OK, I have to admit it- I must be ADD because I cant't read a book if the chapters are longer than six pages. My bookcase is filled with half and fourth read books that just could not hold my attention. Not so with Stuart Wood's Swimming To Catalina. Not only were the chapters short as usual, they were true page turners- no unfinished reading here! While others have critized his current work as not worthy of previous works such as Chiefs, I could not wait for it to come out and then could not put it down. The secondary characters have the usual characteristics that I love in Woods' books- money, glamour, and a strange twist or two. Barrington maintains his cool, intuitive manner that makes the reader want to keep his appearances coming in the future. Hey Stuart- How about a story where Barrington is asked by a sitting President to investigate who is trying to frame him with an intern sex scandal?? Knowing Barrington, he would get to the bottom of the scandal but would probably make a stop in the Lincoln bedroom with the first lady! Personally, I can't wait for the next book to come out.

Well, Stuart Woods did it again! He provides his readers with another fast-paced page turner with his recurring character, Stone Barrington. Fans of Stuart Woods know that Stone is a retired NYC police detective turned lawyer. While he does practice in the legal profession, he never quite gets away from his past as a dedicated gumshoe and it is this combination (along with other quirks) that makes him such a fascinating character.

In this installment, Woods reprises a character from the immediately preceding DEAD IN THE WATER. That person is Stone's erstwhile lover Arrington Carter. As readers of DITW know, Arrington never joined Stone for their mid-winter Caribbean vacation. Instead, she winds up following actor Vance Calder to Hollywood and much to everyone's surprise, Stone's included, she marries him.

At the beginning of this novel, Stone is called to California by Vance Calder, ostensibly to investigate the disappearance of Arrington. being the good detective that he is, Stone complies with Vance's request. Upon arrival, he is feted by studio bigwigs and even cast as a lawyer in a movie (for which he is well paid despite his inexperience as an actor and his short time on set and in front of the camera). Stone sallies forth and encounters several young women who seem all too eager to bed him down. Being the person he is, Stone is all too willing to comply and he begins to sample the several sexual pleasures he is offered by different women Woods introduces to the story. In addition to his sexual adventures, Stone also has several that could only be called life-threatening. He meets local mafia soldiers and they proceed to try to get rid of him in a time-tested manner. After reading that scene, it becomes readily apparent how Woods chose his title. Although his escape from that precarious situation borders on implausible, I suspended disbelief, knowing that the story would have a better ending because of it.

Throughought SWIMMING TO CATALINA, Stone functions as both detective and lawyer. Toward the end of the novel, Woods gives the reader a treat as we get to see just how good a negotiator and advocate Stone really is. Stone has the opportunity to prevent his client, Vance Calder from getting into trouble with the federal government while at the same time, helping the same federal agencies crack murder and corruption cases.

During all of the wheelings and dealings, Stone also must come to grips with the fact that he is still in love with Arrington despite the fact that she is married to Vance Calder. Another complication added to the mix is that Arrington is pregnant and doesn't know whether Stone is the father or her new husband is. That mystery is not solved until the very end. Stone's reaction, while bittersweet shows that he is the better man.

Stuart Woods imbues Stone Barrington with several admirable qualities while also showing him to be a man with certain well know weaknesses. The strong qualities are loyalty, a sense of justice and fair-play and a need to see justice done. He is also not above exacting revenge when he feels it serves a purpose.

I like Stone Barrington. I believe that Stuart Woods could find many more story lines to use for him much as Robert B. Parker continues to turn out spare but faced new novels in his SPENSER series. Done right, I think Woods could keep Stone Barrington around for quite some time to come. I hope he decides to do so. If he does, I think I can safely say that the books will fly off the shelves in bookstores everywhere.

Thanks for another thoroughly enjoyable read, Stuart. Please keep Stone Barrington stories coming!

A sequel to the outstanding Dead in the Water, this book is much more enjoyable when you know the background -- the story of Stone's unhappy romance with the oddly-named but delectable Arrington. If you've followed Stuart Woods' career, you'd know that his very first book was a sailing memoir (Blue Water, Green Skipper); it's a joy to see this author return to his boating roots in this and the preceding book. (You won't believe the scene in which Stone is thrown overboard with an anchor tied to him.) Even if you don't care beans for boats, cancel your appointments -- Dead in the Water and Swimming to Catalina aren't to be put down!!! (The title, incidentally, is a quote from Raymond Chandler: "Oh sure, I do something you don't like and I'll be swimming to Catalina with a streetcar on my back." What a combination -- an adventure/mystery writer at the top of his form, putting his appealing character on the same streets once prowled by Philip Marlowe. Stuart, THANK YOU! MORE!

Easy to read, but wow: talk about flat. Character development is almost non-existent. This is summer- beach reading at its trashiest. Inhabitants of the vaguely-described Key West village are too perfect, even with their authored "flaws". I would love to have friends like the men in the story: all handsome, womanizing ne'er-do-wells with hair that never musses on the windy boats Woods writes about. Fact-giving scenes are interspersed with sex-scenes that read as if the Publisher wrote "Put sex here, here and here" on the manuscript.

The Choke of the title is both the name of the hero's boat and his life-long demon; the expected pay-off of the title dribbles air like a forgotten balloon with a slow leak. So why was I satisfied when I finished the story? Maybe it was the goofy- cop pairing, reminiscent of so many TV detective shows. Maybe it's because the so-obvious plot twists actually twisted back in the latter part of the book, relieving my fear that I knew the answer at page 75. Maybe it's because I read it on the beach in hot sunshine, with the waves rolling ashore, while on vacation. Who knows. Maybe I'm one of the great unwashed, after all.

The book begins with Charles, a professional tennis player, choking during the final match at Wimbledon. What could be worse then that? He's about to find out when he meets Harry and Claire while teaching tennis for a small resort in Key West, FL. What are they hiding?

In typical Stuart Woods fashion, this book is gripping from the start. With boats blowing up and fast action, it was a good audio book. This is the first book in a month that kept me riveted to my car to a point I didn't want to get out when I arrived at work or at home.

Mr. Sanders (Narrator) did a fantastic job. He was able to use his voice to give characters different accents, and personalities. In addition, he is one of the few narrators I have heard in audio books who could actually do a fairly decent female voice. I truly believe this added to the book.

Fast paced with lots of twists and turns, this is a gripping novel. This is only the second book I have ever had by Mr. Woods. The other was Dead In The Water. Though being relatively new to Mr. Woods works, I found this book to be exciting, fast paced and hard to pull away from just as I did with Dead In The Water.

If you like mysteries or suspense drama, then this is a book for you. For other new comers to Mr. Woods works, don't hesitate to read or listen to this book.

I really enjoyed CHOKE a lot. This is the first Woods novel I've read, and I plan to read more after this. The dialogue seemed a bit unnatural at times, but usually sounded realistic. The characters were good, and the twists were satisfying. I liked that the chapters were quick and cliff-hanging, keeping me turning pages. A fun book to read.

Stone Barrington is back, and this time he is on the loose in New York City.

Assigned by his law firm to aide a client in the dumping of her unfaithful husband, Stone thinks this case to be "dirty work", but when a dead body turns up he realizes there is more to this case than meets the eye.

As Stone begins looking for answers he runs into Carpenter, the beautiful British agent he met while in London. Carpenter is in New York for her own investigation, on a case she is not willing to discuss, but the deeper Stone probes the more he gets the feeling her case is related to his.

Teaming with his ex-partner Dino, Stone hits the streets of Manhattan in search of a very dangerous woman with the answers to a bizarre and complicated crime.

'Dirty Work' is a fun, enjoyable novel...one that will keep readers guessing. The Stone Barrington bestsellers are mysteries filled with surprises, sexy vixens, rogue heroes and intriguing plot lines, and this is one of the better entries in the series.

Stuart Woods can always be depended upon to create an original, fast-paced thriller, and 'Dirty Work' is a great way to spend a few hours in an easy chair.

Expect to see this on all the lists.

Nick Gonnella

We were growing a bit tired of Woods' Stone Barrington series, feeling that the last few were kind of lackluster -- more concerned about Stone's love life and lifestyle than delivering the suspenseful tales we have seen in numerous earlier outings and in Woods' new Holly Barker series. To our delight, "Dirty Work" brings Stone back in a great yarn -- one with such suspenseful action throughout we could hardly turn the pages fast enough. Reminiscent of John Sandford's "Mortal Prey", in which international assassin Clara Rinker is so clever and so successful we dern near wind up rooting for her instead of the good guys (!), "Dirty" features its own female assassin "La Biche", who is out to get revenge on the British secret service for offing her parents. This becomes the entree to re-introduce sexy Brit female agent "Carpenter", whom Stone met in the just prior novel "Short Forever". More than just a fun dinner (and bed) partner for Stone, Carpenter is the link between Stone's efforts as a private eye, Dino Bacchetti's (Stone's best cop friend) work to catch La Biche for the NYPD, and various FBI hangers-on. Woods' imagination worked overtime as he fills the alternating efforts of La Biche to knock off all her foes (we began to lose count she's so good) and the resolve of everybody else to nail her. Some clever work by Stone to actually engage himself as her lawyer (so that he can twist lawyer/clent confidentiality to their mutual purposes) re-surfaces late in the book as a very unusual twist at the end.

Woods is at his very best -- this is a must read not merely for his fans but for anybody enjoying a fast-paced thriller featuring clever bad "guys" and a horde of chasers. The ending brings not only great satisfaction, but who gets theirs brings ample surprise. Enjoy this great read!

"Dirty Work" is the ninth Stone Barrington novel by Stuart Woods. Bill Eggers of Woodman and Weld, the law firm of which Stone is of counsel, asks Stone to arrange for someone to photograph Larry Fortescue, husband of Woodman and Weld client, Elena Marks, having an illicit tryst. Stone hires Herbie Fisher. While Herbie is photographing the encounter, he falls through the skylight onto Fortescue. When Herbie comes to, Fortescue is dead. It becomes apparent that Herbie did not kill Fortescue. Meanwhile, Carpenter, the beautiful British agent from "The Short Forever", comes to New York. She is looking for Marie-Therese duBois, a dangerous killer who has a grudge against certain members of British intelligence. It just so happens that the woman cheating with Fortescue was duBois, also known as La Biche who actually murdered Fortescue. Carpenter, Stone, and Dino Bachetti begin to search for La Biche before she can kill again. Stone always gets the girl in his books, and Carpenter is his love interest in "Dirty Work". This novel is one of the best Stuart Woods books in a long time. It is action packed and the suspense keeps the reader turning pages. This novel is highly recommended!

I personally thoroughly enjoyed this storyline, and the various artists. This is a different brand of storytelling from the Roger Stern/ Doomsday days. While I appreciate both of these modern interpretations, this story and No Limits! herald a new direction for the Superbooks that even hardened comics fans might enjoy. Under Eddie Berganza's editorship, the Super-books are using the framework of the early 90's era of Superman's redefinition and bringing in both new and classic elements to the Superman mythos. I'm a longtime comics fan, but a new Superman fan, and this is the story that pulled me in and allowed me to go back and enjoy the older stuff (all the way back to 1938). Great work, if occasionally uneven, as one tries to read four different titles by multiple writers and artists all strung together. Give this story a shot if you're a JLA fan.

This graphic novel begins on December 31st 1999 and takes place in great city of Metropolis. Brainiac 2.5 has crashed on Earth and is feeding himself off the energy in Metropolis. He takes all the power from Metropolis at the stroke of midnight and all this power upgrades him and he becomes Brainiac 13. So, basically, Superman has to stop Brainiac from taking all the power of the Planet.

This comic book features the metal men and many members of the JLA. It is exciting and difficult to put down.

There are a few things I found annoying about this though. As this was originally a group of different comics by different artists and writers, each time a new chapter starts, the characters look different. The worst is Ed McGuinness as I think he makes Superman too muscly and cartoon like. Another thing that I didn't like was the look of Brainiac 13. The artists used computers to make him look 3D. This doesn't work. The computer pictures look too fake and don't fit with the rest of the comic. But this doesn't mean it isn't a great book, with a great story. Superman will definitely be with us forever!

A delightful little book, perfect stocking stuffer. Wonderfully imaginative. I laughed out loud at several of the pictures, not something I do easily. Intend to keep my first edition. Who knows? Fifty years from now this could be a real collectible. Whenever you need a pick-me-up, you can just pull out this little gem and start perusing. Bound to take you mind off your troubles.

There is much to recommend here, most importantly that a Woman writer, previously neglected, has been given a much needed and much deserved second look by an academic scholar. Unfortunately, the author of this study has little in the way of sensitivity regarding theories of the Other, of the way that Women of Color have been utilized (i.e., put to work) within the fictionizing strategies of white Women, and how contemporary scholars who are Women of Color are challenging the very heart, the very *center*, of his/herstorical discourses mediated by white males. The writer of this book is at some pains to show us her approach as one embodied by feminism, but it unfortunately tends to the usual 'white males don't understand this' and 'white males don't get that', etc., instead of informing us about what *Women* think of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps now and in the past. Perhaps if the author of this study were to broaden her approach to include the incredibly brave and special readings of bell hooks as well as more familiar figures such as Spivak and (Cornel) West, we might have had a more imperative study than the one we have. Nevertheless, this is a first attempt at a book-length scholarly approach to Phelps, and it is a welcome start.

I have, and know of, five volumes in the Sheridan series. I've read them all, and recommend them all. This series is right up there with Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. Sheridans are harder to find, but are great reading.

Anyone out there that can help me in trying to explain with the psychological struggle she went through with her children, husband, career,and life in general would be appreciated.

There are certainly redeeming features to this novel (meshing of the past in present in Fonesca, the sense of mystery) but the bottom line is that I just didn't care what happened to the characters. Fonesca is wallowing in old movies (although he seems well read he shows no interest in reading). Ames lives in a bar even though he's capable of much more. I can understand how Adele turned out the way she did but she's still pretty bratty.
The highlight of the novel for me was Fonesca's take on Stephen King: "overpayed and underrated".
It's a shame I didn't enjoy this novel more because Kaminsky is an excellent writer. His whole Rostnikov series is absolutely fabulous - every single one of them. You really empathise with those characters - maybe because they're putting real effort into their lives.

Five years ago, Lew Fonesca lost his wife Catherine in a terrible auto accident. The event all but ended his life. Lost and dead inside, he drove to Sarasota, Florida because there was really no other place to go. When the car died in front of a Dairy Queen, he stopped. But he didn't start living again. Instead, he started building himself a cocoon that isolated him from the rest of the world. Trained as an investigator for the state's attorney office in Cook County, Fonesca sets up shop as a process server, establishing just enough money to keep a roof over his head and provide the extravagance of buying videotapes of old movies. Despite his efforts to cut himself off, the world has a way of reaching out to him and dragging him back. Finding people professionally has a tendency to do that, and Ann Horowitz, his counselor, says that by choosing that line of work he's also choosing to find himself-even if he won't admit it. Still smarting from a slap from a Bubbles Dreemer, a woman he had to serve a summons to earlier in the day, Fonesca is approached by Marvin Uliaks, a local handyman that Fonesca know because Marvin cleans the bathroom once a week in the complex where he keeps his office. Marvin hires Fonesca to look for his sister Vera Lynn, who has been missing for over twenty years. She and her husband disappeared after the suspicious death of another young woman all of them knew. Some said that the woman jumped through a window and committed suicide; others insisted that Vera Lynn or her husband threw her out. Marvin doesn't tell Fonesca any of this in the beginning. At the same time, Flo Zink, one of the small list of friends Fonesca has, calls to let him know Adele, a girl that Fonesca rescued only a few short months ago, has disappeared. Prior to vanishing, Adele had been working with Conrad Lonsberg, a reclusive award-winning novelist, on her writing. Flo is currently sixteen-year old Adele's guardian, appointed by the state of Florida. Sally Porovsky, Fonesca's dating acquaintance, is also Adele's caseworker, so Fonesca ends up caught between Flo and Sally, trying to figure out how to get Adele to come back home. Fonesca takes up both trails with Ames McKinney, a seventy-five year old maverick cowboy with a penchant for action instead of dialogue and an arsenal large enough to defend a Third World country. The trail turns bloody from the onset. While Adele remains in hiding and burning the only copies there are of Conrad Lonsberg's unpublished manuscripts, which are potentially worth millions of dollars, someone begins looking for her, leaving a trail of bodies behind.

Prolific mystery writer Stuart Kaminsky currently has four mystery series underway and adds new volumes to each. He began his writing career in 1977 with A BULLET FOR A STAR, the first Toby Peters mystery. The Peters mystery series currently has 22 volumes, is set in 1940s Hollywood (Kaminsky was also a film historian and college professor), and always features at least one star of the times that Peters has to help out. His Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov novels are about a Moscow policeman. Abe Lieberman is a solid Jewish detective with a pragmatic streak set in Chicago. He's also written two novels featuring James Garner's signature character, Jim Rockford, from the television show, THE ROCKFORD FILES.

Lew Fonesca is a complicated detective. He's clever and he's steady, but he lacks the central core of ambition that is at the heart of so many fictional characters. In the first book, Fonesca comes off as perhaps too distant, but Kaminsky corrects for that by telling an engaging tale filled with pathos and rich characters. The author also moves the tale along at a blistering pace. In RETRIBUTION, Fonesca is slowly moving closer to being a full person again. He still has his depression but says that it beats the anxiety that replaces the depression when the depression goes away, which so many readers in today's hectic world can relate to. The writing is lucid and tight, moving the story along briskly while taking time to establish scene and character. The relationship between Ames and Fonesca is really well done and lends itself to Fonesca's character. Ames is there to provide support in a physical and firepower way, but also to be frank and forthright without waxing philosophical. Ames is a key figure and easy to grasp, and when he solidifies Fonesca's thinking, it only takes a few words. Despite Fonesca's best efforts, his life is growing and the world is drawing him back into it. The mysteries are on the light side, but both are fraught with emotion and a sense of history and family, themes that seem to resonate well within the Lew Fonesca series.

Good as the mystery aspects are within the novel, a little more set-up would have been welcome. Adele's motivation came a little too late in the novel, and neither the reader nor Fonesca seemed to have a fair chance at it. Also, although the solution to this mystery was hinted at, the clues weren't solidly in place. Some readers won't like the fact that Fonesca got some of the answers and Kaminsky didn't share them with his audience until he closed the novel.

RETRIBUTION is a good read for mystery and private eye readers that like emotional depth and complexity in their tales. And when it comes to sheer reading enjoyment, a confident hand, and a down-home storytelling style, Stuart Kaminsky is money in the bank every time.

Retribution is a classic mystery novel that is well written and well told. The details fit, the questions are answered, and the story moves. Lew Fonesca, a "bumbling competent" unlicensed private investigator, gets his man and affects everyone's life but his own. He is making progress, however, because it is when we help others that we help ourselves. This is an enjoyable book.

I have just started reading books by Stuart Woods, but I can say that this is definately not his best. This book centers around an ex-police officer/lawyer Stone Barrington who seems to be quite the ladies man while doing investigative work. He is hired by Amanda who is a lady that travels in the celebrity gossip world. She has been the target of a widely circulated fax about her "Dirt". It is an interesting read, and Woods manages to weave all of the characters and plots together well. However, he involved so many characters that I started to get more confused towards the end. It is an entertaining book which does not require much brain power to absorb. And the chapters are pretty short so it makes for a very quick read. Not bad, but not excellent either.

I really loved this book it was a real page turner for me. This is my first book I've read by Stuart Woods and in the last month I've read every book that has this charcter in it. It kept me reading long into the night, and always on the edge of my sit. If you love supense this is a great book. I must warn the sexual appetite of the character is high, but that didn't bother me. Stuart Woods has got a fan for life.

I have really liked all of Stuart Woods books. Be aware that in each of them there is one or two brief sex scenes. They ARE very explicit but well written and brief. I like that the stories are easy to follow but they are interesting and riviting. I hate to read a book that I have to go back to previous pages to remember who the characters are.