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OUR FAVORITE LEGAL EAGLE RETURNS.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR STUART WOODS CONTINUES WHAT HE STARTED IN SANTA FE RULES:
Stuart Woods delivers a compulsively readable novel of crosses and double-crosses, featuring a shrewd criminal lawyer and his shamelessly sexy wife-a true black widow.
Stuart Woods is the author of fifty novels, including the New York Times-bestselling Stone Barrington and Holly Barker series. He is a native of Georgia and began his writing career in the advertising industry. Chiefs, his debut in 1981, won the Edgar Award. An avid sailor and pilot, Woods lives in New York City, Florida, and Maine.
However, despite his best intentions, Woods got sidetracked in Ireland. He was nearly 100 pages into a novel when he discovered the seductive pleasures of sailing. "Everything went to hell," he quips on his web site "All I did was sail." He bought a boat, learned everything he could about celestial navigation, and competed in the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race (OSTAR) in 1976, finishing respectably in the middle of the fleet. (Later, he took part in the infamous Fastnet Race of 1979, a yachting competition that ended tragically when a huge storm claimed the lives of 15 sailors and 4 observers. Woods and his crew emerged unharmed.)
Returning to the U.S., Woods wrote two nonfiction books: an account of his transatlantic sailing adventures (Blue Water, Green Skipper) and a travel guide he claims to have written on a whim. But the book that jump-started his career was the opus interruptus begun in Ireland. An absorbing multigenerational mystery set in a small southern town, Chiefs was published in 1981, went on to win an Edgar Award, and was subsequently turned into a television miniseries starring Charlton Heston.
An amazingly prolific author, Woods has gone on to pen dozens of compelling thrillers, juggling stand-alone novels with installments in four successful series. (His most popular protagonists are New York cop-turned-attorney Stone Barrington, introduced in 1991's New York Dead, and plucky Florida police chief Holly Barker, who debuted in 1998's Orchid Beach.) His pleasing mix of high-octane action, likable characters, and sly, subversive humor has made him a hit with readers -- who have returned the favor by propelling his books to the top of the bestseller lists.
His first job was in advertising at BBDO in New York, and his first assignment was to write ads for CBS-TV shows. He recalls: "They consisted of a drawing of the star and one line of exactly 127 characters, including spaces, and I had to write to that length. It taught me to be concise."
He flies his own airplane, a single-engine turboprop called a Jetprop, and tours the country every year in it, including book tours.
He's a partner in a 1929 motor yacht called Belle and spends two or three weeks a year aboard her.
In 1961-62, Woods spent 10 months in Germany with the National Guard at the height of the Berlin Wall Crisis.
In October and November of 1979, he skippered a friend's yacht back across the Atlantic, with a crew of six, calling at the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands and finishing at Antigua in the Caribbean.
Anonymous
Posted March 9, 2009
Ed Eagle is not quite the strong, invincible character as seen in Sante Fe Rules, but he is still a good guy. He doesn't see the true nature of his devious wife Barbara ( but really who would expect to be married to a psycopath!) until she has robbed him and tried to have him killed. The two guys he hires to bring her back from Mexico are terribly inept, but rather likeable. In the end, Ed Eagle has a twist waiting for Barbara that she never sees coming.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 29, 2007
I'm a fan of Stuart Woods, but some of the characters in this one were not credible. First and foremost, did Ed Eagle not have a clue as to the despicable character he was married to? What, were they married for a week before this book started? Stick with Stone Barrington and Holly Barker.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 21, 2006
I'm never disappointed in any book that Stuart Woods rights. Love his characters, plots and story line. I'm only sorry his books are not longer. I finish them so quickly. Can't wait for another Stone Barrington book from Woods.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 1, 2012
enjoyed the book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Buklover
Posted August 18, 2010
I can't believe so many readers liked this book. Everything was so predictable, without any touch of humor, totally without any clever or thoughtful turns or twists. Sounds like Stuart either had an impossible deadline to finish or just didn't want to put in any effort into the writing.
As another reviewer noted, Barbara's character is so nasty you would think a successful, brilliant attorney might just have noticed during their blissful marriage. Although she appears not all that bright since she didn't quite move his money safely into her accounts very quickly, and she wasn't all that hard to track down, (several times) the brilliant detectives were even dumber. They each got shot, one dumped overboard, they were outsmarted twice in trying to get a signed paper. Some of this stuff would have been funny if Stuart hadn't written it as serious.
The only reason I finished the book was I kept thinking there was an imaginative twist just around the next bend. That never happened.
Short Straw was a much better book than Santa Fe Rules by Stuart Woods. In this book, the reader gets to know Eagle and he is definitely the main character. Now I'll get successive books in the series (I wasn't going to, but I bought the first two at the same time.
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Posted December 12, 2006
after reading hundred of thrillers this book has more holes then siss cheese. if this was woods first book it would never be published, but in the can.
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Posted January 7, 2007
Short Straw is a quick yet rather pedestrian effort.Lawyer Eagle is virtually scrambling from page one so the reader is entertained. The depth of the plot and character development is weak. Not bad for a Sunday read but nothing more. I would suggest you get this one from the library and save your money for other books
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Posted October 13, 2006
Loads of grammatical mistakes and mistakes in character names rip attention away from a good story.
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Posted October 13, 2006
Let's face it, even a guy as sharp as top Santa Fe attorney Ed Eagle can make a mistake. He did, and it was a doozie, perhaps a costly doozie. His error was in marrying and trusting Barbara. It is his fiftieth birthday, and one of the biggest days in his life - he's about to open new offices - he'd worked for this day for 25 years. However, oddly enough, he had overslept which was not at all like him. He wonders why Barbara hadn't awakened him, and finds the answer to that question in her bathroom - an empty bottle of Ambien (sleeping pills). He didn't take them, but she might have laced his dinner wine with them. She's nowhere to be found, so he heads for his new offices and the noon opening reception. He's greeted with a fax which his secretary, Betty, found in the fax machine. It reads, 'This is to confirm the wire transfer of $930,000 from your firm account and $170,000 from your personal account to an account in the Cayman Islands.' Barbara had wiped him out. Ed bared his teeth, `Look in my mouth,' he said to Betty. 'Do I still have my eyeteeth?' 'Figuratively speaking,' Betty replied, 'no.' And so begins the 33rd novel by bestselling author Stuart Woods, and marks the return of tough, savvy six-foot-seven-inch Ed Eagle. Our hero will need all the smarts and skill he has to stay afloat and alive. The search for Barbara and his money is on - Ed hires a pair of private investigators to track her but she always manages to stay beyond their grasp. Cupie, an ex Los Angeles Police Detective can't land her. Will Vittorio, an Apache, best her? A sub plot involves Ed's successful defense of an accused murder, Joe Big Bear which eventually ties in nicely with Cupie's and Vittorio's efforts to get Barbara to sign some blank pieces of paper which would eventually return Ed's cash. Short Straw is stay-up-all-night-reading - it's entertainment and excitement to the max. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke
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Posted November 9, 2006
Michael Kramer is such a good reader! And Stuart Woods gives him great stuff to read. I don't think I have ever not enjoyed a Woods book, and this one was no exception. I hope he never goes the route of so many writers today and writes in tandem with another author. Ed Eagle is a good character and Vittorio and QP were great foils for one another. I can't think of many women more evil than Barbara. She sure knows how to manipulate the oppisite sex! I don't want to give away any of the story because you must read/listen to it yourself. I guarantee a fun few hours!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Actor Michael Kramer whose stage credits include works by authors as disparate as Shakespeare and Tony Kushner gives a riveting, realistic reading of this complex thriller. He packs a wallop especially when bringing to life the beleaguered attorney Ed Eagle. Let's face it, even a guy as sharp as top Santa Fe attorney Eagle can make a mistake. He did, and it was a doozie, perhaps a costly doozie. His error was in marrying and trusting Barbara. It is his fiftieth birthday, and one of the biggest days in his life - he's about to open new offices - he'd worked for this day for 25 years. However, oddly enough, he had overslept which was not at all like him. He wonders why Barbara hadn't awakened him, and finds the answer to that question in her bathroom - an empty bottle of Ambien (sleeping pills). He didn't take them, but she might have laced his dinner wine with them. She's nowhere to be found, so he heads for his new offices and the noon opening reception. He's greeted with a fax which his secretary, Betty, found in the fax machine. It reads, 'This is to confirm the wire transfer of $930,000 from your firm account and $170,000 from your personal account to an account in the Cayman Islands.' Barbara had wiped him out. Ed bared his teeth, `Look in my mouth,' he said to Betty. 'Do I still have my eyeteeth?' 'Figuratively speaking,' Betty replied, 'no.' And so begins the 33rd novel by bestselling author Stuart Woods, and marks the return of tough, savvy six-foot-seven-inch Ed Eagle. Our hero will need all the smarts and skill he has to stay afloat and alive. The search for Barbara and his money is on - Ed hires a pair of private investigators to track her but she always manages to stay beyond their grasp. Cupie, an ex Los Angeles Police Detective can't land her. Will Vittorio, an Apache, best her? A sub plot involves Ed's successful defense of an accused murder, Joe Big Bear which eventually ties in nicely with Cupie's and Vittorio's efforts to get Barbara to sign some blank pieces of paper which would eventually return Ed's cash. Short Straw is prime listening entertainment and excitement to the max. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke
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Posted October 31, 2006
I will admit there are always a number of mistakes in Stuart Woods' books, but that doesn't deter from the fast-paced readability. A fun, easy read that will keep you guessing to the end!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Santa Fe attorney Ed Eagle wakes up surprised to see that his wife Barbara is nowhere to be found at home or in their new office. He learns that one and a half million dollars is being transferred to an account in the Cayman Islands. His broker tells Ed that he liquidated his million dollar account and are getting ready to wire it. He¿s able to stop the money from being transferred except for the $300,000 Barbara took out of her new account.---------------- Ed hires private detective Cupie Dalton to Mexico City where the money bounced to from the Cayman Islands. He wants Cupie to find his spouse and have her sign six sheets of papers. Barbara ends up shooting him and even though the wound isn¿t severe he sends another private detective Vittorio for back up. Someone in Mexico wants Barbara dead and the two PIs end up protecting her. She tricks them into thinking she signed the papers not once but twice and Ed realizes just how dangerous she really is when he learns she took a hit out on him. Ed with the help of the two private detectives is determined to bring her down, but Ed wants his wife alive while other men want her dead for what she did to them.------------ The antagonist is the personification of a black widow, willing to kill her mate (and others) to get what she wants which is his money. This leads the audience to wonder how Ed and others missed her lethal avaricious traits. SHORT STRAW starts out at light speed and never slows down as is typical of Stuart Woods¿ action thrillers. Surprisingly his characters are three dimensional, not stereotypes and all of them are believable. Let us hope the author writes more works starring Ed Eagle, a protagonist who gets things done his way.----------- Harriet Klausner
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Overview
OUR FAVORITE LEGAL EAGLE RETURNS.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR STUART WOODS CONTINUES WHAT HE STARTED IN SANTA FE RULES:
Stuart Woods delivers a compulsively readable novel of crosses and double-crosses, featuring a shrewd criminal lawyer and his shamelessly sexy wife-a true black widow.