Dead in the Water

Nice, tight little mystery set on a Caribbean Island. Replete with twisty plot and amusing characters. As always, our hero jumps in the sack with the main female character. In this case, she's the defendant. She stands trial for the murder of her rich husband aboard a yacht. With an englishy barrister, Stone defends her. Short and to the point--another trashy Stone Barrington novel.

Keeps you guessing until the very end, and sets up nicely for Stone Barrington's next adventure. This is the best of the Barrington books I've read to date, and I love the fact that it takes place in the Caribbean.

This series is growing on me. Stone is a good character, with an overactive libido and finds himself defending a woman accused of murdering her husband for money. Good twists, and interesting portrayal of a Carribean island, with archaic, English style governance and politics.

Stone has hardly arrived in St. Marks, a lovely Caribbean island nation, on a sailing vacation when something very strange happens: a beautiful young woman sails into the harbor, entirely alone on a large yacht. Before long, she is under the intense scrutiny of the local authorities, in the very considerable person of Sir Winston Sutherland, the minister of justice. The problem is, though she arrived alone, she had departed the other side of the Atlantic in the company of her husband, a well-known writer, who is no longer in evidence. Evidence is what fascinates Stone Barrington, and he is all that stands between the apparently innocent Allison Manning and the patently evil intent of Sir Winston, whose motives are unclear. What is clear show more is that the St. Marks system of justice bears little resemblance to the American courts to which Stone is accustomed, and that his smallest error could prove fatal to his client. show less

In St. Marks, death by murder is punishable by hanging. Little did Stone Barrington know that his long-awaited vacation was going to be interrupted by a legal case from Hell.

Stone Barrington is a retired cop and a New York lawyer on a beautiful Caribbean island alone. He has been stood up by his girlfriend who has an exclusive interview in the States with her ex-boyfriend and Hollywood’s top leading man. Just when he starts to relax and enjoy his vacation, Allison Manning sails in on a huge yacht, alone, claiming she buried her husband at sea after he suffers a fatal heart attack, but is that the true story? The minister of justice, Sir Winston Sutherland charges her with murder, but Stone is not convinced.

Allison Manning is a show more beautiful young American widow who is fighting for her life in a foreign land, but will she have a chance with the help of an aging barrister on the island and Stone Barrington? Is her attraction to Stone a ruse? Is she telling the truth about what happened to her husband?

Sir Winston Sutherland is a power-hungry official who will stop at nothing to make a name for himself by prosecuting Allison Manning for the murder of her husband. With St. Mark’s justice system on his side, it’s a huge possibility.

With all of the books I have read, I’m surprised that I have missed Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington series. This was a fast-paced, suspense thriller with plenty of plot twists and surprises right up until the end of the book. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it throws you for a loop. A great read that will keep you entertained until the end. show less

Review: Dead in the Water by Stuart Woods.

The book was well written but I thought some of the story was predictable however, the ending was a surprise. Some of Woods books are outstanding and others just fill the void of suspense and mystery. The story is faced pace and set in the Caribbean Islands.

Stone Barrington a retired detective, lawyer, and now private investigator is all set in taking a vacation on his yacht in the Caribbean at a place called St. Marks. Stones girlfriend, Arrington Carter could not make it to the boat launching because she stayed behind to interview a special actor, Vance Calder. She will join Stone on the island in a few days. However, Arrington than got caught up in a snowstorm and never made it to the show more Island.

In the meantime Stone pulls into St. Marks at the same time as a huge beautiful yacht with an attracted woman, Allison Manning docked beside him. As Stone watched the police went to her boat and escorted her away and later he found out that her husband, a known writer suffered a heart attack while on the ocean and died so she buried him at sea.

Stone had no other plans so he went to the hearing that covers the death of Allison husband. The Minister of Justice decides to prosecute Allison for murder. Stone Barrington jumps into the case as her lawyer and connects with an older lawyer on the island because Stone isn’t a resident of St. Marks. They both work on the case but Allison makes the moves on Stone so they began their romance secretly… The story goes
foreword with the trial but can Stone stop the Minister of Justice finding Allison guilty and sentencing her to a hang within twenty-four hours for murder… show less

Not a badly written book, average. However, this book was written by a man for men, as the main character, a lawyer winds up in bed with the other main female character quite a bit. She's daft. She's facing a possible hanging in a week, facing accusations of killing her husband out at sea and after that putting into port on St. Marks. There the abbreviated and corrupt form of British rule of law is bent on charging her with this crime, which it appears she didn't commit. All she thinks about is going to bed with the lawyer.

I read about 1/4 to 1/3 of this book and just can't continue. It's a waste of my time.