L.A. Dead

by Stuart Woods

Putnam, November, 2000.
Hardcover, pages.
ISBN: 0399146644

L.A. Dead by Stuart Woods

When we last saw ex-cop and current attorney Stone Barrington (See, Worst Fears Realized) he was about to jump into holy matrimony with Dolce the sexy (but totally wacko) daughter of infamous mafia don. After a civil ceremony in Venice, but before the all-important church wedding in St. Mark's Cathedral, Stone is called back to the U.S. when his ex-love Arrington's husband, movie star Vance Calder, is murdered and Arrington is the prime suspect. Of course, Stone believes she is innocent and immediately begins to wine, dine and seduce all of Vance's mistresses (and there are quite a few) in order to find out the truth. In the meantime, Dolce is determined to commit a few murders of her own in order to get back her straying husband, although it's far from clear whether the couple is actually married under Italian law.

This fifth entry in the popular Stone Barrington series features the smooth-talking attorney with the opulent lifestyle once again hip-deep in intrigue, court battles and fine dining. Although Stone manages to stay a likeable character, despite his somewhat ambiguous moral choices, in this book Arrington becomes as annoying as the psychotic Dolce is amusing, leading long-time fans to hope that Stone's long-running obsession for the self-centered Mrs. Calder is finally petering out. Woods' skewering of the Hollywood scene is extremely funny, and Stone's escapades are as entertaining as ever, making for another great, light-hearted read from the talented Stuart Woods.

L.A. Dead is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the February, 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.