Hot Mahogany (A Stone Barrington Novel)

I was a little disappointed with this Stuart Woods book. I love his work and still really enjoyed reading another Stone Barrington novel. The story was what I was disappointed in. Didn't hold my interest as much as usual. Still a good read though.

Stone Barrington and his "friends and lovers" provide another exciting story. Funny, good plot, and great ending say it all. The author made one error in the book and I was able to email him and tell him of the correction. Did not take away from a wonderful story.

Stone Barrington is back, this time in a convoluted caper involving a piece of 18th century American furniture worth $25 million. The typical Woods elements are in place - money flows, sexy women appear and disappear and some light violence takes place. All in good fun. Perfect for the next time you need to spend several hours strapped into an airline seat.

Stuart Woods is my all time favorite author. I have every book that he has ever written and always look forward to the next one. This one did not disappoint me in the least. Read it in two evenings as I couldn't put it down.

This was my first Stewart Woods novel, a hardcover I bought at the local bnr discount shelf over 15 years ago. While it was easy to ready, and the pages just flipped by, I found myself totally rolling my eyes at it, vowing never to read a Stewart Woods book again. As other reviewers have pointed out, the main character is a sleaze who expects women to drop into his bed, and they do, various women various times. One woman tires him out and he hands her off to a friend - with her very own enthused gold digger approval. Aside from these scenes, I remember very little of the book's plot. I didn't feel the characters were real nor engaging, and the main plot a yawn.

I realized afterwards the author's name is probably a pun - "Woods", get it? I don't recommend this book to anyone. I don't recommend the author. There's so much better out there.

With this book, I'm done with the Stone Barrington series. Since book one, there has been little to no character development, in any of the characters who reappear throughout the series. Several years on and they are all doing the same things and behaving the same way as in book one, which if not boring, is redundant. Most of the men behave like bachelors and the women are all easy. Stone seems never to learn, is still chronically led by his "little brain" - never displaying any judgement as to whether or not he should refrain, at least occasionally. The women are repetitive too, frequently jumping into his bed (or wherever) with minimal invitation. While it appears the writer uses the same level of character portrayal as in book one, he switches the plot and events around for interest and I don't have criticisms of the plot lines. The plots are what I've enjoyed most, but enough is enough with the stagnant character portrayals, and enough with the repetitive high-end name-dropping of wines, food, clothing. I've "listened" to these books (audiobooks) and a few of the narrators have been awful, which hasn't helped. All in all, the lack of growth from the writer is disappointing when you consider he's been writing these for 25 years, like a perpetual James Bond wannabe...

This Stuart Woods' book is entitled Hot Mahogany, a really clever title as the book deals with stolen antique furniture. Woods' books are not what I would call literature, but they are a nice, quick escape full of fun and a mystery solved.

Woods' most popular character is Stone Barrington, an ex-New York City policeman, detective, and private eye. Stone is now a lawyer as the series has progressed. He is good looking, fit, funny, and all the women love him (including me). Stone's ex-partner, Dino Bachetti, helps him solve the murders he gets mixed up in and Dino still works for New York's finest and has been promoted through the series. Woods has a few other detectives, lawyers, businessmen, and politicians as his main characters. Sometimes these characters are alone in their own mysteries, but many times they interact with each other in the different series. He does have a female lead named Holly Barker who started out as a small town police chief and now works for the CIA.

Most of the action in the novels takes place in New York, Florida, Santa Fe, or Los Angeles, places in which Woods is very familiar. Hot Mahogany has Stone trying to solve a very old mystery dealing with some Vietnam War vets and profiteers, as well as the New England rich and what happens to the early American-crafted furniture they own as the years pass. Woods has a sub-plot about double-eagle coins, which is based on a true story. I enjoyed the book as a fun, quick read to divert me from my usual readings. Woods actually had to do more than his normal research for this novel.

THE STONE BARRINGTON NOVELS
As in all of the Barrington novels, the story features Stone Barrington, an over-the-top, dilettante, snobbish-rich, aircraft pilot, ex-CIA, ex-law enforcement officer, playboy, lawyer who mostly operates as a private detective, apparently as a hobby to amuse himself and his sidekick police detective Dino Bachetti. Lance Cabot (DCI) and agent Holly Barker make little more than cameo appearances.

THE SETUP
The story begins when Lance's long-lost older brother, Barton, shows up in NYC, beaten and with short term amnesia, and is naturally rescued by Stone. Barton is an antiques dealer, and upon his return, finds that a very valuable "secretary" (i.e., desk) has been stolen---or perhaps an identical copy Barton made himself, and inmplausibly cannot tell the difference.

DEVELOPEMNT---contains spoilers
Apparently Barton's amnesia was faked--he actually knows who stole the desk, which desk was stolen, and to whom it was sold. Unexpectedly, Barrington and Dino actually manage to steal back the desk, but Barton lies to them claiming that the desk they stole was a far inferior 18th century reproduction, and shows them a brass plaque on the back stating the date and manufacturer. So, Barrington and Dino have to return it. How did that fake brass plate get installed, when, by whom, and why? All of Barton's plans could have been ruined if the buyer had seen the plate. Not to mention that in earlier novels Barrington is portrayed as an expert on fine cabinetry--but in this novel he is suddenly a dullard who cannot recognize the difference between a 17th century masterpiece (which he has seen) and an alledged 19th century copy.

CAVEATS
As Dino might say, there isn't a "human being" in the entire novel, except for some very minor characters such as 97-year-old Mildred Strong.

It is a remarkable achievement that Stuart Wood has created the least admirable, least likable, of all fictional private detectives---Stone Barrington. For example, after beating the crap out of a the husband of a woman (one of dozen or so in this novel alone) he is casually sleeping with, he calls Dino to arrange for the guy to be charged with a felony and to be mistreated in police custody. Dino even offers to forge Barrington's signature on the complaint forms. Abuse of public funds by Dino (who has police officers surveilling various individuals for Barrington), abuse of Barrington's obligations to clients, and abuse of power by Lance and Holly on Barrington's behalf seems to be the leading theme of the novel.

The sex scenes (never with the same woman twice) are dull, dry, clinical, dreary, and uninspiring. Could it be that Stuart Woods is actually letting his 15-year old virgin son write the Stone Barrington series? Whoever does write this series shows no knowledge of human relationships, particular relationships between men and women.

It seems that most of the novel takes place in Elaine's Restaurant (a real place) in NYC. One can only assume that Stuart Woods has a substantial financial interest "Elaine's" .

THE VERDICT
If you can choke down the various implausibilities, inconsistences, and defficiencies in the name of "suspension of disbelief" "Hot Mahogony is a written novel, which moves along at a brisk pace, and keeps the reader intrigued until the last page.

But better than most of his others. Other reviewers have given the synopsis, so I won't rehash. Sadly, it seems that Mr. Woods has fallen into the 'submit and outline and pay someone to write it' syndrome. The plot was weak, but oddly I found the subject matter interesting. What all the Stone Barrington novels have in common is the one-dimensional characters. The women sound the same, and you picture them all looking like Lauren Bacall. The men all sound the same (they sound like the women, actually)--all upper-crust, and all in dire need of a contraction or two. And, if it wasn't actually written that Stone takes female lovers (three in this one), you'd swear he was gay. In one extremely odd story line, Stone 'gives' the antiques dealer his new lover because her ex-fiance is making things hard for Stone with the legal firm he works for. She calmly goes along with it, as if one lover is as good as another. Oddly, all the women characters in the Stone Barrington novels are saddled with this demeaning and unrealistic flaw. Despite all of this, I have found myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue.

If it is reality you're looking for, these novels, and this book in particular, might not be for you.

I have read everything Woods has written and adore the Stone Barrington series. First of all, it was a very enjoyable read; entertaining in the classic Woods/Barrington style. However, I agree with another reviewer in that the story line had a lot of potential that ultimately was left on the table. Earlier Woods novels had far better, deeper plots and richer character development (even earlier Barrington). The amnesia story line was dropped too early with a miraculous recovery and could have been made much more interesting and complex (ie, we never even learned what really happened). The story about the furniture building could have been developed further. All in all it's a fun, quick read -- but Stuart -- if you're reading...how about something with the depth of Chiefs, White Cargo, and the early books of the Will Lee series!!! These were your best written books...

Synopsis

When a group of US Marines discover a cache of gold coins as they are leaving the battlefields of Korea they become, upon their discharge, very wealthy civilians. Colonel Barton Cabot parlays his wealth into a number of successful ventures, including his passion of collecting extremely valuable pieces of antique furniture. VERY valuable, as in a $25 million secretary desk.

As the story begins, Barton has been robbed of this valuable piece of Americana and suffers from amnesia as to exactly who assaulted him and stole his prized possession. He is also uncertain whether it was the original desk or a replica he had produced that was actually stolen.

Attorney/Detective Stone Barrington is assigned to protect the wealthy gentleman, solve the mystery, and find the missing piece. Easier said than done.

My Two Cents Worth

For me, Mr. Woods passes the ultimate litmus test for an author - the ability to tell an entertaining story. I have been a fan since Reckless Abandon.

Hot Mahogany, however, has a number of fatal flaws that I found disappointing. The story is well-written and fast-paced, but the character of Stone and his actions are too cliche to overlook.
The amnesia of Mr. Cabot originally promised some interesting twists in the plot, but fell flat and went nowhere. The character of Stone, a favorite of mine, seems to have been diluted to the point he has become just another elitist and egotistical playboy, out to see how many beauty queens he can undress and how many rich men he can make a buck from by being a smart alec. He seems to be little more than an advertisement for Knob Creek bourbon and Elaine's diner. At one point, I was reminded of the bar in Cheers, where the characters spent their every waking moment and "everybody knows your name."

I was most annoyed by the lingering questions I was left with at the end of the book. It was unclear if there was a theft of the desk, or if this was just a hoax created by Barton to swindle money from his ole pals. We never learn the truth about the amnesia and the issue was left unresolved. Did Stone and Dino steal the right desk and get conned by Barton?

I did enjoy reading the book, but it was not as polished and professionally constructed as prior works by Mr. Woods. It might be time to retire the character of Stone and turn instead to making Holly a central character.

Paperback
368 pages
3 1/4 hours

There were a number of interesting premises and storylines that just never developed - Lance Cabot's brother's mysterious past & assault, the entire desk/secretary reproduction/theft, the RI furniture. Then the tedious sub-plots, Carla & Deal, Dr Eliza, the sexy, divorcee neighbor... Had Woods developed the interesting parts more and abandoned the tedious areas (Holly coming up to help was completely superfluous)it would have been great. I will give my typical SB review- a must for the die-hard fans, a pass for the uninitiated or only casually interested.

I have always enjoyed the Stone Barrington books, particularly the audio books. However, they are starting to reach the point where the listener focuses in on issues that are so repetitive that they distract one from the plot line (which in this case, was weak). Stone Barrington spends an extraordinary amount of time eating cheeseburgers, steaks, and eggs, and drinking Knob Creek. He never seems to exercise (other than rampant "friend with benefits" sex). Dino Bachetti seems to be able to afford to eat at Elaine's every night on a cop's salary. Perhaps it is all those side jobs for Stone that allow him this luxury. Mr. Woods, please take your characters back to reality!

I liked it. I started the Stuart Woods adventure about mid stream with "Loitering with Intent". I bought the book because it had Key West in the description and Key West is my favorite destination in the whole world. I am going next month for lobster season but I don't necessarily stay in Key West when I go but I do visit at least a couple of times while in the Keys..

Anyway the, "Hot Mahogany" book is really good. It grabs you within about 15 or 20 pages. It covers a lot of ground between NYC and Connecticut (with a side trip to South America) with some new characters. It really is an intricate mystery and if you have never read any of the Stone Barrington series, you will find yourself wanting to fill in some of the intentional holes left by Mr Woods so that you will want to buy more of his series.

I warn you though, if you are going to try to fill those holes you need to read his books in the order they were printed because he casts a big web. Enjoy, I did.

Stuart Woods' latest Stone Barrington thriller is not so much a thriller but a history lesson on American furniture. Beginning at Elaine's (as usual), Stone is asked by Lance Cabot to keep in eye on his older brother Barton, who he has not seen in 30 years and who was recently mugged and beat up and has a slight case amnesia. As usual for Stone, he becomes imbroiled in a case of multi-million dollar antiques dealing and theft (yes, you read correctly). With his usual flare for solving cases, while have fabulous dates with beautiful woman, Stone eventually stumbles upon the truth on why Barton wants a certain Mahogany Secretary back (a convoluted reason). It all leads to a lukewarm showdown of wits with the suspected theif. I give it one star more than I would have because it was a fast read. But all-in-all it was not one of his best and certainly not one of his best Barrington novels.

This Stone Barrington novel had the usual plethora of mistakes and inconsistencies I find in nearly all of Stuart Woods books. I keep reading despite them because if you try and look past that his books can be light entertaining reads. This one was too much. Stone thinks better of his decision to spend the weekend at his country home with a particular woman, and just "gives" her to a nearby friend (a stranger to this woman, mind you) and goes back to New York City, and this woman is perfectly fine with this, and even tries to see Stone again in the future? Insulting and beyond that utterly implausible. Where does the author come up with these idiotic notions? I was frankly rather disgusted.

I have been a Stuart Woods fan for years, especially the Stone Barrington series. In his most recent release: HOT MAHOGANY (as in HOT reproductions of antiques), this book drifts from NYC to the New England countryside. This book has a little bit of everything: old familiar characters, a few new ones, add a touch of amnesia and some undercover work looking for valuable reproductions and there you have it...HOT MAHOGANY. Honestly, this book left me flat.

I long for the good old Stone Barrington of days gone by.

I recently started the Stone Barrington series from book 1. This is by far the worst one so far. The premise is a stolen piece of furniture? Really? No murder, mayhem, intrigue or suspense. I almost skipped it halfway through but wanted to keep up and complete the series till the end. definitely do not recommend.

In Manhattan former police officer and now highly regarded lawyer Stone Barrington is in Elaine's restaurant with Dina Bochetti; they both are shocked to see Lance Cabot, CIA Deputy Director for Operations looking disheveled and foreworn. A few minutes later the real Lance arrives at the nightclub to the amazement of Stone and Dina; he explains his doppelganger is his older brother former army intelligence specialist Barton, who still suffers from an amnesia causing blow to the head.

Barton is also an artisan who makes antique reproductions, but when he gets to his workshop, he seems one of mahogany desks has been stolen; the original is a Goldbard-Townsend worth millions, but he is unsure whether the original or his replication was taken. He hires Stone to help him find it; Barton's theory is one of the men who served under him in Nam stole the desk because he was dissatisfied with his share of the contraband smuggled out of Viet Nam by the unit. While avoiding jealous and cuckold lovers and still making love to a variety of women, Stone accompanied by Dina investigate Barton's allegations, but only the amnesic can take them to the perpetrator.

As always a Stuart Woods novel is a special treat and HOT MAHOGANY is no exception. There are many amusing scenes especially since Stone consistently thinks with his wrong head and ends up taking it up the shorts. From the opening page, the action begins and never stops keeping the audience on the edge of their seats whether Stone dodges a lover or someone trying to end his investigation. Though Stone in this thriller is much more a sleuth than a lawyer fans will enjoy Stone's look at the dangerous world of antique sales.

Harriet Klausner