Books

Investigators (Thorndike Core)
Sudden Prey CL (Thorndike Core)
Jupiter's Bones (Thorndike Core)
Undercurrents (Thorndike Core)
Chameleon
Murder at Morses Pond
Good Morning, Killer
Cosi Fan Tutti (Thorndike Cloak & Dagger)
Brunswick Gardens (Thorndike Basic)
Stargazey (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers)
Angels Flight (Thorndike Americana)
Angels Flight (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers)
Certain Prey (Thorndike Basic)
A Nameless Coffin (Thorndike General)
Naked in Death (Thorndike Americana)
Up and Down (Five Star First Edition Mystery)
Strangers Among Us (Thorndike Mystery)
Isle of Dogs (Thorndike Paperback Bestsellers)
Coffin Knows the Answer (Thorndike General)
The First Law (Thorndike Americana)
Death in the Family (Thorndike Mystery)
Cold Pursuit (Thorndike Basic)
Final Justice (Thorndike Core)
Right as Rain (Thorndike Mystery)
Little Scarlet (Thorndike Basic)

Cold Paradise (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)

Average customer rating:

Too Many Ex-Loves.
Cold Paradise review
Enjoyable listen!
got me hooked quickly
Awesome

Cold Paradise (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)
Stuart Woods
Manufacturer: G. K. Hall & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Dirty Work (Stone Barrington Novels)
The Short Forever
Worst Fears Realized
Swimming to Catalina
Dirt

ASIN: 0783894708

Amazon.com

Suave, sophisticated Stone Barrington is a hero destined for the big screen. (Since Cary Grant is dead, Stone will have to be played by Bruce Willis, if he can keep his smirk under control.) He's certainly got the trappings: the Armani tuxedo too well-tailored to reveal the gun beneath the drape, the sexy sports cars, the beautiful women who never fail to throw themselves at him, the confident familiarity with a complicated wine list or French menu. And he's got friends in high places, which helps when you're looking for a beautiful woman who made a big impression on the slightly nerdy but nice software billionaire who hires Barrington to find her.

Between bedding the billionaire's chef in Palm Beach, hiding from the homicidal Mafia princess he almost married in Italy, and playing games with a Hollywood beauty whose young son may or may not be his very own child, Stone hardly has time to do the job he's been hired for. But when he does, he discovers that the object of his search is still another ex-lover, a woman he thought had been executed on a Caribbean island three years ago. All these women, and all these adventures, plus Stone's old pal Dino, a New York cop, will be familiar to readers of Woods's other Stone Barrington thrillers. This one has Woods's trademark narrative punch, solid pacing, and glossy, brand-name panache. If Judith Krantz wrote thrillers, this is what she'd turn out. But don't let that stop you. Cold Paradise is the perfect book for a hot day in the hammock or a long plane ride to a ritzy resort destination. The only real surprise is why Stone Barrington hasn't made it to the big (or small) screen yet. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Abridged. Four cassettes, 6 hours.

On the Gold Coast of Florida, Stone Barrington hunts a master of disguise and deceit in this latest thriller in his compulsively readable, bestselling series.

"Stuart Woods is a no-nonsense, slam-bang storyteller."
-Chicago Tribune
Cop-turned-investigator Stone Barrington has the street-smarts, dry wit, and debonair charm his fans love, and Palm Beach-the setting of his new adventure-is his most glamorous scene-of-the-crime yet. In Cold Paradise, he becomes reacquainted with a case he thought was buried years ago-and must settle romantic entanglements that haunt him still.

Luxuriating in the winter warmth of a Palm Beach cafŽ, Stone is stunned to recognize someone he thought was dead: the beautiful Allison Manning, a woman he had defended against a murder charge on a Caribbean island in Dead in the Water. Allison is alive and well-and suddenly very rich. And she needs a favor: Might Stone help her square a charge of insurance fraud that's been hanging over her head for years?

But first, Stone must find the man who is stalking her. He suspects more than one man: an elusive writer who never shows his face; an enigmatic businessman with a past he won't reveal; and even Allison's former husband-whom they have all thought dead since those days in the Caribbean. Only Stone can thwart the sly and greedy plan to steal the millions at stake in this crafty new thriller.

Customer Reviews:

Too Many Ex-Loves........2007-06-10

Stuart Woods serves up so many "ex-dishes" for Stone Barrington to handle it is difficult to remember "who was who" or why they were important. Somehow, the story, which has a good premise gets lost in all of the previous encounters and Stone becomes a celluloid copy of his former self without the time to build the suspense necessary for a satisfying thriller.
The image of Stone running around Palm Beach in Vance Calder's castoff clothes doesn't fit the suave Stone, whose taste and means gives him access to the finest of New York's haberdasheries. One kept hoping he'd find a charity outlet for their disposal.
If like me, you enjoy the Barrington character, you'll keep reading to the end. A parody is good for relaxation, but we all await the next installment of Stone's adventures.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Taxes, Stumbling Blocks & Pitfalls for Authors 2007."

Cold Paradise review.......2006-11-09

Typically enjoyable Stone Barrington saga that draws you in immediately with just the right amount of action and love interest to make you forget whatever irritating problems you may have in your own life - great escapism. I've never read a Stone Barrington book I didn't enjoy.

Enjoyable listen!.......2006-05-29

I enjoy Stuart Wood's Stone Barrington novels and this was another fun ride. I have to wonder about the on again/off again relationship with Arrington Calder, but then Stone seems to be hung up on that wacko woman. Of course he's such a whore, he'll sleep with anyone and he's even slept with a murderess...you'll enjoy this one and finally catch the criminal from previous books.

got me hooked quickly.......2005-01-13

what can I say about Woods that I haven't already said? Once again he builds on what happened before, takes it further and makes it better...this book would be great on its own, but you really have to read the Barrington series in order to to get the full effect of each entry in the series...

I don't want to get into the story because I hate to ruin the experience for anyone who hasn't read it yet..but if it's been awhile since you last checked in on Stone Barrington, you should pay him a visit and read this book.

Awesome.......2004-11-12

Stuart Woods always keeps you guessing and Stone Barrington is always an interesting person, who always finds himself in trouble in work and in love.

Chosen Prey (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)

Average customer rating:

Nobody does it better
Short book, fast pace, good writing
A fast, slightly flawed read.
Prey - REPEATED
Lucas Lucas....

Chosen Prey (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)
John Sandford
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Easy Prey
Mortal Prey
Certain Prey
Secret Prey (Prey Series)
Naked Prey

ASIN: 0783895887

Amazon.com

When a spring thaw disinters the body of a young woman who's been missing for over a year, Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport doesn't have much to go on except the victim's rumored connection with an unnamed man, who may be an artist and also, perhaps, a priest. But then the deserted property where her body was discovered turns out to be a killing field full of other young blondes last seen in the company of a man with a nasty habit of superimposing their faces on pornographic drawings. Davenport begins to close in on a serial killer whose perverted hobby provides the clues Davenport needs to stop him in his bloody tracks. James Qatar isn't a priest, and he's not really an artist, but he's definitely a monster, one who's met his match in Davenport.

Davenport is a smart, thoughtful cop whose girlfriend is pressuring him to make a commitment to parenthood and whose boss is about to lose her job in a political turnover. While the search for the killer is handled in author John Sandford's usual, crisp, procedural style, it almost seems to be a pretext for exploring the evolution of Davenport's relationship with Dr. Weather Karkinnen. This 12th adventure in the author's popular Prey series will undoubtedly rocket to the top of the bestseller list, though it's not a standout. The novel displays the solid craftsmanship and narrative drive Sandford's known for, but his hero seems a little dispirited and out of sorts. Perhaps fatherhood will give Davenport a new lease on life. In the meantime, check out Sandford's backlist featuring his other hero, Kidd (The Fool's Run, The Empress File, The Devil's Code), who has a nice little walk-on here in which he begins a romance with Davenport's partner Marcy Sherrill. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Abridged. Four Cassettes, 6 hours.

The #1 bestselling novelist returns with his most harrowing Prey of all: the story of a congenial man with a decidedly uncongenial hobby.

"Masterful," wrote the Los Angeles Times about Easy Prey. "Secrets explode, bullets fly, bodies fall, and the ground keeps shifting. You won't want to miss it." True words-but the best is yet to come.

He desired women. All kinds, all shapes, all sizes. He would fix on a woman and build imaginary stories around her. Some of the women he knew well, others not at all. Most of them faded quickly. Only a few became objects of desire.

An art history professor and writer and cheerful pervert, James Qatar had a hobby: he took secret photographs of women and turned them into highly sexual drawings. One day, he took the hobby a step further and . . . well, one thing led to another, and he had to kill her. A man in his position couldn't be too careful, after all. And you know something? He liked it.

Already faced with a welter of confusion in his personal life, Deputy Chief Lucas Davenport decides to take this case himself, hoping that some straightforward police work will clear his head, but as the trail begins to take some unexpected turns, it soon becomes clear that nothing is straightforward about this killer. The man is learning as he goes, Lucas realizes, taking great strides forward with each murder. He is becoming a monster-and Lucas may have no choice but to walk right into his lair.

Filled with the rich characterization and detail that distinguish all of Sandford's work, Chosen Prey is a masterpiece of suspense.

Customer Reviews:

Nobody does it better.......2006-03-30

Sandford is our generation's master of the crime novel. Read one of the Prey novels, you'll want to read them all. Lucas Davenport is a beautifully flawed good guy with a streak of badness about him. Sandford weaves his stories flawlessly and hauls you along like a fish on a line until the very last page.
-- Mark LaFlamme, author of "The Pink Room."

Short book, fast pace, good writing.......2006-02-24

I've always liked John Sandford's books because they are always to the point. Nothing comes closer to this description of his writing than Chosen Prey.

The short length of the book allows you to finish it in a matter of hours. The pace is relentless and the writing so absolutely witty. Sandford has a good ear for dialogue; the characters just speak as if you were hearing them up close and personal.

Sandford manages to write about people with which the reader can sympathize, or at the very least, empathize.

The story is about a full-time college art professor and part-time serial killer who photographs women and superimposes them on pornographic images taken from the net. It also tells of the cops who try to figure out his transgressions.

There is nothing difficult to read in this book. The plot itself is current and manages to hold your interest. While it is by no means unique, the reader can appreciate that Sandford's twists in the standard plotline (affable serial killer) is enough to make the reader appreciate it as making it Sandford's own.

There is never a dull moment in this book and if you're stuck in an airport somewhere waiting for a delayed flight, I suggest you look this book up. You'll be satisfied that you did.

A fast, slightly flawed read........2005-08-17

One thing that holds true about many of the PREY novels is this: if people like the villain truly exist...be afraid. This time Lucas is matched up with a sex-addicted serial killer/artist who literally gets off on the kill. James Qatar is brutal and calculating, and seemingly uncatchable for the longest time.

This is a fast read, both due to the fast pace and the relatively short length. The glaring problem to me is the same problem that has appeared in every PREY novel. Profanity is necessary. I understand that, but the constant use of "GD" is over the top. It's excessive and really takes away from the reading experience after a while.

Otherwise, a great read.

Prey - REPEATED.......2005-08-05

I'm a fan of Sandford's PREY books. However Chosen Prey was definately one of the weaker novels in the series. On the plus side it's a fast read, the character of Lucas Davenport is enjoyable to spend time with, and the workings of police-vs.-criminal element are quite unique.

Where Chosen Prey falters though is two key elements. First the antagonist James Qatar is one of the weakest killers to step foot in a Prey novel. It's clear from the early chapters that he's not really going to be a force to be reckoned with. Second, and most importantly, the ending of this book is not only telegraphed (I saw it coming well over 100 pages from the climax) but it is darn close to a repeat of the closing of NIGHT PREY (also one of Sandford's weaker Prey books). The setting may change but the characters involved and their motivations rang so solid that I made the comparison in endings before the climax was reached.

If you're a fan of the series read Chosen Prey. If you're new to the series I'd recommend reading them in order (Rules of Prey, Shadow Prey...) or just checking out the best offerings (Mind Prey, Winter Prey).

Lucas Lucas...........2005-06-16

This book was hard to put down. The storytelling is right on track with the blend of mystery and suspense. 5 out of 5!

Spare Change (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)

Average customer rating:

This time around, everybody has problems
Not bad
Cold Case
Unfinished Ending
The Dishonorable Behavior Wore Me Down

Spare Change (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)
Robert B. Parker
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Literature & Fiction | Large Print | Formats | Books

Mystery & Thrillers | Large Print | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

High Profile
Edenville Owls
The Overlook (Harry Bosch)
Invisible Prey
Hundred-Dollar Baby

ASIN: 0786293926

Book Description

Boston P.I. Sunny Randall joins forces with the most important man in her life-her father-to crack a thirty-year-old case.

Hi Phil, You miss me? I got bored, so I thought I'd reestablish our relationship. Give us both something to do in our later years. Stay tuned. Spare Change

When a serial murderer dubbed "The Spare Change Killer" by the Boston press surfaces after three decades in hiding, the police immediately seek out the cop, now retired, who headed the original task force: Phil Randall. As a sharp-eyed investigator and a doting parent ("You're smart. You're tough. You, too, are a paradigm of law enforcement perfection, and you're my kid"), Phil calls on his daughter, Sunny, to help catch the criminal who eluded him so many years before.

Sunny is certain that she's found her man after interviewing just a handful of suspects. Though she has no evidence against Bob Johnson, she trusts her intuition. And she knows the power she has over him-she can feel the skittishness and sexual tension that he radiates when he's around her-but persuading her father and the rest of the task force is a different story.

When the killer strikes a second and third time, the murders take a macabre turn, as the victims each eerily resemble Sunny. While her father pressures her to drop the case, Sunny's need to create a trap to nab her killer grows.

In a compelling game of cat-and-mouse, Sunny uses all her skills to draw out her prey, realizing too late that she's setting herself up to become the next victim.

Customer Reviews:

This time around, everybody has problems.......2007-06-28

Another of the author's fast, fun reads. But, be warned, "Spare Change" is extremely heavy in the dysfunction department:

You get all kinds of dysfunction in heroine Sunny Randall's life. Why does she still love her ex-husband? And yet, why can't she bring herself to be married to him again even if he wants to be married to her again?

You get all kinds of dysfunction among the supporting characters: Sunny's ex-husband Richie, Sunny's family, and- most spectacularly- Sunny's friend Julie, who makes the most horrendous personal and professional missteps (often intertwining them) seen in popular fiction in some time. Some of these missteps are at least amusing. Sunny's double date with Julie is a particular hoot. A failed double date among regular folks usually means boredom and watching the clock. A failed date in the world of Sunny Randall means the mace and the gun come out.

The background of the Spare Change Killer is also heaped with dysfunction, but I guess that has to be expected.

Again, "Spare Change" is the usual piece of polished, engaging work routinely produced by Robert B. Parker. The quips, banter, pacing, and plot are all there. Just realize that, this time out, you also get lots of situations and problems seemingly imported directly from the nearest handy Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neil play.

If you've been following this series, I'd ultimately say give this entry a whirl. Though laden with heavy issues, many things happen here that will develop or resonate in future installments. And you wouldn't want to be not up to speed when those installments inevitably (we're talking about the prolific Mr. Parker, remember) hit the marketplace, right?

Not bad.......2007-06-26

I really like Sunny Randall as a character, and I have liked every book in the series (the one combined with Jesse Stone less so--neither fish nor fowl).

And this book has some great merits.

It's written in Parker's trademark pared-down style.

It's full of wit and snappy dialogue.

It has some of the interesting characters--Spike (though not enough of him), Elizabeth (certainly enough of her), the exasperating Julie, Sunny's mother, Sunny's dad, Rosie and Rich (not enough of either), the brand-new pistol Margie Collins.

But it also has some flaws.

First, and less bad, it's about a serial killer. This is beyond trite. However, to be fair, Parker handles the psychology of the SK well.

Second, and much worse, it has SUSAN SILVERMAN!!!!!!!!!

Christ. Spare me.

I thought we would only get the tedious Susan in the Spenser novels. But no. Here she is again in all her dull glory.

As always, when writing about Susan, Parker becomes turgid and laughably bad.

Listen to this. It is Sunny, describing Susan (her therapist): Susan "was older than I, but it would be difficult to say just how one would know that. She was positively beautiful. Her body was graceful and strong. Even in her self-abnegating shrink mode, she reeked of womanhood. The force of her self filled the room."

This reeks of highschool crush-note. The force of its silliness fills the chapter.

Any character who evokes such prose should be pushed off the boat.

Fortunately, Susan's deadly appearances are brief.

The handling of Sunny's realization about herself is quite deft.

Cold Case.......2007-06-25

A serial killer known as "Spare Change" resumes killing after a thirty year hiatis. The Boston Police Department calls on original task force member, now retired Phil Randall to investigate the new killings. Phil enlists the help of his daughter, Private Detective Sunny Randall to help solve a case that has been haunting him for three decades.

Robert B. Parker writes three series: Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall. Sunny seems to be a female combination of Spenser and Jess Stone. As all of Parker's females, she's beautiful. She tough and a bit of a wiseass like Spenser, and she has relationship issues like Jesse Stone with whom she has had an affair in novels that featured both characters. It all feels a bit incestuous. Parker's characters are a stereotypical and not all that dimensional. The dialogue always seems a bit stiff and unnatural. The plots are usually straightforward. For all the reasons I can think of why I might not really like the Parker novels, I have read almost all of them, and have enjoyed them for the most part. I can't really figure out why. The characters aren't very complex, really they're a bit caricature, but I like them. The stories are simple, but they move along. They are an easy read, and you don't have to invest too much brain power into them. Sometimes they are just what is needed for a lazy afternoon.

Unfinished Ending.......2007-06-24

Maybe it was just the copy I bought, but this book just ended. It left me hanging. I think my copy might be missing the last few pages. I hope someone can clear this up for me. I have read all the Sunny Randall books but this one was disapppointing to me.

The Dishonorable Behavior Wore Me Down.......2007-06-23

I really want the Sunny Randall series to succeed. I love the Spenser for Hire series, and enjoy the Jesse Stone series. To have the same very enjoyable style of writing applied to a female detective would be pretty much the ultimate series for me. The first five books, which relied heavily on the existing cast of characters from the other 2 series, brought Sunny along from a really silly character to an almost well developed and stand-on-her-own woman. For some reason, this sixth book really seems to be a large step backwards.

First, if you haven't read the other books in all 3 series, you're going to be lost. The trilogy of series all depend on each other and on previous storylines so intricately that it's like a soap opera. No, it IS a soap opera. Almost every character you meet in the story is one who has shown up for years and years in one storyline or another, with a full, rich background. There's a slight break in that Sunny is no longer with Jesse Stone - she's tentatively talking with Richie, her ex. That only slightly cuts down on the incestuousness of the series inter-mingling. She still has her shrink sessions with Susan, a main character from the Spenser series. Susan is drawn as almost a wonder-woman goddess of beauty and personal force, and, of course, her interest is "palpable". I believe that word is mentioned in every novel at least once.

So, about the story. It's summertime in the city of Boston, and the Spare Change killer is back after a 20 year hiatus. Sunny's retired cop father, Phil, had failed to catch this criminal back during his first spree, and is brought back to help figure out the case. He wants Sunny to help. The investigation really takes up only a little of the book. It's less about police work and more about Sunny "knowing" immediately who the killer is and then simply breaking the law in order to prove it. A little breaking and entering, a little entrapment, and voila. In that sense, the book is less about figuring out who the culprit is and more about finding a way to catch him.

The real bulk of the story (and I use the word bulk loosely here - like most books by Parker, I zipped through this in a single evening) involves Sunny and her relationships. What made me cringe about the book was how unpleasant it was to read through those sections. She has a therapist friend, Julie. Julie spouts off drivel about men being babies and needing to be taken care of. Then she sleeps with the husband of one of her patients (it's ok because "she'll never know"). Then she sets up a double date with two guys who are only interested in a foursome. Then she asks Sunny to kill one of them for annoying her.

Maybe Sunny's family is better? Sunny's obsession in life is to have her father all to herself. Her mom is an unapologetic drunk who Sunny looks down on for enjoying restaurants with chintz. When Sunny is with the family, she deliberately talks with her father about things only he would understand - the cop cases - and explicitly ignores attempts by the rest of the family to bring up more general topics they can all enjoy. Sunny likes wine, and talks about sauvignon blanc and pinot noir in other parts of the book. But when her sis Elizabeth brings up wine, Sunny acts like a beer snob and again rattles on about her cop case. Later, Elizabeth even tries to praise Sunny's painting skills, and Sunny still acts the stuck-up part. It really made her a less-than-appealing character for me.

How about her father? Sunny talks with her dad about getting back with Richie - who, remember, has a PREGNANT WIFE. In Blue Screen, the couple knew their child was going to be a boy. I would imagine by now the mom-to-be is almost ready to deliver. Her dad tells her to go ahead and have an affair with him - if it's love, you can do any immoral act you want!! What??? So on one hand Phil says to stick by those you love, like his wife and 2 kids, even if they're flaky. On the other hand, he says it doesn't matter if you completely screw up other peoples' lives, as long as you get what you selfishly want. That really, really bothered me.

You'd think Susan would help here. But it was as if scenes were cut-and-paste from Spenser novels. Sunny says (and I'm not kidding here) "we can love each other without living together". Is this a common theme that every Parker hero must follow? Susan of course thinks this is a brilliant idea. We get the dog worship and the lines about Sunny not being a worthy person if she cannot stand up to all danger herself. What happened to the pragmatist who knew when to rely on the support of others? Even Spenser has Hawk with him most of the time.

I really am torn by this book. Again, I love Parker's writing style. I love having a lead female character. I like the support for gay characters, although I laughed out loud at the sentence "there were undergraduates of all genders in the library." That seemed a bit expansive to me. I found some of the later Spenser series to have Spenser be a little TOO perfect, TOO predictable, so I am all for characters with some flaws. However, Sunny just drives me crazy. She keeps claiming she wants to stand alone, and never does. Spenser was all about honor - I *love* that. Sunny is in a world where you cheat with the husband of your therapy patient, you cheat with your ex-husband who has a pregnant wife, you read Vogue and Vanity Fair while contemplating manicuring your nails (literally), you deliberately denigrate your sister and mother whenever you can, and where when your friend is in trouble because of a nude photo, you snarkily think that her thighs look chunky.

I really can't enjoy this environment that is full of dishonorable, selfish, petty and cruel behavior by the main character and those she chooses to surround herself with. I'm almost forced to keep reading this series because it intertwines with the Spenser and Jesse series and affects the plot of those two books. Maybe I can hold out hope that Sunny will have some sort of revelation in the next book which will make her more likeable going forward.

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