by Stuart Woods
Stone Barrington's (a former police officer turned lawyer) law firm is on retainer for wealthy software developer, Thad Shames, the archetypal Gates-like, computer nerd. While at a cocktail party it appears, Thad had met and dined with a lady known only as "Liz". Deciding he is in lust, Thad employs Stone to find her. His only clue is that she was last seen boarding a flight to Palm Beach where Thad has a home. Stone heads to Palm Beach in the company of Callie, Thad’s attractive personal assistant.
When Stone arrives in Palm Beach, a Mrs. Harding calls because she needs his services. They meet at a restaurant where he is shocked to realize that she is Thad's Liz. He is further shocked to discover, also, that she is really Allison Manning, a woman he had bedded in the past and then saved from the gallows a few years later. Allison (now known as Elizabeth Harding), says she fears her first husband may be stalking her
Stone had represented her when she was charged with the murder of her husband Paul. "The murder" turned out to be an insurance scam and her husband was not dead. Stone found that her husband had even been at the trial posing as a magazine writer. Stone believed that Allison had been killed in a small plane crash soon after the trial Not only is Allison/Liz alive, but in the meantime she remarried and that husband has died leaving lots and lots more insurance money. Liz now hires Stone to settle the initial fraud with the insurance company and reveals that she believes Paul is trying to kill her (which turns out to be a crock).
The scene is now set, and a series of incidents follow in an intricately plotted suspense story. Stone comes to believe that more than one person may be trying to kill Allison, aka Liz, and his search ranges up and down the Atlantic coast.
In the meantime, Stone's looney-tunes ex-wife has escaped from the bin and is stalking Stone, to kill him. Her Gombah family has arrived in Palm Beach and throws Stone a few personal curves and humorous complications.
The characters burst forth in this book fully developed. Woods takes the easy path of moving the story along by flip, sarcastic and often pedestrian dialogue as the scenes shift swiftly. The reader becomes a mere observer in a plot that although complicated, is very predictable.
Fans of Stuart Woods and Stone Barrington will no doubt jump right into the story and view it differently from those who are just making an acquaintance of Stone and other players from past stories, for the first time.
Woods sustains the tension well, as he always does, but the conclusion of the story is reached a bit too neatly...all is finally revealed in an overheard conversation. Like "RIGHT!" LOL
Still, for summer reading, Cold Paradise is a great little novel to take to the beach for an afternoon read while you get your tan.
When Stone arrives in Palm Beach, a Mrs. Harding calls because she needs his services. They meet at a restaurant where he is shocked to realize that she is Thad's Liz. He is further shocked to discover, also, that she is really Allison Manning, a woman he had bedded in the past and then saved from the gallows a few years later. Allison (now known as Elizabeth Harding), says she fears her first husband may be stalking her
Stone had represented her when she was charged with the murder of her husband Paul. "The murder" turned out to be an insurance scam and her husband was not dead. Stone found that her husband had even been at the trial posing as a magazine writer. Stone believed that Allison had been killed in a small plane crash soon after the trial Not only is Allison/Liz alive, but in the meantime she remarried and that husband has died leaving lots and lots more insurance money. Liz now hires Stone to settle the initial fraud with the insurance company and reveals that she believes Paul is trying to kill her (which turns out to be a crock).
The scene is now set, and a series of incidents follow in an intricately plotted suspense story. Stone comes to believe that more than one person may be trying to kill Allison, aka Liz, and his search ranges up and down the Atlantic coast.
In the meantime, Stone's looney-tunes ex-wife has escaped from the bin and is stalking Stone, to kill him. Her Gombah family has arrived in Palm Beach and throws Stone a few personal curves and humorous complications.
The characters burst forth in this book fully developed. Woods takes the easy path of moving the story along by flip, sarcastic and often pedestrian dialogue as the scenes shift swiftly. The reader becomes a mere observer in a plot that although complicated, is very predictable.
Fans of Stuart Woods and Stone Barrington will no doubt jump right into the story and view it differently from those who are just making an acquaintance of Stone and other players from past stories, for the first time.
Woods sustains the tension well, as he always does, but the conclusion of the story is reached a bit too neatly...all is finally revealed in an overheard conversation. Like "RIGHT!" LOL
Still, for summer reading, Cold Paradise is a great little novel to take to the beach for an afternoon read while you get your tan.
Review by Nan Sevic
No comments:
Post a Comment