart Woods book but my advice to you is skip this one all together. You won't miss a thing,
Profile Image for Angie.
543 reviews
August 7, 2022
What happened to the Stuart Woods books I have so enjoyed??? This book was terrible. I had a hard time sticking with it. This book was obviously written by someone else under his name. Do no waste your time.
263 reviews
June 26, 2023
Didn't finish. Thought it was a Stone Barrington book, not a spin off. It was ok, but I had a hard time remembering the characters. Way too easy to put down, and hard to pick back up. Got half way through and decided to start something else.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.