Cold Paradise [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction) [Preloaded Digital Audio Player]

Stuart Woods (Author), Dick Hill (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2009 | Series: Playaway Adult Fiction

Abridged. Four cassettes, 6 hours.

On the Gold Coast of Florida, Stone Barrington hunts a master of disguise and deceit in this latest thriller in his compulsively readable, bestselling series.

"Stuart Woods is a no-nonsense, slam-bang storyteller."
-Chicago Tribune
Cop-turned-investigator Stone Barrington has the street-smarts, dry wit, and debonair charm his fans love, and Palm Beach-the setting of his new adventure-is his most glamorous scene-of-the-crime yet. In Cold Paradise, he becomes reacquainted with a case he thought was buried years ago-and must settle romantic entanglements that haunt him still.

Luxuriating in the winter warmth of a Palm Beach cafŽ, Stone is stunned to recognize someone he thought was dead: the beautiful Allison Manning, a woman he had defended against a murder charge on a Caribbean island in Dead in the Water. Allison is alive and well-and suddenly very rich. And she needs a favor: Might Stone help her square a charge of insurance fraud that's been hanging over her head for years?

But first, Stone must find the man who is stalking her. He suspects more than one man: an elusive writer who never shows his face; an enigmatic businessman with a past he won't reveal; and even Allison's former husband-whom they have all thought dead since those days in the Caribbean. Only Stone can thwart the sly and greedy plan to steal the millions at stake in this crafty new thriller.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Suave, sophisticated Stone Barrington is a hero destined for the big screen. (Since Cary Grant is dead, Stone will have to be played by Bruce Willis, if he can keep his smirk under control.) He's certainly got the trappings: the Armani tuxedo too well-tailored to reveal the gun beneath the drape, the sexy sports cars, the beautiful women who never fail to throw themselves at him, the confident familiarity with a complicated wine list or French menu. And he's got friends in high places, which helps when you're looking for a beautiful woman who made a big impression on the slightly nerdy but nice software billionaire who hires Barrington to find her.

Between bedding the billionaire's chef in Palm Beach, hiding from the homicidal Mafia princess he almost married in Italy, and playing games with a Hollywood beauty whose young son may or may not be his very own child, Stone hardly has time to do the job he's been hired for. But when he does, he discovers that the object of his search is still another ex-lover, a woman he thought had been executed on a Caribbean island three years ago. All these women, and all these adventures, plus Stone's old pal Dino, a New York cop, will be familiar to readers of Woods's other Stone Barrington thrillers. This one has Woods's trademark narrative punch, solid pacing, and glossy, brand-name panache. If Judith Krantz wrote thrillers, this is what she'd turn out. But don't let that stop you. Cold Paradise is the perfect book for a hot day in the hammock or a long plane ride to a ritzy resort destination. The only real surprise is why Stone Barrington hasn't made it to the big (or small) screen yet. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Woods's cop-turned-lawyer Stone Barrington finds himself in beautiful Palm Beach, FL, during the winter season becoming reacquainted with a case he thought he closed years ago. It all started when Thad Shames, a wealthy dot-com tycoon, hires Barrington (for a considerable remuneration) to find the girl of his dreams, a girl he knows only as Liz. Barrington finds her, only to discover that she is really Allison Manning, a client he defended against murder charges several years ago (Dead in the Water) and whom he believed to be dead. Now very much alive and involved in an insurance fraud scheme as well as coping with an elusive stalker, she is delighted to meet Barrington again and request that he look into her troubles. The suspense leading up to the d?nouement is excellent. In the unabridged version, well read by Dick Hill, the character development, the involvement of Palm Beach local color, and Barrington's attraction to Callie, Shames's beautiful assistant, is very good and nicely detailed. Tony Roberts's abridged set keeps up with the suspense and some of the character development; his talent with voice inflections is very entertaining. But this listener missed the total picture that Woods provides in his detailed, well-developed story, thus preferring the longer version. A good choice for audio collections. Steven J. Mayover, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Preloaded Digital Audio Player
• Publisher: Playaway (December 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 144183284X
• ISBN-13: 978-1441832849
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)

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

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Cold Decadence, August 21, 2002

By 

John J. Grassi (Norman, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Paradise (Stone Barrington) (Paperback)

Meet Stone Barrington, a Bond-like attorney/investigator/playboy with exquisite taste and dangerous habits. In Cold Paradise by Stuart Woods, Barrington suffers through another New York winter, but his outlook improves dramatically upon meeting billionaire software tycoon Thad Shames. Shames has fallen hopelessly in love with a mysterious woman named Liz after meeting her only once, and hires Barrington to find her. The only lead Barrington has is that she lives in exotic Palm Beach, so Barrington takes up residence on Shames' 240-foot yacht off the Florida coast, where he is soon ensnared in a web of conspiracy and murder.

Cold Paradise is the seventh novel in the Stone Barrington series, first introduced with 1992's New York Dead. Woods is an amazingly prolific writer, having already published dozens of novels and two books of non-fiction. One of his previous novels, Dead in the Water, provides the back-story for Cold Paradise.

The first seventy pages of Cold Paradise moves well, as Dead in the Water's Allison Manning reappears after swindling twelve million dollars in an insurance scam. The book is peppered with clever dialogue between Barrington and his sidekick Bachetti, and the setting is vivid, for Woods has an uncanny gift of making the wealthy decadence of Palm Beach come alive.

There are plot and character problems, however, starting with an inexplicable coincidence: Allison Manning is Shames's Liz. She is also Barrington's former client and lover, so things get complicated; Allison still lusts for Barrington, but so does every other woman in Cold Paradise. Before long Palm Beach is crawling with Barrington's girlfriends, past and present, and one needs a libretto to keep them straight. This leads to another problem--the author's inability to develop female characters. The two female leads, Allison and Callie, seem incapable of doing anything meaningful, their lives limited to shopping, cooking, and bed hopping. Barrington's ex-wife Dolce (Italian for 'sweet') wants to kill him for reasons unknown, yet readers can safely assume that her psychotic state was induced by Barrington's sexual persona.

Midway through the novel, there is a second case of mistaken identity that has no real function in the story except to distract the reader and waste a hundred pages. One wonders if Woods has been influenced by filmmaker David Lynch with his constant manipulation of identity, yet where Lynch dazzles his audience with a unique vision, Woods merely irritates his readers with trivial nonsense.

The discriminating reader may soon tire of the crass materialism in the book; conspicuous consumption abounds, with many references to luxury cars (Shames orders three Mercedes convertibles for his house guests), jewelry (Allison impulsively buys a $30,000 necklace) and designer wardrobes (the working-class Bachetti inexplicably goes shopping for an Armani suit). Woods's style in Cold Paradise is infected with narcissism, and readers may feel little empathy for these characters.

One can argue that books like Cold Paradise shouldn't be held to the same critical standard as more 'serious' fiction. If the author's intention is 'fiction light' (the argument goes), then critical standards must be adjusted or even ignored. Cold Paradise thrives in that curious realm of books targeted for beachcombers and frequent flyers. Undoubtedly Woods is mining this market.... Cold Paradise will appeal to past readers of the Barrington series; there is a formula at work here that is undeniably successful. In addition to the faithful, the book will attract the Wish-I-Were-Rich crowd, who can, at least vicariously, live the good life between the pages of this novel.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A STELLAR READING OF A SENSATIONAL THRILLER, April 27, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cold Paradise Audio (Audio Cassette)

Broadway, film and television actor Tony Roberts offers a sensational reading of the latest thriller by Stuart Woods. With a skill born of confidence and experience he easily segues from character to character in this suspense riddled mystery.

With "Cold Paradise," lawyer cum private investigator Stone Barrington returns - this time to the gilded streets of Palm Beach where he eventually confronts old friends and foes. Mega rich Thad Shames has asked Barrington to go to this playground for the wealthy to trace a woman Shames met at a party. There are a few perks on what initially appears to be a routine assignment, including a yacht stateroom and Shames' beguiling assistant, Callie.

Barrington locates the woman in short order but is surprised to find that she is Allison Manning, now known as Liz, the same person he defended against a murder charge on a Caribbean island in "Dead In The Water" (1997).

Allison is in almost as much trouble now as she was a few years back. She turns to Barrington for protection and to help find a mysterious man who is stalking her. Never mind the insurance fraud charge she's trying to outrun.

Barrington calls in his partner, Dino, for help as they track the elusive stalkert from Manhattan to the luxurious manses dotting the Gold Coast.

What a page-turner, what a setting, and what a reading!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cold Paradise, June 13, 2001

By 

Ricky N. "Ricky C. Nelson" (Commerce, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Paradise (Stone Barrington) (Hardcover)

"Cold Paradise" is the latest Stone Barrington novel by Stuart Woods. Stone is hired by rich man Thad Shamus to find a woman named Liz that he met in the Hamptons and wanted to see again. Stone travels to Palm Beach, Florida and finds Liz Harding rather quickly. Liz is actually Allison Manning, Stone's former client with whom Stone had a brief affair. Allison (Liz) retains Stone to do some legal work, and the rest of the book is devoted to finding Allison's husband, Paul Manning. For Stone Barrington readers, Stone once again beds a beautiful woman, Callie Hodges, Thad's girl Friday. This novel is not bad, but I expect better from Stuart Woods.