Severe Clear audiobook is the 24th book in the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods. Stone Barrington is an urbane lawyer with a finger in every pie and there are other regulars from the series in this book, including Barrington’s former partner, Lt. Dino Bacchetti, the CIA’s Holly Barker, Felicity Devonshire from MI-6 and Michael Freeman from Strategic Services.
The book begins at L.A.’s grand opening of The Arrington hotel, named after Barrington’s ex-wife. It’s a plush hotel with all the luxuries that money can buy and the President of the United States as well as the President of Mexico will be staying there to pursue talks about immigration issues and trade agreements. However, there is a plan in the background led by an operative named Algernon who is working hand in hand with a Pakistani nuclear scientist who has gone rogue. Together, they plan to bomb the Arrington while the presidents are staying there, killing 2-3 million people in addition to the heads of state. So it’s up to Barrington and his crew to stop this from happening. They must figure out who is working with Algernon to prevent this massive loss of life.
Severe Clear is witty and fast-paced, immersing readers in a luxurious way of life that is simultaneously enticing and sinister. There are also various James Bond-type sexual encounters heightened by the threat lurking in the background.
Stuart Woods is a 75-year-old divorced writer who describes himself as a "born-again bachelor." He was a part of the National Air Guard for a couple of years before leaving for a career in advertising. He lived in London for a while before deciding to move to Ireland to pursue his dream of writing. There, he became interested in sailing and it was via a book on sailing that he was first published. Now, Woods has published 50 books altogether, including 29 New York Times bestsellers. Stone Barrington, cop turned lawyer, is the character he has written about most.
Download Severe Clear from The Audio Bookstore for a fast-paced novel of intrigue and high stakes. Stuart Woods will charm you once again with his character-driven writing and his exceptional flair for drama.
"I thought this was a great read. I would have given it 5 stars, except for the ending. You knew it was going to end well, but it was rushed, too much luck involved. A few new characters introduced to Stone's circle of friends and many new ones were also involved in the story. The story was a page turner with many twists and turns. Overall, a good read."
—
Mark (4 out of 5 stars)