Shoot Him If He Runs

Stone Barrington #14

by Stuart Woods

Stone Barrington and Holly Barker pursue a master spy and murderer in a tropical paradise in this thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that gets hotter by the minute…Rogue agent Teddy Fay has been considered dead for some time now. But President Will Lee thinks Teddy may still be alive. In a top-secret Oval Office meeting, Stone Barrington learns that he and his cohorts, Holly Barker and Dino Bacchetti, are being sent to the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Marks, courtesy of the CIA, to track down Teddy once and for all.St. Marks is a vacationers’ paradise, but its luxurious beach clubs and secluded mountain villas are home to corrupt local politicians and more than a few American expats with murky personal histories. Stone and Holly soon discover that in St. Marks, everyone is hiding something—and that Teddy Fay may just be hiding in plain sight.

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

316 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2007

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]

Good series! enjoyable and entertaining storyline that i even loved Stone & Dino's relationship in this series (paperback!)

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. More of a Teddy Fay adventure than one of Stone Barrington's. Yet a very good one no question. The CIA, and the President and Mrs. Lee, need Stone and Holly Barker's help; there is a possibility that Teddy, a former CIA employee gone rogue, has survived his recent plane crash and is hiding on the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Marks. Can Stone, Holly, Dino and a friend, tough-out a beautiful week on the island, and check-out this uncertain rumour? A difficult task - don't you just love the Caribbean? We are soon on a tour of nude beaches, expensive hotels, and interesting locals including some corrupt ones. This fictitious island comes with numerous questionable characters. Stone even gets arrested for murder. The island seems to resemble, in real life, Antigua and its main port of English Harbour. Beautiful and well worth a visit! Or in my case, a return. But a word to our excellent audio CD narrator, Tony Roberts, the word "Lieutenant" is pronounced in the Commonwealth Caribbean as if it was spelled "leftenant." In the UK and Canada too. I am ready for Stone's next adventure. Or will it be Teddy's? (Jun2018/Oc2025)

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I consider Stuart Woods books to be light, entertaining, escapist reading in the genre of murder mysteries ("beach reading"). Some might consider them repetitive and formulaic, feeling that he just keeps churning them out, like a well-oiled machine by now. There's nothing special about the quality of the writing. The author's had a prolific and apparently very financially successful career and my general sense is that his earlier books have been written at a somewhat higher level of quality. Based on main characters, Woods has several series --- the Will Lee novels, the Stone Barrington novels, the Holly Barker novels, and more. What I do think is quite engaging is the way his various series and books are frequently interwoven, with characters and events from many of the books reappearing in others and having effects on the plots --- so that many books and their characters combine overall to tell a larger and ongoing decades-long, multi-generational story over time.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not find this book as entertaining as the previous one, #13.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like a lot of Stuart Woods novels...this is NOT one of them. I found this story long, tedious and predictable... Not my definition of success. Somehow, Woods has taken previously interesting characters and combined them into this hodgepodge of futility. 1 of 10 stars.

[Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Stuart Woods because his books are easy to get through. Summertime escape reading. Not quality stuff, pretty predictable, but entertaining. This book was not one of his best. Sad to say rather boring and a little weird. The whole possible swinger scene with Stone and Dino and the two chicks was really strange. He also throws in random stuff that has nothing to do with the plot like a Hammerhead shark. What?! And of course a Stuart Woods book is not complete without his "amateur moments" of injecting his politics into the story. It is unnecessary and not needed but hey this is Stuart Woods. King of the hammerheads!

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shoot Him If He Runs
Stuart Woods

So, if you have a secret agent man who is off of the reservation, you really need to send the to, Stone Barrington, Holly Barker, and Dino Bacchetti to rope him back. So off to St. Marks again! This is a spy-driven novel, with lots of twists and secrets! Everyone is hiding something and so we really need Stone to solve this issue.. but Holly is a kick-ass lady and jumps in to carry her own weight.

Well done and super quick! I am 2 into the series and still really like it.

4 stars

Happy Reading!

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

CR Shoot Him If He Runs (Stone Barrington #14)

#44 TBR Busting 2013

oh this is dire - but I need it to count for tbr busting. Sudoku at the same time is the way forward.

Just...can't...do...it...

NEXT!!

[ML · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even Teddy Fay couldn’t save this plot. This was very bad. Holly loses 15 pounds (she was butch before according to Stuart Woods ugh 😣) and becomes unrecognizable to Stone. Uh sure ok 🙄🙄🙄.
The himbo that Stone has turned into is very off putting. I keep hoping something bad happens to him. And I just want Holly ☠️. Dino is in this one too. He sure gets a ton of time off from the NYPD AND his new girlfriend Genevieve is in this installment.

They all head to St. Marks (sigh) to once again try to find Teddy Fay who is smarter than all of them put together including Kate Lee and Lance.

Lance gets a promotion(sure that’s believable) and Hugh retires. Kate was very unlikeable in this installment but when is she likable 🙈🙈.


This ends with Teddy again fooling them all. No shock there. The next book is an Ed Eagle. I hope it’s better than this 😬😬😬

[Joanne Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you read a Stone Barrington book you know what you are going to get and that is why these books are solid four stars. I really should have given it an extra half a star for the addition of Teddy Fay who is another favourite of mine.

These books are always entertaining and always a quick easy read.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Stone Barrington "adventure" where he mostly drinks cocktails and sleeps around while stuff happens in his vicinity.

A retired CIA agent who has become some kind of vigilante assassin is thought to be on a Caribbean Island. Stone, his partner Dino, and their girlfriends fly down there. Stone's paramour is a CIA agent looking for the assassin. The second they touch down they're rousted by the cops. The island is very tough on anyone whoever even thought of drug smuggling.

From there, not much happens until the assassin starts in.

I only gave it three stars because the voice work was very well done.

[Barry Medlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read, enjoyable!

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found the plot interesting and could have been really good but I found it to be a little tedious to read at times. All of a sudden also, there seems to be a lot of sex. Not sure why when the first books it was not as explicit. Anyways, it does not add to the story or the character so it is just a filler.Not his best and I do hope the rest are not like this.

[Tgordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one! Stone and company again in St Marks! Fun exciting and always a laugh! Easy reading and with time to kill I may catch this series before I have to go back to work!

[Zzyzx · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, let me get this straight. Two guys (Stone and Dino) and their girlfriends(?) go to St.Marks to find Teddy Fay. They drink, get naked with one another on an almost daily basis, screw, drink more, investigate this Teddy guy a little bit, drink, get naked some more (what two guys are comfortable with throwing off their towels to go swimming then exit the water only to have a conversation with one another...NAKED?? weird), then all four are whisked away to safety in Florida.

When the story begins Teddy is running around the island and the characters are ordered to find him. When the story ends Teddy is flying away to some other nation. So, what got resolved? We were treated to 290 pages of the author's fantasy of getting drunk in the Caribbean and playing CIA spy. What is the purpose of Dino? Who is the main character here; Stone or Holly/Ginny? Could the Peppers be any more flat as characters? We were never told what Lance was going to do once Holly/Ginny found Teddy. Holy smokes, how has this guy (Woods) made a career out of his writing? Are all of his novels like this? Furthermore, how in the HELL does the title relate to the book? If you refer to the scene where Holly shoots Teddy while escaping in an ultra-light please note that he wasn't running, he was FLYING. Uugh, what a disaster of a book.

[Montessahall Montessahall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird premise from the beginning of the book. Don't get me wrong, Dino is my favorite character in this series however, it is never explained how he manages to be Stone's wingman full-time and be absent from his day job as a NYC cop. When Dino gets an invite to the White House for dinner and subsequently becomes a part of a CIA assignment along with his girlfriend no less, the story becomes totally absurd. The Stone character has jumped the shark and there are a couple dozen more books to go. I persist in reading this series due to my OCD. I am determined to finish the series, acutely aware of the agony I suffer reading this boring, horrible dribble. UPDATE:My resolve was broken. I had to bailout on this mindless book. I RARELY do this no matter how bad the book. However, I make an exception here... The story was going absolutely nowhere for my time investment. Still, I am determined to drag through the rest of the series. UGHHHHH!

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

When we first met Holly in a previous book, I thought she was a ditz, not smart enough or "together" enough to be a chief of police. When Lance was introduced books ago, he was a smarmy manipulator (I thought from the UK). Both characters have changed drastically to fit the author's needs.

This was more a spy story than the typical Stone Barrington murder-mystery.

[Geri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of the CovidVirus I am stuck here
so i thought I would take a jaunt with
Stone and his friends.
Got to go to an Island Paradise and I
really enjoyed getting away.
Also, it was all free. Now, you can't beat that.
Oh, yes, about the book? It was very good.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read all of the Stone Barrington stories, but I believe this might be the introduction of Teddy Fay as an "agent" who will work with Stone in future adventures. Nothing spectacular here for me - just an OK read. 5 out of 10.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather like Teddy Fay, despite his being a "bad guy".

[Christopher Copelas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great addition to The Stone Barrington series. A very good read.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites, so far, in the series. Stone and Holly are called to Washington to discover whether an ex CIA agent, Terry Fay, long presumed dead, is really alive. Stone, Holly and Dino next head to St. Marks to see if Terry is actually alive. They discover he has resurfaced to help the British citizens of St. Marks take back the island from a dictator, or at least, they think he has resurfaced. Terry Fay is a master of disguise, so, can they be sure? This book was full of adventure and surprise. Did Terry get away in the end, and what secrets does he hold?

[Philippos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of the most exciting Stone Barrington adventures. Did not participate much in the drama, the plot was a bit dull, the process slow and unthrilling. Ok for time out for my 19 year old son, not recommended for my 13 year old daughter.

[Mike Trombley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining!!!

This is my first Woods book with Teddy Fay. Good character and I look forward to reading more novels with him in them.

[Tracy Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous thriller written by an author who doesn't disappoint. Great series!

[Kathleen Gwinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Not exactly like some of his books. Kind of left open for future books.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

June 2024. Still a favorite!

J. April 2023. Need a break from teddy fay.

July29, 2021. Morro
bay finished this pocket book I own. I probably need a 2 year hiatus!
June 2020 in Pandemic. Still love it.!!!!
Nov 2019 love it.
May 2017 -still a favorite!!!!
4-16-2016 Remains a favorite read.
6-1-2015 One of my favorite Barrington books.
7-1-2013 re-read. I liked it a second time.
5-1-2011Stone Barrington receives an Oval Office call to hunt down Teddy Fay, a rogue agent who was long thought dead. he's paired up with Holly Barker. set on an island. if you like this series as i do, yhou'll enjoy this book.

[Charlene Roberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone Barrington is quite the man!! In this book, he is sent to the fictional island of St Marks in the Caribbean to find a killer who may or may not be alive, may or may not be working for the government, and who the government (and Stone and his cohorts) may or may not want apprehended or killed.

This was a great road "listen" because it is so light that not much brain power is needed to follow it. Don't take me wrong, I love these books, but they are not Pulitzer Prize-worthy, just a great read/listen.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably one of my least favorite Stone Barrington books. As I listened to the audiobook especially in the middle, I kept thinking ‘what’s the point of this story?’
Basically a lot of bla,bla, bla...
I liked going back to St Marks and revisiting characters and I liked the very end of the story - outside of that this book was pretty crappy. I’m also realizing Holly is one of my least favorite revisiting characters. Even Lance was off in this book to the point of making the story awkward.
Upon further thought - 2 stars might be 1 too many...

[Gary Gallucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stone Barrington returns to St. Marks in the Caribbean, along with Holly Barker. They're both there on CIA business, trying to locate clever assassin Ted Fay, who's presence is a thorn in the side of the current president of the United States. As Stone previously learned, St. Marks can be a very dangerous place, as the current prime minister is crooked and unpredictable. What follows is a lengthy, ongoing search for the missing Fay, despite Stone and Holly lacking the knowledge about what to do when they find him. This is a cleverly written mystery that leaves the reader guessing.