Lucid Intervals: A Stone Barrington Novel [Large Print] [Paperback]

Stuart Woods (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stone Barrington | Publication Date: April 20, 2010

Unabridged CDs, 6 CDs, 7 hours

Read by Tony Roberts

A brand-new page-turning Stone Barrington novel from the perennially entertaining New York Times-bestselling author Stuart Woods.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stone Barrington continues to enjoy good food, good drink, and good sex provided by an eager succession of beautiful women in bestseller Woods's smooth 18th novel to feature the New York City attorney (after Kisser). Unstable ex-wife Dolce Bianci once again menaces Stone; walking catastrophe Herbie Fisher pays Stone a $1 million retainer to keep him, Herbie, out of trouble; and attractive British intelligence officer Felicity Devonshire hires Stone to find Stanley Whitestone, an ex-agent still wanted by her superiors after 12 years and recently spotted in New York. Stone walks a tricky ethical line by agreeing to work for Jim Hackett, who owns a large private security firm, and who may in fact be Whitestone. Stone's powerful cop friend, Dino Bacchetti, is ready to do favors or share a Knob Creek bourbon at Elaine's. Woods mixes danger and humor into a racy concoction that will leave readers thirsty for more. Author tour.(Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Hot on the heels of Kisser (2010), Woods’ new Stone Barrington mystery features the charismatic lawyer juggling an unwanted new client and a hunt for a former British intelligence operative. Stone is less than thrilled when Herbie Fisher, the feckless nephew of his friend Bob Cantor, walks up to him at Elaine’s and drops $1 million in his lap in exchange for representation. But Stone has bills to pay, so he helps Herbie with everything from a real-estate deal to a prenuptial agreement. But soon Stone has more pressing matters on his hands: Felicity Devonshire, a beautiful member of British intelligence, has need of his services, in and out of the bedroom. Felicity is on the hunt for Stanley Whitestone, an agent who defected and may be in New York. Felicity wants Stone to find Whitestone, a task he takes on wholeheartedly, until his investigation leads him to believe that Whitestone might not be the nefarious traitor British intelligence claims he is. Fans of Woods’ long-running series will not be disappointed by this romp, which is peppered with plenty of humor courtesy of the hapless Herbie. --Kristine Huntley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; Lrg edition (April 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399156712
• ISBN-13: 978-0399156717
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Large Print > Mystery & Thrillers
  • #48 in Books > Large Print > Literature & Fiction

More About the Author

Stuart Woods is the author of forty-four novels, including the New York Times-bestselling Stone Barrington series and Holly Barker series. The last twenty-eight of them have been New York Times best-sellers. He is an avid private pilot, flying his own jet on two book tours a year. His latest novel is Santa Fe Edge,to be published on September 21st. You may see his tour schedule and learn more about the author on his website, www.stuartwoods.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucid Intervals, April 22, 2010

By 

LCG "Golfdame" (Diamond Bar, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lucid Intervals: A Stone Barrington Novel (Hardcover)

The first two reviews are complaints regarding the lack of a Kindle version and are not really a review of the book. I have read all of Stuart Woods' books and found Lucid Intervals to be an easy and enjoyable read. It is short and to the point although somewhat repetitive which is the case of most prolific writers when they are trying to bring new readers up to date. I gave it five stars in view of the two previous reviews. If you are looking for a deeply complex and suspenseful thriller, this is not it. Lucid intervals is fun, simple and interesting. Thank you Mr Woods for keeping me supplied with an easy read for my afternoon sojourns.

31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Stuart Wood's I know is back!, May 4, 2010

By 

Michael Roeper (Fairview, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lucid Intervals: A Stone Barrington Novel (Hardcover)

I was the one who participated so much in the negative reviews of SW's last book, "Kisser".

First of all, I'm old and have bad eyes. I will buy the Kindle or audio book version first or, if not available, the paper book. The lack of availability of a particular format does not stop me for one minute if I want to read a book I've been waiting for. If you've kept up with events in the publishing world since the intro of the IPad, you would know that a renewed 4-way struggle exists between authors, paper book publishers, Apple and Amazon about splitting up the financial pie on electric books. This book would have been available on Kindle, on day one, had it not been for the recent strong-arming by Apple of paper book publishers and Amazon's price increase on many of the Kindle books due to the "electronic book wars," intensified with the intro of the IPad. Has anyone noticed Kindle prices went up in April on many of their books? Hello! The last person to blame, BTW, is the Author. They deal from the position of least strength.

But, in my opinion, this is no more the place to snivel and whine about that than it is to write 15 paragraphs in a blow-by-blow of the books plot or (my favorite) to write", I received the book in just a few days and it was "as represented" and I would buy from this seller again." This is not eBay, for crying out loud. Here is where we're supposed to write about, "HOW WE LIKED THE BOOK!!"

Upset about the diluted plots and weak character development of some of the later SW books and, especially, his sex scenes that had become, in my opinion, juvenile pornography, I had threatened to quit buying hos books. However, I ended up not being able to do that. When Lucid Intervals (L.I.) hit the streets, I'm really glad I gave Stuart one last chance. I thought his treatment of sex in L.I. was perfect and very tasteful! Only once did I find myself cringing and telling myself, "This scene would have been just as good without the sex". Good for you, Mr. Woods! I don't know if he reads the Amazon reviews but with L.I., I felt that he must have. This book was "back to classic Stuart Woods" and I'm really glad to have him back!!

I also liked the reintroduction of Herbie, one of Woods newest characters. He makes for a lot of fun in the book and also makes it easy to overlook Stone and Dino's constant and boring "fine dining" at Elaine's. I've never liked the food or conversation so well I'd be willing to eat dinner in the same place more than twice a month. Considering Stones huge appetite for sex, I continue to be surprised that he eats dinner at the same place every night. I also have never been able to understand why Woods writes the Stone character as so "upper crust" with his language. Stone's hardly a descendent of the Asters. I always wonder, when starting a new Woods book, how long before I'll read that dreaded line of Stones, "I'm of council...." He's a "Fixer" for crying out loud, who deals with thugs, gangsters and hoodlums who shoot at him all day. I wish Woods would quit making him sound like a Blue Blood. I think I hear it 3 times in this book.

SW writes about flying and boats because he is an avid and very accomplished pilot and yachtsman and, as a result, knows a lot about both. Why wouldn't he include it in his plots? I liked the parts in the book about flying because I'm interested in flying too.

L.I. was true SW and I enjoyed it a lot. The "Old Boy" still has it! He is coming to the Portland area for a signing May 5th and, although I don't usually drive at night, I'm going to figure out a way to be there just to tell him I really felt he'd given us what we paid for with this book and that I liked it a lot. We don't buy Woods books because he's the new Hemingway, we buy them to be entertained and, unlike Kisser and some of his more recent efforts, :ucid Intervals was pure Stuart Woofs, I was very entertained with the book and would strongly recommend it to others.

Michael Roeper, Portland, Oregon

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for Stone Barrington Fans, June 4, 2010

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lucid Intervals: A Stone Barrington Novel (Hardcover)

Stuart Woods recreates the elite lifestyle of lawyer Stone Barrington in LUCID INTERVALS. Stone's tastes put him in a difficult financial position when he looks at seemingly endless red ink in his checkbook. His enterprising secretary, Joan Robertson, has his best interests --- and his bank account --- in mind when she ushers in Herbie Fisher, nephew of a good friend but a monstrous pain. Herbie, an Internet-degreed attorney, has won a $30 million lottery. He is certain that someone is out to kill him, and so he wants to hire Stone to represent him. Sure enough, gunshots shatter glass in Stone's favorite restaurant, Elaine's, when Herbie approaches him. Stone turns him down, but Joan accepts the $1 million retainer behind Stone's back in order to pay his bills.

Stone's next client, British intelligence officer Felicity Devonshire, is an old acquaintance of the intimate type. She's investigating the whereabouts of a former British agent believed to have left the intelligence service with information for sale to the highest bidder, and enlists Stone to verify his appearance in the United States. Under the Official Secrets Act, she asks for his help, promising a hefty retainer in British pounds. The elegant Felicity, chauffeured to Stone's office in a slightly elder Rolls Royce, accepts an offer to stay at his house. His libido is satisfied by the insatiable appetites of his British guest; tastefully written, the sexual scenes are as much innuendo as reality.

Throughout, Woods uses the setting of Elaine's as a rendezvous for his characters. Stone's former cop partner, Dino Bacchetti, proves useful when an official investigation is necessary. Dino's access to police records is invaluable when it comes to searching for Stanley Whitestone, the elusive British agent. Herbie wanders in and out of Elaine's when seeking advice from his reluctant attorney; his adoration of Stone borders on hero worship.

Woods, himself a pilot, writes his passion for flying into LUCID INTERVALS when Stone meets a third client, Jim Hackett, a naturalized U.S. citizen and owner of a successful security conglomerate. Jim wants to hire Stone and offers him flight instruction in piloting a small corporate jet. Felicity believes that Hackett is Whitestone's assumed identity, but Stone disagrees until further sleuthing can satisfy both their reservations. Meanwhile, Herbie prances through the plotline and becomes involved in a murder investigation when he is accused of killing his prostitute girlfriend. Stone abruptly leaves the Whitestone case to bail his wealthy client out of jail.

A third subplot involves a young woman intent on killing Stone and anyone close to him. She is Dolce Bianci, Stone's brief commitment to marriage. Dolce's rich father has restrained his psychotic daughter, but she has escaped with the intention of stalking her former husband.

LUCID INTERVALS contains sufficient humorous episodes when Herbie is present to take an edge off the cloak and dagger effects of Stone's relationship with Felicity. This latest installment is a must-read for Stone Barrington fans, and I wonder if Dolce will be given a meatier role in future books. I certainly hope so.