For me Stuart Woods writes basic, unspectacular mystery stories. He has 30 novels in print that use 3 main characters spread out over maybe 20-25 books: President Will Lee, FBI agent Holly Barker, and Stone Barrington.
Loitering is an easy summer read based in a tourist destination. Barrington is a trained lawyer who became a cop before being retired early due to disability. He now works for a big law firm doing things that need to be done. This one looks easy. This old guy wants to sell his company and needs to get his son's signature on the contract for the sale to go through. This trust fund baby now lives the vagabond life on his boat around Key West. Barrington takes his old partner along for a vacation. After a few days (they aren't looking all that hard. Barrington meets up with an MD who's a native of Sweden and gets laid so often he can barely walk) they find the guy, but no go on the signature. From here we learn the father has institutionalized his father (who developed the business) and may have killed his own brother. A hit man is hired over and over and over again, the kid's girlfriend is more bodyguard (guarding her investment...this son stands to gain a substantial sum). It has all the trappings of a typical Woods novel. Well heeled characters set in locations most readers will never experience, spicy short term meaningless relationships, mistaken identities, someone getting caught, a double cross, someone getting away all the while eating on the veranda sipping champagne. Even though Barrington is fictional, some guys just seem to have all the luck.
WC Don calls books like this airport books - things to read while traveling - and this would fit that mold. I dont' know how many books by Woods I have read. Maybe a dozen? I dont' know. They dont' explore the deep recesses of the deranged mind or comment on some critical social injustice. They are just relaxing books that are easy to get into, easy to read, and easy to develop a sort of kinship with any one of his three main characters. Woods' legion of fans will come back to their favorite story telling uncle wanting to sit down and be gladly entertained. On this front, Woods consistently delivers just what his fans want. Sometimes I compare his stories to Murder She Wrote for guys.
My wife goes in for a total knee replacement Monday, so i don't know if that means I will get more, the same, or less reading time over the coming weeks. Keep me posted on what looks good. I may need something for a good escape!
East Coast Don
No comments:
Post a Comment