StuartMindy

Stone Barrington is called to Bel-Air to oversee an exclusive event that will gather the top echelons of the beau monde: Hollywood starlets, socialites, politicos, billionaires from overseas. It’s a task in which Stone has a personal stake, and one that is made all the more pleasurable - though somewhat more complicated - with the arrivals of two beautiful women with whom he’s intimately acquainted. But the grand occasion has also attracted a dangerous criminal group with sinister plans....

Hired by an odd client previously unknown to him, Stone arrives in London on a mission he thinks he understands but doesn't. Soon he finds himself not only out of his territory but out of his depth as well. Baffled as he is by the behavior of both his quarry and his client, Stone's life is further complicated by two, possibly three murders and the affectionate attentions of two former lovers. When the intelligence services of three countries become involved, he can only hang on for a wild ride and hope for a not-too-bumpy landing.

In Swimming to Catalina, ex cop turned Manhattan attorney and investigator Stone Barrington is back, still smarting from his sudden breakup with brilliant, beautiful magazine writer Arrington Carrington, who has left him to marry Hollywood's hottest male star, Vance Calder. Then Calder calls Stone for help: Arrington has vanished without a trace, and Calder, refusing to call the police, wants Stone to find her.

Not long after Stone and his ex-partner Dino make the acquaintance of Billy Bob—a smooth-talkin’ Texan packing a wad of rare two-dollar bills—someone takes a shot at them. Against his better judgment, Stone offers Billy Bob a safe haven for the night but almost immediately regrets it. The slippery out-of-towner has gone missing and someone has been found dead—in Stone’s town house no less.

Blood Orchid is the third adventure of one of Stuart Woods' most engaging characters, Chief of Police Holly Barker. This time out, Holly is trying to get her life back together after the shattering loss of her fiancé. With the help of her wily Doberman, Daisy, and her father, Ham, she throws herself back into the job with a vengeance. At a local restaurant, Holly and Ham meet a gentleman new to the area, rich and dapper developer Ed Shine, who has found an evocative name for both his favorite flower and his latest real-estate venture: the "Blood Orchid".