Choke
by Stuart Woods
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Description
Murder is not a spectator sport. Chuck Chandler has choked on more than one occasion-first as a pro tennis player at Wimbledon, then as a womanizing coach at posh tennis clubs around the country. Now at Key West's Old Racquet Club, Chuck gets involved with the wrong married woman-the enticing Clare Carras, married to an enigmatic older man-and soon he is in way over his head. Enter Tommy Sculley, a retired New York homicide detective who has just joined the Key West force, and his young show more green partner, Daryl Haynes, who turns out to be smarter than he looks. Up to their necks in an investigation of a bizarre apparent homicide, the two detectives barely keep afloat in murky waters. Events take them from the Florida Keys to Los Angeles and back, as a plot emerges that involves not only the dangerous Clare, but a furious West Coast mob boss determined to get back what is his at any cost. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Shades of "Chief", his first and best. I enjoyed this one---there were several possibilities and Woods played them all. His standalone books are better plotted than the Stone Barrington series.
An intriguing deceptive cat and mouse murder mystery of who done it. It begins when Chuck Chandler chokes on the verge of winning The Wimbledon Championship, he realizes his career is over as a touring pro tennis player and take a job as a teaching instructor in Key West Florida. He's introduced to Harry and Clare Carras by his fellow teaching instructor Victor Brennan, Harry is sixtyish and she's thirty years younger and beautiful, Chuck immediately starts having an affair with Clare, things are hot and heavy in the sex department. Clare invites Chuck to go on a scuba dive at a shipwreck with her and her husband, Harry dives first, when Chuck catches up with him, Harry's lying on the deck of the wreck unconscious, mask off his face show more with blood in it. Chuck immediately starts feeling sick and begins to vomit in his mask and has too surface for air, he deploys his air bag and surfaces. Harry's body is never found, his death is very suspicious and all fingers are pointing towards Chuck as the murderer, now the cat and mouse of whom done it begins. Detective Tommy Sculley arrives after retiring as a homicide detective for the NYPD and takes charge of this investigation, with the help of a 1st day detective, 17 year old Daryl Haynes. They both are constantly evaluating evidense and putting individuals on limpet, trying to solve this bazaar murder mystery. I really enjoy this novel, one of those books you couldn't put down, I kind of wished it wouldn't end, but they all do. show less
A great stand-alone Woods mystery set in Key West. For new Woods readers, it is important to read this book before reading the latest Woods book in the Stone Barrington series, "Loitering with Intent." Irt is amazing how he can bring old characters back to form after more than decade.
A tennis pro becomes enmeshed in a murder. This book moved fastf!
Murder and tennis...what's not to like?
The very first Stuart Woods book I ever read... and I LOVED it! I didn't want it to end.
First edition signed as new
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Author Information
154+ Works 58,301 Members
Stuart Woods was born in Manchester, Georgia on January 9, 1938. He received a B. A in sociology from the University of Georgia in 1959. He worked in the advertising business and eventually wrote two non-fiction books entitled Blue Water, Green Skipper and A Romantic's Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland. His first novel, Chiefs, was show more published in 1981. It won an Edgar Award and was made into a TV miniseries starring Charlton Heston. His other works include the Stone Barrington series, the Holly Barker series, the Will Lee series, the Ed Eagle series, the Rick Barron series and the Teddy Fay series. He won France's Prix de Literature Policiere for Imperfect Strangers. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Choke
- Original publication date
- 1995
- People/Characters
- Chuck Chandler; Clare Carras; Harry Carras; Tommy Sculley; Daryl Haynes
- Important places
- Key West, Florida, USA; Florida Keys, Florida, USA
- Dedication
- This book is for William and Susan Kinsolving
- First words
- Chuck won the point, won the game.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The three of them finished their drinks and got up to meet the Coast Guard.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 569
- Popularity
- 52,211
- Reviews
- 8
- Rating
- (3.53)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, French, Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 24
- ASINs
- 12
