The Short Forever (Stone Barrington)
by Stuart Woods
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stuart WoodsEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-01-28
ISBN: 0451208080
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Signet
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780451208088
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Short Forever (Stone Barrington)
Book Review: Read this series because you like Stone, not for the mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
The Stone Barrington books are more about the coolness of the main character than about detective work or suspense. It's sort of the way you keep reading a series because you enjoy the main character, who happens to be a detective, like Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins or Robert Parker's Spenser. Stone is kind of a man's man like James Bond.
If you like Stone Barrington, you'll want to read the whole series (soon to be 11 books long) FROM THE BEGINNING. No matter what Barrington books you've read, you should go back to New York Dead and work your way through the series (New York Dead, Dirt, Dead in the Water, Swimming to Catalina, Worst Fears Realized, LA Dead, Cold Paradise, The Short Forever, Dirty Work, and Reckless Abandon, Two Dollar Bill). They're not all the same quality, but the story builds and you'll have fewer spoilers if you read them in chronological order.
If you must start in the middle, I'd suggest that The Short Forever is a good place to start because it and the two books following it (Dirty Work and Reckless Abandon) continue some of the same storyline and because The Short Forever and Dirty Work are two of the best Barrington novels. You're still going to be wondering why Dulce and Arrington are so important to Stone (both were almost his wife), which you'll understand much better if you at least go back to Dead in the Water.
If you have a chance to listen to a Stone Barrington novel in audio format, you'll really enjoy Tony Roberts' voice and reading style. I listened to my first three Barrington books before I got hooked and went back to read the books, and I still imagine Roberts' gravelly, suave voice when I read Stone's dialogue.
The Short Forever is a little different from the other Barrington novels because it has more international intrigue with spies and double-crosses and travel. However, at its core, The Short Forever is like the rest of the books in the series-it's about Stone Barrington, a former cop turned lawyer who keeps his feet on the street in investigations that always balloon into something much bigger than they first appeared while Stone tries to pursue a life of romance and style.
I mentioned this in one of my other reviews of a Stuart Woods book, but like his book, LA Times, I've found that more of my male friends like the Barrington series than my female friends (and wife). My wife thinks Stone is silly and laughs at the maleness of the sex scenes. She prefers the Lee family political series (Chiefs, Run Before the Wind, Grass Roots, The Run, Capital Crimes) much more than the Barrington series. But don't let that stop you from taking an adventure with Stone!
Summary of The Short Forever (Stone Barrington)
The unflappable Stone Barrington comes face to face with two men whose lives are wrapped in shadows and lies?and who both still feel the sting of betrayal they can never forget.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Hired by an odd client previously unknown to him, Stone arrives in London, on a mission he thinks he understands, but doesn?t. Soon he finds himself not only out of his territory, but out of his depth as well. Baffled as he is by the behavior of both his quarry and his client, Stone?s life is further complicated by two, possibly three, murders and the affectionate attentions of two former lovers. When the intelligence services of three countries become involved, he can only hang on for a wild ride and hope for a not-too-bumpy landing.
Stone Barrington, Stuart Woods's suave, urbane series hero, is approached by an enigmatic new client, John Bartholomew, who hires him for what looks like an easy assignment: find his young niece, who's living somewhere in London with a shady character liable to involve her in his illegal activities, and persuade her to return to New York with Barrington. Handing him a ticket on the Concorde and an unlimited expense account, Bartholomew sets Stone on a chase in which identifying who's the predator and who's the prey turns out to be the key to solving a puzzling mystery involving two American spies and a great deal of money.
As usual, Stone wraps it up without getting his tuxedo nearly as wrinkled as the sheets on his bed, which he shares with a bevy of beautiful women including two old girlfriends and one new one. Woods is a lively, engaging, and reliable writer whose bestselling thrillers feature plenty of eye candy, brand names, and plots that don't tax the brain but do make the most of his narrative gifts. Look elsewhere for high art, but this is high entertainment. --Jane Adams
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