For the past two years or so I've been reading Stuart Wood's new issues out of a sense of obligation because I have never missed a single one he has had published. With "Hot Mahogany" the feeling was different. It was a book I could not put down on a flight between LA and Washington, DC -- a cover to cover read! Stone Barrington was back, and so was I, captivated and catapulted into the non-stop action.

This is not only Woods' return to glory but also the return of Stone Barrington to the just-below-the-surface cool and self-effacing ex-cop/lawyer who appreciates a good bourbon and good art, the kind of character that most over 40 guys wish they could be for only a few minutes of their lives.

Stuart Woods is back!

I wasn't able to put it down. Stone and his motley crew keep you glued to the story hoping your not near the end and never daring to check.

The latest in the Stone Barrington series was just as good as the ones before it. I always wait, impatiently, for the next in the series. Mr. Woods has brought each of these characters to life and they have become so familiar to us that we actually feel that we know them. I enjoy the way he integrates characters from the other books into his new ones. It is always an easy, enjoyable read. Most of the time, we know from the start how it is going to end, but the enjoyment is in the ride there.

The Margin
This isn't Woods's best, but for a regular reader of his novels it's certainly worth the time. New readers will find it compelling. Perhaps I've become too familiar with the characters in the Stone Barrington stories and now know what to anticipate. Regardless of my minor dissappointment with Hot Mahogany I'd recommend it. Hot Mahogany has it all, women, crime, intelligence interplay, something smuggled to the U.S. by soldiers during the Viet Nam War. It all comes together for a satisfying conclusion less some of the usual twists and turns this author is known for.
Marvin Wiebener, author of The Margin, an intelligent mystery with action and exciting characters sure to please readers of fast paced fiction.

I received this book on cd quickly and in great shape. Would do business with this company again.

I have all of Stuart Wood's book and have enjoyed them all, this one had the potential to be very good and started off well. The story line of Lance's brother's loss of memory could have taken off and led the story somewhere, however, it was more or less pushed aside and never really had any meat. After the first couple of chapters it just died for me. Each chapter brought in something new, but it was never followed though so just left you thinking "what happened with that". Normally Stuart's books keeping you wanting more after each chapter and it is very hard to put his books down. This one however just leaves you bored.

I'm currently reading this book and enjoying it very much. It will be a Christmas present, but I already read them first (smile).

I'm a long-time Stuart Woods fan, and generally I keep his books and re-read them down the road. This one will go to Salvation Army. It's a big disappointment and well below his usual books. A weak topic (antique furniture funny business) and boooooorrrrrrrriiiiiinnnnnngggg! Most of the book involves illegal activities that no ethical lawyer would get involved with, illegal use of police assets that would be instantly questioned by any competent supervisor, and having sex at will with the best looking women that turn up in the book one after another. Please! I fear Mr. Woods had to please a publisher and was out of ideas. This is sadly not one of his best efforts, in my opinion!

I have no clue who committed the crime, or even what the crime exactly was. Something about switched-around furniture and a bunch of tiresome plot twists. I came away with two things:

1. Cop Dino Bacchetti never left Elaine's Restaurant, except to commit a felony. Nice.

2. Stone Barrington is a bed-hopping sleaze, trading off partners more often than the average person changes their socks.

I hope Mr. Woods gets back on track after this mess, and we see some of his other serial characters like Will Lee, in new adventures.

Have not read the book yet, but we enjoy Stuart Woods immensley. Delivery was great and would order again.

I've read several Stuart Woods' books and generally have enjoyed them. This one's a clunker, however. Implausible plot, lifeless characters and overall boring. You'd probably do better by reading one of the 37 other Woods novels listed at the beginning.

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 is a fun romp with Stone and his old freinds i.e. Dino and Holly and some new ones as they deal with the high society world of antique furniture. Stuart provides that page turning suspense as usual as one wonders when and how the "secretary" will turn up. I do wish there was more tete a tete with Dino and more of Holly. Seems like alot of cameo apearances of past charactars. Still some laugh out loud moments tho.

What a waste of time and money. I have read all of Wood's books, but feel this one was just a waste. I couldn't follow the characters, the story line was dull, the plot predictable. Stone represents everything that today's man should not. Has he heard of AIDS, herpes, or any other number of STD's? It just was not believeable. I did not even finish the book.

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.

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 have been a Stuart Woods fan for years and enjoy reading each of his books. I especially like Stone. But in this book, I did get a bit tired of his moving from one bed to another with different ladies. Maybe he wouldn't be as much "fun" if he settled down. But since I'm a hopeless romantic, I'd like to have him stay with one woman----especially in one story. But that's just me.
The story was fun to read---from NYC through New England. There were many twists and turns----always entertaining and very tough to put down. It's a quick read and very easy to finish in a day or two. You'll be wanting more when it's over----and maybe in his next Barrington novel, you'll get more. We can always hope.

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.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RO0SIVQ1TKF10 Hot Mahogany Stuart Woods is up and down. He pleases his readers and then he disappoints them. Is "Dark Mahogany" a Good Woods or a Bad Woods. In this video review I do not give away the plot, but I do tell you if you would like the book and why. Please join me for my rainy day movie! -- Frank Derfler author of "A Glint in Time"

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

Hot Mahogany feels to me like it's a pot-boiler written on autopilot. It touches all the right stereotypical bases to gain the maximum mass-market appeal. It's filled with sexual innuendo that after a while becomes boring. It's written with an eighth grade vocabulary, sentence structure, writing style and dialogue. If you're looking for any sort of literary experience, you won't find it in this novel. Nevertheless, after having said all that, it *is* a pretty good story. So -- three stars.

I have become a fan of Stuart Woods' novels after meeting him last January, and again last Saturday. Stone Barrington is his best selling series, and HOT MAHOGANY will add one more success to his accomplishments.

Elaine's is, as usual, a central focal point in the story. Barrington has more than his fare share of beautiful, willing women, and fine wine. Lance Barton' brother, Barton enters the story, and may become a lasting character in the series, as I hope will his latest lover, Tatiana Orlovsky.

As one should expect, the story has many twists, turns, and incorporates real events. Woods explains one of them in his acknowledgments, and I remembered reading about double eagle gold coins a few years back. The historical events pertaining to the double eagles in the story happened. HOT MAHOGANY is an enjoyable read, highly recommended for a rainy weekend, a long flight, or--if you have to break up your reading time--anytime.

Lee Boyland author of two techno-thrillers dealing with current events: Behold, an Ashen Horse and The Rings of Allah.

An amusing romp through the surprisingly intriguing world of antiques and coin collecting, Woods' latest Stone Barrington mystery finds the popular sleuth back from the Caribbean at his favorite Manhattan eatery, Elaine's. There, he is approached by his CIA pal Lance Cabot, who asks him to keep an eye on his brother, Barton Cabot, an antique restorer who has partial amnesia after recently falling victim to a violent crime. Barton's former career in Army intelligence makes him a risk given his current affliction, but the plot takes a different turn when one of his pieces, worth tens of millions, is stolen from his workshop, a theft that might be related to a cache of gold coins smuggled out of Vietnam by Barton's old unit over thirty years ago during the war. An interesting premise paired with Woods' engaging cast of regulars make Hot Mahogany another winner in the Stone Barrington series.
Also recommended: A STRANGER LIES THERE - winner of the Malice Domestic Award for best first mystery, its protagonist is a former 70's radical whose part in an anti-Vietnam War action left three people dead. His past comes back to haunt him one morning in the form of a dead body on his front lawn.