Short Straw, Stuart Woods - Book Review

"Short Straw" by Woods is a good mystery with all the twist and turns of a mountain road. Ed Eagle an attorney in Santa Fe, NM wakes up late on the day that a reception for his new office was going to start around noon. There was much to be done and he wondered why his wife did not get him up. Come to find out she cleaned out the bank accounts and left Ed for parts unknown. After learning the truth, Ed hires two PI, one a retired detective from LAPD, Cupie, the other an Apache from Santa Fe, Vittorio. Barbara, Ed's Wife, left for Mexico, but Ed was able to retain most of the assets. The two PIs meet in Mexico, find Barbara and present her with divorce papers. She is very slippery and gets away. The PIs are relentless and follow her in her travels. A sub plot, where Ed draws the short straw and has to defend a man for triple murder, Joe Big Bear, plays an important role in the story.

Stuart Woods holds the reader in suspense as Barbara and the PIs travel in Mexico to La Jolla and LA. Eagle flies to LA to meet with the PIs and hopefully Barbara, to settle the dilimma. Things get hot but Woods does a good job bringing it all together. It is a quick and enjoyable read but one must look out for the one you trust.

Palindrome, Stuart Woods

"Palindrome" by Stuart Woods is a great thriller full of suspense, a page turner. A palindrome is a literary device-a word, or sentence that reads the same forward and backwards. Exactly the same. Twins are palindromic.

Liz Barwick was nearly beaten to death by her husband, who was a pro-football player for the Georgia "Bobcats". He was out of control with steroids and drugs. Liz finds seclusion on Cumberland Island, south part of the coast of Georgia, for recuperating and taking photos for a book she is writing. On the island she becomes good friends with the Drummonds, who own the island, especially one of the twins. Things are peaceful until Liz hears that her lawyer and publisher died. Liz suspects that her "x" did this and is after her. Liz confides in Keir, the twin she is attracted to, and is reassured that it will be alright. The drama is very ongoing with death, love and sentimentality. Stuart Woods wrote a good novel, even though it is 15 years old, I found the second reading as though it was the first.

Dark Harbor, Stuart Woods

Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods is the twelfth Stone Barrington novel. Stone is a lawyer in New York and just received a will from his second cousin Dick Stone, who bequeathed him his estate on the island of Dark Harbor, Maine. Dick made Stone the executor of the will so Stone went to Dark Harbor to take care of the legalities. Dick's death looked like a murder suicide as the local sheriff said, but upon further investigation Stone found many loop holes in the theory. Stone was accompanied to Dark Harbor with his long time friend Dino Bachetti, Lt. NYPD, and Lance Cabot of the CIA and Holly Barker, Stones lover. With further probing into the deaths, more deaths happen. There is a serial killer on the lose. There were two theories about the killings, but little evidence to bring a conclusion. Holly was kidnapped and held for several days by the killers, she was able to bargain for her life and got away. By now Stone was certain about the killers which leads to an exciting conclusion. Stone was never in any real danger but the story is put together well and Woods leaves us with another adventure worth reading.

Iron Orchid by Stuart Woods

Just finished "Iron Orchid" by Stuart Woods. A fast moving story about Holly Barker, once the chief of police at Orchid Beach, Florida. She quit the position and became an agent for the CIA. After a brief program with the CIA, she was stationed in New York to find a man who once worked for the CIA, Teddy Fay. He quit the agency and faked his death so there is no trace of him in the files. Because of his superior qualities with the agency, he went out on his own killing people he didn't like, so the agency is after him. After staging another death in a small plane, he moves to New York and starts killing terrorists. Holly is trying to find him, but he is a master of disguise. He meets Holly at an opera and keeps spotting her in his neighborhood. He is intrigued with her and starts to follow her. After killing three more, things get hot. The ending is good and leaves it open for future visits by this man. I found the book easy to read and exciting. Stuart Wood is one of my favorite authors.