Cover

Books by Stuart Woods

BOOKS BY STUART WOODS

FICTION

Naked Greed†

Hot Pursuit†

Insatiable Appetites†

Paris Match†

Cut and Thrust†

Carnal Curiosity†

Standup Guy†

Doing Hard Time†

Unintended Consequences†

Collateral Damage†

Severe Clear†

Unnatural Acts†

D.C. Dead†

Son of Stone†

Bel-Air Dead†

Strategic Moves†

Santa Fe Edge§

Lucid Intervals†

Kisser†

Hothouse Orchid*

Loitering with Intent†

Mounting Fears‡

Hot Mahogany†

Santa Fe Dead§

Beverly Hills Dead

Shoot Him If He Runs†

Fresh Disasters†

Short Straw§

Dark Harbor†

Iron Orchid*

Two-Dollar Bill†

The Prince of Beverly Hills

Reckless Abandon†

Capital Crimes‡

Dirty Work†

Blood Orchid*

The Short Forever†

Orchid Blues*

Cold Paradise†

L.A. Dead†

The Run‡

Worst Fears Realized†

Orchid Beach*

Swimming to Catalina†

Dead in the Water†

Dirt†

Choke

Imperfect Strangers

Heat

Dead Eyes

L.A. Times

Santa Fe Rules§

New York Dead†

Palindrome

Grass Roots‡

White Cargo

Under the Lake

Deep Lie‡

Run Before the Wind‡

Chiefs‡

TRAVEL

A Romantic’s Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland (1979)

MEMOIR

Blue Water, Green Skipper

*A Holly Barker Novel

†A Stone Barrington Novel

‡A Will Lee Novel

§An Ed Eagle Novel

1

Stone Barrington was at dinner at Patroon, a favorite restaurant, with Dino and Viv Bacchetti, his closest friends.

“Stone,” Viv said, “don’t you sometimes wish you were still a cop?” Stone had spent fourteen years on the NYPD, most of them as a homicide detective with Dino as his partner.

“Viv,” Stone replied, “with the kindest possible intention, are you out of your fucking mind?”

Viv burst out laughing.

Dino looked at him with pity. “He wishes he was still a cop every time I tell him about something the department is investigating.”

“The only time I wish I were a cop,” Stone said, “is when somebody is double-parked in front of my house and I’m having trouble getting the car out of the garage.”

“You mean, you want to arrest the driver?” Viv asked.

“No, I want to shoot him.”

“Stone thinks the worst crime we have to deal with is double-parking in his block,” Dino pointed out.

“No, I just think it’s the worst crime within gunshot range of my garage door.”

“That seems a drastic remedy,” Viv said.

“Not when you consider that I’d only have to do it once—word would get around, then nobody would double-park in front of my house.”

“It wouldn’t matter, because you’d be in jail for quite a long time,” Dino said.

“You mean, you’d have me arrested for shooting a double-parker?” Dino had stayed on the NYPD and was now police commissioner of New York.

“Of course. You’d get no special treatment.”

“I didn’t mean I’d kill the guy, just shoot him a little.”

“Then you’d spend less time in jail. With good behavior you’d be out in seven to ten.”

“But I still have a badge.”