Cold Paradise

Joint review with Woods' [b:L.A. Dead|1426554|L.A. Dead (Stone Barrington, #6)|Stuart Woods|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183495978s/1426554.jpg|1469064]

Stone Barrington is a cop-turned-lawyer and private investigator who needs to be much more selective in his choice of bedmates. I read these two books out of sequence. They can be read independently, but to get the full flavor of the hole Stone has dug for himself, one should really read Dead in the Water, which I have not read, then L.A. Dead, followed by Cold Paradise.

In the beginning of L.A. Dead, Stone is off to Italy about to marry the beautiful Dolce, daughter of a Mafia don, who is also father-in-law to Dino, Stone's ex-partner, now a homicide lieutenant in New York City show more -- and also one of my favorite characters; he has so much more common sense than Stone. Anyway, after the Italian civil ceremony, but before the finalizing (or so Stone thinks) religious ceremony, the wedding party is notified that Vance Calder has been shot. Vance is the husband of Stone's former love-of-his-life, Arrington Calder, who is the prime suspect. So, with his prospective father-in-law's blessing (he's an amazingly helpful and understanding guy) off trots Stone to California to defend his former lover. To make a long — but fun — story short, Stone manages to piss off just about everyone, while sleeping with assorted movie stars and rekindling his affair with Arrington, much to the consternation and anger of Dolce, who annoyingly keeps checking into expensive hotels and announcing that she is Mrs. Stone Barrington, which, according to Italian law, she is. Anyway, Dolce keeps popping up at inconvenient times, popping away at his numerous new girlfriends with assorted guns. Stone gets Arrington off the hook, of course.

Cut to Palm Beach, where Stone has been hired in Cold Paradise by the enormously wealthy Thad Shames to find a woman he just met at a party, whose name he does not know, but whom he wishes to marry. Unlikely as it may seem, the woman turns out to be Allison Manning, a woman supposed to be dead (from Dead in the Water), and also with whom Stone has had an affair (it's difficult to imagine a woman he has not bedded). To make things complicated, Allison wants to get out of her earlier marriage to Paul Manning, a man who supposedly had been hanged for having murdered three people in Dead in the Water. Stone also helps her perpetrate a minor insurance fraud -- read sophisticated legal maneuver. And then, guess who should show up but Dolce, escaped from a mental institution where Stone had conveniently left her (again with the help of her Mafia father). In the meantime, Stone lives a life of luxury on Thad's incredible yacht while bedding Thad's secretary. And then Arrington shows up, too, now married to someone else again.

Well, I guess it's all in fun. Dino, in particular, is a wonderful character, but the coincidences stretch one's credulity beyond the breaking point. show less

Double back to book 7 after completing all 40+, the story is still a fun read. At Palm Beach, Stone works the rich and famous once again as some familiar characters reappear. Notably, and as an aside, Dolce escapes from the booby hatch and is recaptured by some Gumbas sent by her Mafia-don father. The real plot; however, revolves around the return of a lover, previously deceased, and her engagement to a dot com zillionaire.Meanwhile, Stone hustles the cook, who miraculously lives through the experience. As I said, fun read!

A Stone Barrington novel, Bill Eggers, the managing partner of Woodman & Weld, a extremely prestigious law firm that Stone is an associated with, is hired by billionaire Thad Shames to locate a women that he met at a house party in the Hampton's. Thad knows very little about this women other than her looks and her name, Liz, upon Stone's search to locate Liz, he comes to realize that she's an ex-lover of his and he is possible the father of her boy. Her past is filled with alaises, she shows up in St Mark on a yacht, stating that her husband died at sea and she threw his body overboard because it started to smell. The government of St Mark's doesn't buy her story and charge her with murder, but right before she's to be executed her show more husband reappears stopping her death. Their plan was to defaud the insurance company for her husband's death, now her husband, Paul Manning is on death row, waiting too be executed and now the plot thickens. A very enjoyable read, the pages kept flying by, action till the end, a type of "The Sting" ending. show less

Stone Barrington, attorney/private investigator with a large NY law firm, is a former NYPD detective. Thad Shames wants Stone to find the “spectacular” woman he met at a party the previous weekend. Her name was Liz, she was attractive, “retired” from marriage, and was seen boarding a plane for Palm Beach. It so happens, Thad, who is to launch a major internet IPO, has a home in Palm Beach complete with a two hundred and twenty-two foot yacht. The yacht will become Stone’s home while working on the investigation. While in Palm Beach Stone is surprised to meet a woman he thought was dead…

During the story Stone meets a number of women, all current or former lovers. And brushes shoulders with the rich and famous of Palm Beach. show more The story with its descriptions of grandeur and sexual encounters became ridiculous and tedious. I won’t be looking for more in this series. show less

Luxuriating in Palm Beach's winter month, Stone is stunned to recognize someone he thought was dead. Former client Alison Manning is alive and well - and suddenly very rich. Now she needs Stone's help in squaring a charge of insurance fraud that's been hanging over her head for years - and in getting rid of a recently acquired stalker. Suspects abound, including an elusive writer, an enigmatic businessman, and Alison's devious former husband. Only Stone can thwart the sly and greedy plan to steal the millions of dollars at stake - and the crafty killer behind it.

Stone Barrington (#7) goes to Palm Beach to track down a mysterious woman for a major client of his affiliated law firm. While living comfortably on a boat, with a beautiful woman to keep him warm, he is barraged by his past girlfrends, Arrington, Dolce, and Allison Manning. Allison Manning finally gets her comeuppance.

Enjoyed as always. The earlier Barrington books seem to have more mystery and more in depth bedroom romance than the current ones.