Dead in the Water: A Novel
- ISBN13: 9780061711916
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Stone Barrington only wants a winter getaway from the chill of New York in the beautiful, tropical Caribbean paradise of St. Mark’s. But what the lawyer and ex-cop gets instead is the chance to defend Allison Manning. The beautiful young woman stands accused of killing her rich husband on board their luxurious yacht and then burying him at sea. Stone isn’t exactly conversant with the island country’s law, but this much is clear to him: Allison is being railroaded by the perverse sense of justice of a prosecutor who will do anything to stay in office. Donning the robe and wig of a British barrister, Stone does everything he can to save Allison—from publicizing the case all over the American press to conducting the kind of smart, tough investigation that money can’t buy. Just when he has the jury in the palm of his hands, a shocking reversal of fortune changes everything. And what was once a sure thing begins to look a lot like a death sentence. … More >>
Stuart Woods takes readers down to the Caribbean with Stone Barrington. Stone has to help prove the innocence of a beautiful woman, Allison, who is accused of murdering her husband. Throughout the trial, Stone tries to defend her reputation and his own. Overall a good book, but a depressing ending.
The version I read (listened to) was an unabridged audio version, and I’m glad. The story flowed smoothly and didn’t need any abridgments (except maybe the trial) to be entertaining. This is my first encounter with a Stuart Woods novel, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Allison Manning, young wife of millionaire writer Paul Manning, arrives in St. Marques under mysterious circumstances – her husband is missing from their yacht. Her story is that he died from a heart attack and was buried at sea. What follows are the quick paced details as she is charged with murder, investigated by police and the Ministry of Justice, and defended by a vacationing American attorney. Many questions arise, such as did she kill her husband and was he even dead at all. I found my opinion quickly changing as new elements were introduced into the plot. One exciting factor is the setting – the court system is far different on this tropical island compared to the American courts. In America, she would have never been charged. In St. Marques, she is facing an uphill battle.
The part of the book that faltered was the trial itself. The evidence and testimonies had been thoroughly researched and presented to the reader throughout the rest of the book, so the majority of the trial was repetitious. Fortunately, Woods managed to throw a few new details into the trial, and the pace of the remainder of the book resumed. Some of the conversations sounded a bit stilted, but most of the dialog was snappy and well-written. The ending of the story appears to be leading to a sequel, but at least he didn’t resort to including the first three chapters of his next novel, a cheap trick so many other authors seem to resort to these days.
Stuart Woods delivers again. Well written with enough twists and turns to keep my interest. Fast paced enough so I didn’t get bored, and when I read the last page I didn’t feel like I had wasted my time. Looks like we may end up seeing more than one of the characters in the next book. Keep them coming Mr. Woods.
Stuart Woods reunites us with Stone Barrington. Okay, so the guy is a cad, but he is fun to be with. And he cheats on his girlfriend. He knows it is wrong, but where is this supposed love of his life? Rushing to meet him on this romantic holiday? NO! He might as well enjoy it as he intended. I find Stuart Woods extremely entertaining and an easy read. He gets to the point and you dont want to put the book down nor skip paragraphs of techno-babble. I wait with baited breath to read “Swimming to Catalina.”
I’m really enjoying all of the Stuart Woods’ novels with Stone Barrington. This one was a continuation of Stone’s private life with a huge adventure into a hellish vacation in St. Marks defending a woman of murdering her husband. It’s a fun ride. The only thing I’m always surprised at is Stone’s avarice for bedding anything in a skirt. Of course they’re all “beautiful” women with a voracious desire for sex, but it makes ole’ Stone seem like a whore. Nevertheless, this book was a great read.