A Delicate Touch
Stuart Woods
Synopsis
When an old acquaintance reaches out to Stone Barrington requesting assistance, the job seems easy enough. She needs an expert in an esoteric field, someone with both the knowledge and careful dexterity to solve a puzzle. But the solution to one small problem blows the lid open on a bigger scandal going back decades, and involving numerous prominent New Yorkers who would prefer the past stay buried.
With this explosive information in-hand, Stone Barrington is caught between a rock and a hard place, his only options either to play it safe to the detriment of others or to see justice done and risk fatal exposure. But when it comes to Stone Barrington, danger is usually just around the corner… so he may as well throw caution to the wind.
Richard comments
Stuart Woods writes engaging stuff. He is formidable with dialogue and his chief character in the Barrington series, Stone Barrington, is attention-grabbing but not much more.
In this novel, Barrington is our host and tour guide to the world of the very well-to-do. We learn about fine dining in certain American cities, lavish hotels in foreign places, the homes of the wealthy in the United States and the world of a very successful fictional lawyer. It’s likely not a world to which many of us wish to be transported, let alone with which many readers have any experience.
The story is readable. The dialogue is Woods’ trump card as it is credible, current and catchy. A number of characters in the story are affable but not much more. The story lacks depth, characters analysis, plot complications or story development.
The book is escapism in a light mode, no more. Worth reading? Likely only to Stuart Woods fans. Woods shot the entire wad with Chiefs but that was a blast like none other he has written.
