The Short Forever - Hardcover

Woods, Stuart

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039914868X ISBN 13: 9780399148682

Publisher: Putnam Adult, 2002

Synopsis

Arriving in London to find a young woman, who has been seen in the company of an unsavory gentleman, for a client, Stone Barrington soon discovers that things are not what they seem when he stumbles upon a deadly rivalry between two spies and is implicated in a horrifying double murder.

About this title

About the Author

Stuart Woods is the author of fifty novels, including the New York Times���������bestselling Stone Barrington and Holly Barker series. He is a native of Georgia and began his writing career in the advertising industry. Chiefs, his debut in 1981, won the Edgar Award. An avid sailor and pilot, Woods lives in New York City, Florida, and Maine.

Reviews

In recent Woods bestsellers like Cold Paradise, N.Y.P.D. detective-turned-PI Stone Barrington has gone upscale in lifestyle, international in expertise. This time, mogul John Bartholomew hires Stone to fly to London and persuade his niece, Erica, to leave her cocaine-smuggling boyfriend, Lance Cabot, and to make sure Lance winds up in jail. Dapper Stone charms Erica, who offers to set him up with her sister, Monica, and then introduces him to Lance. With help from two British investigators, Stone learns John Bartholomew is not who he seems: not only is he not Erica's uncle, he's really CIA biggie Stan Hedger. Confronted, Stan owns up, revealing that Lance is an ex-CIA agent who blew ops, ran with cash and nearly killed him. Meanwhile, Monica asks Stone to a country weekend with Lance and Erica at what turns out to be the manse of his old flame, Sarah Buckminster, who previously dodged a New York bombing and is now engaged to a megatycoon. The fog thickens when Stone's N.Y.P.D. pal Dino Bacchetti flies over to smooth out the beating death of one of Stone's investigators and Scotland Yard brings in MI6, who suspect Lance is after a top-secret military device for a Mideast client. Woods may have left behind the police action of L.A. Dead, but he churns up plenty of conflict and twisted plotting in this speedy tale. Several bombshell revelations and multiple resolutions combine with the cinematic plot for a perfect flight or beach read.

Woods picks up his popular Stone Barrington series where he left off in Cold Paradise [BKL Mr 1 01]. Stone's much younger lover, Callie, dumps him, leaving him depressed, but a new assignment soon piques his interest. John Bartholomew asks Stone to find his niece, Erica, and separate her from her paramour, Lance, whom Bartholomew claims is a drug dealer. Although Stone has his doubts, he heads off to London where Erica and Lance are living. He soon meets up with the pair and begins observing them. His doubts intensify when he spots Bartholomew in London and discovers that the man is using a false identity. But other distractions impede Stone, such as the reappearance of his former girlfriend, Sarah Buckminster, who is now engaged to a wealthy wine seller. After her fiance dies in a suspicious boating accident, she begins to pursue Stone. As if that weren't enough to contend with, Stone runs into Arrington Calder, the love of his life, at a diplomatic dinner. Meanwhile, Stone discovers Bartholomew's true identity and realizes he's been drawn into a major international scandal with incredibly high stakes. Filling his story with enough twists and turns to dizzy even the most seasoned reader, Woods keeps the tension high until the last page. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 039914868X
• ISBN 13: 9780399148682
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336