Bel-Air Dead by Stuart Woods
The earlier works of Stuart Woods, ie, Chiefs, were more serious and I kind of miss that. But the books in the Stone Barrington series (of which Bel-Air Dead is the latest) have their own charms. Stone is a New York lawyer and bon vivant who gets involved in one fabulous adventure after another. Flying on private jets, enjoying 4-star hotels and restaurants, and hobnobbing with the rich and famous.
In this one book, Stone hears from ex-girlfriend Arrington Calder (and I always chuckled when I thought of Stone's wife being called Arrington Barrington, if they had indeed married). Her late husband, the actor Vince Calder, spent his career at Centurion Studios, which may now be taken over and dismantled by a rich developer whose fortune came from drug money. Stone is called in to save the day. So he and his best friend Dino (a NYC cop who seems to spend very little time actually working) head for LA.
Okay, the Stone Barrington stories are totally implausible but they're great beach books--or just the thing if you're stuck in an airport for hours on end. My one quibble is that Stone is getting a little long in the tooth for every beautiful woman he meets to immediately want to hop into the sack with him. But aside from that, the Stone Barrington series is good escapist lit if you like to imagine what it would be like to own your own plane or receive a $25 million check via Fed Ex.
In this one book, Stone hears from ex-girlfriend Arrington Calder (and I always chuckled when I thought of Stone's wife being called Arrington Barrington, if they had indeed married). Her late husband, the actor Vince Calder, spent his career at Centurion Studios, which may now be taken over and dismantled by a rich developer whose fortune came from drug money. Stone is called in to save the day. So he and his best friend Dino (a NYC cop who seems to spend very little time actually working) head for LA.
Okay, the Stone Barrington stories are totally implausible but they're great beach books--or just the thing if you're stuck in an airport for hours on end. My one quibble is that Stone is getting a little long in the tooth for every beautiful woman he meets to immediately want to hop into the sack with him. But aside from that, the Stone Barrington series is good escapist lit if you like to imagine what it would be like to own your own plane or receive a $25 million check via Fed Ex.
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