Dead Eyes: Novel, A

by Stuart Woods

First there were roses and the notes in her mailbox signed simply, "Admirer." Then, the accident. One minute Chris Callaway was one of Hollywood's brightest rising stars, starting a new picture that could send her career skyrocketing; the next, she was falling from the unfinished deck of her beautiful new Malibu beach house . . . waking up blind, uncertain whether she would ever see again. An optimist and a fighter, Chris is determined not to let anyone know she can barely see. But neither Danny Devere, her hairdresser and confidant, nor Jon Larsen, the handsome young detective from LAPD's special stalker squad, can stop the notes that escalate into a chilling obsession. And only a clever trap can stop the madman from stalking her—with beautiful Chris Callaway as the deadly bait.

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

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

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

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This '92 story finished strong after a predictable start. The ending could have been stronger had Woods chosen to focus on the main protagonist' career. 6 of 10 stars

[Foxy Vixen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful ol’ time mystery to read. Had some romance thrown in. A great homosexual hairdresser who is a real man! Set in the 90’s in Beverly Hills.
I would take the Rottweiler and the new hose being built in Malibu Beach.
Great read, good characters, can certainly relate to the being blind issues. Will certainly be reading more of this deceased authors books.

[Lorrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dead Eyes was entertaining enough, but it did not live up to its potential. The characters were likeable, but Larsen seemed bit of a bumbling detective making what appeared to be amateurish mistakes. There were other issues in the book that had me going “what the hell are they thinking.” Such as Larson not observing proper gun safety. Also the event that lead to Chris’ accident just seemed forced to me and did not make sense. The reason for the fall could have been written differently where it would have been more believable. This was my first Stuart Woods books, and while it was not a waste of time, I will not be running out to find another SW book to read anytime soon. For the audiobook, I did not care for the choice of narrator. His voice was pleasant enough, but it was too old for the characters. They were supposed to be young, but I kept picturing people in their 50’s based on the narrator’s voice. A narrator with a younger sounding voice would have been much more appropriate.

[Amy Hunter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not particularly like this book. I enjoy a good mystery/suspense as much as the next guy...but this book, while a quick and easy read, did not meet my expectations. That is saying a lot seeing as I had NO expectations. The author wrote a big long book only to throw in at the end, oh yeah, it was this guy. I don't mind a twist, I love them actually, but this wasn't a twist it was an after thought. There were no subtle or faint hints and there was absolutely no explanation about why he was the killer or what was causing his stalking compulsions at the conclusion.

Throw in a couple of parts I had to skip over because I don't appreciate gratuitous sex, and it made me not like the book. I will say I did read the whole thing, so it is not that the book wasn't engaging. I just didn't like it.

[Dan Banana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to the whole thing.
A piss poor story, the hero is an idiot, some really stupid incomprehensible parts, some decent characters but none that are that decent. There were some dumb parts followed by idiotic scenarios which often led into relatively useless rhetoric that could be considered painful to the auditory system when using the eBook.

[Lisa Reitmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lately I've been reading a lot of Stuart Woods books. I've not been reading them in order though and so I feel a bit lost because he has so many charaters that are common throughout that I get lost as to who is who. With this book however, it is a stand alone, no one from another story that I spent the whole book feeling a bit of deja vu.

I enjoyed this story a lot, however, the interesting thing was that there wasn't a concrete main charachter. I spent the whole book trying to decide if it was the actress or the police detective. In the beginning it was the actress however as the story moved along, more and more the sections were told from the detectives point of view and he often kept things from her (so she wouldn't be frightened or worried). I'm not so sure I liked that - if she was supposed to be the main character.

Ah, I'm rambling. I'll stop now

[Cerridwen Nicneven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to start off by saying, I don't think I had a choice but love this book. I have a bit of history with this book, and by that I mean, whilst in labor with me, my scholarly mother read this book, thanks to a lovely nurse who'd just finished it.

Now on to the review.

This book is full of mystery and intrigue. It feels as if there's a twist and turn around every corner that really sucks you in making you feel as helpless and scared as the characters in the book. All of the characters have such great personalities that make you fall in love with them and want to know them. You want to help them in their endeavor and you can't help but read this book from start to finish in one sitting.

Check out more reviews here.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My third attempt at reading Stuart Woods. After hating Scandalous Behavior (no story, no suspense), I tried New York Dead but gave up because of the homophobic slurs and misogynistic attitudes. This one was ok. It had all the hallmarks of suspense—building tension, short cliffhanger chapters, villian’s point of view, and a twist. Still a few stereotypical comments regarding a gay character though. And really Mr. Woods, do you have to include the two page author’s note at the end of every book detailing how your readers should NOT contact you? Apparently there are down sides to being a bestselling author—deal with it. Well, now I can mark this author off my list.

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hollywood starlet gets a stalker that starts to look like the really dangerous kind and at the same time she has an accident that leaves her with loss of vision - which of course opens for all kinds of unplesantness and nail-biting suspense. While those parts are really good, characterization is kind of weak. But overall a thrilling and good suspense novel.

[Ashton Doyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book on a whim at the library and omg. It was written in the 90s and let’s just say it hasn’t aged well. The lead woman is a stereotypical maiden in distress with a stereotypical “queer” hairdresser bff and she falls in love with the stereotypical macho cop on her case. All in all, I only finished it out of morbid curiosity for how misogynist and homophobic it would get.

[Kelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why, oh why did I think this guy could write? The dialog was gag-able. The male protagonist was a bumbling idiot. The female lead just barely likeable. Her hairdresser stole the show.

Absolutely no more Stuart Woods. What a waste of my time.

[Derin M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of build up for not much of a finish...

[°⋆ .julia. ⋆° · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Eyes, en españos: Temor Ciego, es una novela de ficción, misterio y thriller...

La historia comienza narrando la famosa vida de la actriz Chris Callaway en California.
Construyendo la casa de sus sueños, unos simples hechos se comienzan a volver desesperantes y aterradores para Chris.
Primero las flores y las cartas. Alguien estaba totalmente interesado en la vida de la actriz que sabía todo sobre su vida personal. ¿Pero quién era? Eso nadie lo sabe, Chris espera que sea algún fanático obsesionado, pero más adelante, la obsesión se convierte en acosar constantemente a la actriz.
Por un trágico accidente, Chris pierde la vista, por lo tanto se vuelve una presa fácil para el Admirador.
Por otro lado, Jon Larsen, policía profesional en casos de acosadores, parece tener sentimientos profundos por Chris. Juntos intentan desenmascarar al Admirador, pero este siempre va un paso por delante.
Las rosas y las cartas se convierten en amenazas por teléfono y visitas inesperadas del acosador. Chris debe aprender a defenderse y eso le resultará bastante efectivo.
El Admirador parece ser experto en colocar antenas de ubicación en los autos y micrófonos en la casa de la actriz, aún así, Jon sigue con la desesperante búsqueda de la verdad.
A la vez, se da el asesinato de una joven que meses antes fue víctima de un sujeto con las mismas características y métodos que el Admirador. Esto da una pista nueva, y es que Chris Callaway no es la única afectada en los acontecimientos.

Como en la gran mayoría de historias de misterio, al final la trama da un giro inesperado. Chris se ofrece como carnada para atrapar en una fiesta al Admirador. Finalmente no resulta como lo planeado pero el caso queda terminado.

5 ⭐ :)

[Makenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was talking to my grandma about needing a new book to read and she gave me on of her old books that she thought I’d like. Dead Eyes by Stuart Woods.

This book is about a young celebrity, Chris Callaway. She begins the story by moving into her new and unfinished Malibu beach house. She starts to settle in and notices there’s a note and some flowers in her mailbox from “Admirer”. Then it quickly escalates to Ms Callaway falling off of her deck and waking up blind. If anyone except for her hairdresser and best friend Danny Devere and her young and handsome detective of the stalker squad, Jon Larsen find out that she’s blind her career could be over forever. But since “Admirer” knows her secret, more could be on the line than just her job.

I am just going to say this book has a lot to it. Almost every page had something in it that either gave me the creeps or surprised me. There are so many parts in the story where you can’t stop reading because you want to know what happens next. There’s the scary component of her stalker and her romance with her detective covering the case. I liked the way that it has length to it instead of it being another one of those stories where they find out who dun it right away. There is actually thrilling details that makes me want to finish it all in one sitting. I enjoy scary reads like this one because it’s something I know I don’t have to worry about but at the same time it still gives me the chills. Even though the ending didn’t quite sit well with me but its still worth reading.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

1994 stand alone thriller from author Stuart Woods. A decade into his career, Woods is still developing his style and is dividing his writing between stand alone thrillers (this is his 5th) and series novels (he had written 6). Of the 6 series entries, only one was for Stone Barrington, which would become his most famous series (series entry #52 is scheduled for 2020). His next 3 novels would be his final stand-alones. After a slightly slow start developing his lead character. this turns out to be a good track the bad guy thriller with effective red herrings. The age of the novel shows when sidekick Danny says: "As Ross Perot likes to say, "I'm all ears". An enjoying read.

Young Hollywood actress Chris Callaway is poised at the brink of stardom when her world collapses. Shortly after she begins receiving disquieting letters signed ``Admirer,'' she is nearly blinded in a fall at the construction site of her new Malibu home. As Admirer becomes a menacing stalker, sending gifts and a gruesome photo and calling on the phone, Chris is stoutly guarded by her best friend and confidant, hairdresser Danny Devere. Also on duty is Beverly Hills police detective and stalker expert Jon Larsen. The Admirer soon targets the threesome in escalating attacks that become grisly and, then, murderous. Meanwhile, Larsen races to investigate the sinister suspects that emerge from the cadre of subcontractors on the Malibu construction team.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

First there were roses and the notes in her mailbox signed simply, "Admirer." Then, the accident. One minute Chris Callaway was one of Hollywood's brightest rising stars, starting a new picture that could send her career skyrocketing; the next, she was falling from the unfinished deck of her beautiful new Malibu beach house...waking up blind, uncertain whether she would ever see again.

An optimist and a fighter, Chris is determined not to let anyone know she can barely see. But neither Danny Devere, her hairdresser and confidant, nor Jon Larsen, the handsome young detective form LAPD's special stalker squad, can stop the notes that escalate into a chilling obsession. And as Stuart Woods's mesmerizing new page-turner races to its shocking climax, only a clever trap can stop the madman from stalking her--with beautiful Chris Callaway as the deadly bait.

[Kirk Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all parts of the book, though I feel the very ending was on the lesser climatic side of the story. I found myself talking outloud during this one, for example when encouraging someone not to enter in to a room, etc. Our main character, Chris, is a female actress on the up though a true accident sets her career path back a step. Just before the accident, an anonymous admirer enters the picture. After the accident, a detective enters Chris' life - one that has shut off the male sex partly because of a divorce she just finalized. This is a romance, mystery, murder, suspense novel that leaves you guessing "who dun it" to the very end.

[James Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Callaway is a rising star in Hollywood and has gotten divorced, and is in the process of building a new house when she starts getting notes put in her mailbox with stamps. It then escalates to dozens of roses. She notifies the LAPD and is assigned Jon Larsen to help solve the case.

So he and her gay hairdresser Danny Devere have to rally around and keep her as safe as possible while they try to find the person who is likely not going to stop he gets control of her or kills her.

It turns out not to be anybody they first suspect even though some of the evidence would have pointed to him if they had just known a bit more.

Very well crafted mystery story.

[Karen Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Who Done It

This is, as with most thrillers, the kind of story that has you saying, "Don't do that" over and over like when the woman walks down to the cellar to investigate a sound. These folks seem to be as dumb as most about putting themselves into vulnerable situations and not learning from their mistakes either. It was definitely thrilling and kept me reading, but it was frustrating to see them be so stupid. The smartest thing was the woman getting some self defense education. For a cop, the detective seemed pretty inept. It was a fun read though, as most of Woods tales are.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. This is one of the first books Stuart Woods wrote. It’s the kind of story you wish would never end. Once I started the book, it was very difficult to put down. The storyline is fast paced and full of action. And, of course, a potential love story is in the offing. Things start off with a young actress receiving roses, dozens of roses, from an “admirer”, an admirer who just won’t leave her alone. And, of course, his affection for the lady, quickly turns Into his being a stalker. Enter the police officer, a young guy himself, who tries to rescue the lady before any harm can come her. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has only happened a few times for me but about a third of the way I put the book down. I do not want anyone to stop reading just because of this. I read a few books in a row that were great and this one was just so disappointing at the beginning. I did not like how she lost her sight, how the stalker was going around her in restaurants and in her house and no one would see him. It just started to ridiculous for me and I felt I did not have time or the strength to try to power my way through it. Thumbs down for me.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is from 1993, so obviously one of Stuart Woods’ early books. I really enjoyed this. I’ve read all of his Stone Barrington books, along with a few more and this was so much better. It wasn’t filled with as much sex and going from one person to another to get it. There’s at least the same amount of drama, intrigue, funny spots, and thrills. Even though it’s almost 20 years old, I definitely recommend it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it

Fast paced and well written. But the cop is kind of dumb and makes decisions and mistakes no professional cop would make. Good characters and a good story, but an unbelievable cop. He put them in more danger than he kept them from, lol. My first Stuart Woods book, will read more. This book was written in the 90s and we know so much more about investigating, law enforcement and how it all works these days.

[Pat Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book itself was a fun thriller, with enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. But I had the audiobook , and the narrator, actor Tony Roberts was not the right choice. His old man, (well, he is an old man), gravely voice is better suited to reading bedtime stories to grandchildren). His delivery of the story was blah, and his trying to emulate the voice of a young woman laughable. I recommend getting a hard copy of the book rather than listening to an audio version.

[Don Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3). The Stuart Woods books before he started mass producing the Stone Barrington series tend to be good fun. This one certainly is. Yes, lots of snap, crackle and pop activity and very predictable outcomes, but nice twists and turns and some great suspense along the way. We have several solid characters here and a story that feels very contemporary, totally plausible in the crazy world we live in. Easy to read and good entertainment. Fun stuff.

[Donna Hulsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about an actress on the brink of success who loses most of her sight in a fall. She is dealing with an obsessed fan (stalker) who manages to find her, no matter where she goes. He escalates from love to violence in a very short time, killing people around her. There is a surprise twist at the end, so don't think you have it all figured out.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Callaway is an aspiring actress. As she shows here new house to her best friends she has an accident that leaves her blind. In trying to figure out who "Admirer" is, she learns more than she ever thought she could.
The police she calls for help, become more important to her survival, and independence. An outcome you won't see coming.

[Cybercrone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standalone novel written 30 years ago, nothing to do with Stone Barrington.
Good read, quite different from the series novels. I only know it was the same Stuart Woods due to the mention of Delano, Georgia, which he mentions in every book for some reason.
Going to look up some more of his standalones.

[Heather Hartsel · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read, but some ridiculous plot points - jumping up and down on a plank over cliff? Then the FMC pretending to be able to see when she can’t? And a bumbling cop? Then some decent red herrings, only to have the real stalker come out of the blue with no motive whatsoever, almost as an afterthought. It’s kind of a mess.