“Stuart Woods with Treason
provides a couple of hours of uncomplicated chase-and-shoot entertainment.”
There are hundreds of ways in
which a work week can slide sideways and add stress. But of all the ways to
balance that feeling, the Stone Barrington novels by Stuart Woods may be in the
top 10. The newest title, Treason, is an action-packed romp through
“outing” a Washington, DC, mole and enjoying the delights of fine food and
wine, good friends, and happy romps in bed, all between “scrambled” phone calls
to top CIA buddies.
Spun in short lively chapters
ideal for commuters and other often-interrupted readers, Treason opens
with Stone Barrington’s long-time friend and lover, Holly, arriving in person
to seek his assistance. Suspecting a mole in the Department of State and
unwilling to risk trusting either the CIA or the FBI, Holly wants Stone’s
advice on what her other options are. And she’s made a good choice in coming to
him; after a few diversions, Stone connects her with a truly trusted contact
who can start the rapid screening process needed.
And rapid is the key word,
because Holly is already Secretary of State and about to open her Presidential
campaign. She can’t risk having a mole in place and later being exposed—it
would totally blow her image as competent on the high-pressure stage of
national and soon global politics. The catch is: At first, it looks like her
department is “clean,” and she steps forward.
Which is when Stone and his
buddies realize things are more complicated than they look, and a diversion or
two will be necessary to both flush out the mole and protect Holly’s campaign.
Naturally, since a Stuart Woods new release is always up-to-date, the issue at
stake involves manipulation by a Russian oligarch.
“’I had no instructions
regarding discretion, or on how to kowtow to a Russian oligarch,’ Stone said.
‘So I treated him like a normal human being.’
‘He is not a normal
human being,’ Lance said, ‘as I assume you now understand.’
‘I understand that he does
not regard himself as a normal human being,’ Stone said, ‘and that he
may have come to regard me as less than one, since he is obviously accustomed
to a level of obsequiousness that I have not yet attained in my dealings with
the superrich.’
‘Oh, stop being a pompous
ass,’ Lance scolded.”
There’s plenty of such witty
dialogue involved, but the plot eventually matures to the wealthy seacoast
version of car chases: yacht maneuvers. And of course plenty of armaments and
explosions underway.
Series fans will understand
that there’s no serious long-term risk to Stone himself, since he needs to
survive for the next book. But will his snappy maneuvering prove enough to
protect the seductive women who appear so often in his life? Come to think of
it, might any of those sexy ladies be covering for a Russian espionage
entanglement?
As usual, riding shotgun for
Stone Barrington means adapting to the next crisis before all the pieces are
clearly aligned. With some light-hearted political commentary tossed over the
shoulder, Stuart Woods with Treason provides a couple of hours of uncomplicated
chase-and-shoot entertainment.
Or are the Russians really
infiltrating American politics after all?
PS: Looking for more mystery reviews, from cozy to very dark? Browse the Kingdom Books mysteries review blog here.
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