21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Woods has lost whatever touch he once had, November 14, 2007
Warning: There is one small plot spoiler in this review
The best I can say about Fresh Disasters is that it isn't the worst Stuart Woods novel I've read.
I can appreciate that people, on occasion, like to read a 'so-called' beach novel and that such novels can have plot holes and poorly developed characters, provided they are fun to read. This is where Woods has really lost whatever touch he once had. Fresh Disasters is decidedly `not fun'.
The most perplexing thing is the apparent fan-base that there is for the character of Stone Barrington. Stone is a shallow, superficial, misogynist. This wouldn't be a problem if he were charming, intelligent, witty, or in any way interesting - but he's not. Not only is he a complete bore, he has to be the most incompetent lawyer ever.
I won't point out the plot holes or mention any unrealistic scenes (they are numerous). I concede that these `come with the territory'. What I will complain about is the complete absence of a plot, and in particular, the fact that Stone does absolutely nothing to resolve anything that happens in this novel. His principal role is to go out to dinner, drink bourbon, and have sex with Amazon women.
The novel has two mostly unrelated story lines. Stone has a client who is suing a mob boss for having him roughed up. I won't complain about how silly this is - but I do want to point out that Stone does absolutely nothing for this client except complain about him and poorly represent him. This story line resolves itself without any help from Stone.
The second story line involves a nymphomaniac Amazon masseuse (a prototype that Woods seems fixated on) who is being stalked by a violent ex-boyfriend. Stone does little for the woman except have sex with her, give her bad advice, and then find her dead body. Stone plays no constructive role in catching her killer.
There are various sub plots, involving Stone's sex life and a silly divorce case, but these add little to the novel - certainly not suspense. In fact, there is a complete absence of suspense in this novel and absolutely no mystery. The dialogue can only be described as `goofy' and `juvenile'. The plot, such as it is, is little more than a backdrop for Woods' real obsessions - namely fine dining and sex, lots of sex.
The bottom line is - I don't get it. I really don't. This isn't the literary equivalent of a popcorn movie. It's a cynical novel written by an author who stopped trying a long time ago.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quick, light read just for fun, August 13, 2007
While probably not the best in the Stone Barrington series, this is a fun and quick read (I went through it in just over 3 hours) and great for a light evening of entertainment.
Stone, Dino and Bill Eggers have an evening at Elaine's interrupted when Herbie Fisher stops by their table to announce he has passed the bar and is now a lawyer. A few minutes later a couple of knuckle-draggers come in, grab Herbie, haul him out the door and proceed to lay the hurt on him. Dino gets them to back off, but Herbie announces he wants to sue them for assault. Bill says he will take the case, even though Stone advises against it since the two goons are representatives of Carmine Datilla - Datilla the Hun - one of the biggest, baddest Mafia dons in the area. The next morning, apparently thinking better of the situation, Bill lays the whole thing off on Stone in such a way as to leave Stone no option but to do the suit. Of course, Herbie is a squirrelly fellow and keeps disappearing, which doesn't help matters, nor does the fact that any other witnesses keep ending up dead. . .
In the process, Stone also becomes embroiled in a divorce suit between the opposing council and his wife in an amusing side-bar, as well as a not-so-amusing stalking case with a potential new love interest, which ends badly. Woods weaves these three strands together a bit clumsily, but they still work; however, as long as this series has been going on, Stone is getting a bit unbelievable as a playboy. That, however, is my only real complaint about this story.
Overall, as I said, it was enjoyable as a light, quick read as a bit of fluff and light entertainment. There are other installments in the Stone Barrington series that are much stronger, but there is nothing wrong with this one.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
not any more, August 27, 2007
This once awesome author may want to RETIRE. He has completely lost his skills of storytelling and character developement. The last few books have been an effort to read even though I have been a serious fan from the first book. I will be buying no more and suggest if a tree has to give its gifts for books the public support a real author!
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