Short Straw

AFter reading several books by Woods in the Barrinton series, I tried the Ed Eagle series. It was a lot of fun and there were enough twists to make it interesting. Received the book quickly and in promised condition. Very happy with the process.

This is my first read of this author. Plot grabs you from the first page and holds you until the last. I'll look for other of his works.

I agree with one of the other reviewers---don't over analyze. It's a novel and a fun one. Yes, Barbara wasn't all that smart but then what criminals are? Same for Joe Big Bear. Criminals make stupid mistakes. And these criminals made some whoppers. But it was a fun story,lots of twists and turns with the reader wanting to keep reading to find out the ending. I wanted to keep reading without stopping----for me,a sure sign of a good book. And yet I didn't want it to end. I love the books by Stuart Woods---he never disappoints. It could be a "beach read" or a "nighttime read" but either way, it's an awesome read.I was a bit uncomfortable with Ed Eagle hooking up with another woman so soon---------but then that could be the start of Woods' next book. Hold on tight, it might be another thilling ride. Thank you, Mr. Woods, for another great book.

Let's face it, even a guy as sharp as top Santa Fe attorney Ed Eagle can make a mistake. He did, and it was a doozie, perhaps a costly doozie. His error was in marrying and trusting Barbara. It is his fiftieth birthday, and one of the biggest days in his life - he's about to open new offices - he'd worked for this day for 25 years. However, oddly enough, he had overslept which was not at all like him. He wonders why Barbara hadn't awakened him, and finds the answer to that question in her bathroom - an empty bottle of Ambien (sleeping pills). He didn't take them, but she might have laced his dinner wine with them. She's nowhere to be found, so he heads for his new offices and the noon opening reception. He's greeted with a fax which his secretary, Betty, found in the fax machine. It reads, "This is to confirm the wire transfer of $930,000 from your firm account and $170,000 from your personal account to an account in the Cayman Islands." Barbara had wiped him out. Ed bared his teeth, `Look in my mouth," he said to Betty. "Do I still have my eyeteeth?" "Figuratively speaking," Betty replied, "no." And so begins the 33rd novel by bestselling author Stuart Woods, and marks the return of tough, savvy six-foot-seven-inch Ed Eagle. Our hero will need all the smarts and skill he has to stay afloat and alive. The search for Barbara and his money is on - Ed hires a pair of private investigators to track her but she always manages to stay beyond their grasp. Cupie, an ex Los Angeles Police Detective can't land her. Will Vittorio, an Apache, best her? A sub plot involves Ed's successful defense of an accused murder, Joe Big Bear which eventually ties in nicely with Cupie's and Vittorio's efforts to get Barbara to sign some blank pieces of paper which would eventually return Ed's cash. Short Straw is stay-up-all-night-reading - it's entertainment and excitement to the max. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke

Santa Fe attorney Ed Eagle wakes up surprised to see that his wife Barbara is nowhere to be found at home or in their new office. He learns that one and a half million dollars is being transferred to an account in the Cayman Islands. His broker tells Ed that he liquidated his million dollar account and are getting ready to wire it. He's able to stop the money from being transferred except for the $300,000 Barbara took out of her new account. Ed hires private detective Cupie Dalton to Mexico City where the money bounced to from the Cayman Islands. He wants Cupie to find his spouse and have her sign six sheets of papers. Barbara ends up shooting him and even though the wound isn't severe he sends another private detective Vittorio for back up. Someone in Mexico wants Barbara dead and the two PIs end up protecting her. She tricks them into thinking she signed the papers not once but twice and Ed realizes just how dangerous she really is when he learns she took a hit out on him. Ed with the help of the two private detectives is determined to bring her down, but Ed wants his wife alive while other men want her dead for what she did to them. The antagonist is the personification of a black widow, willing to kill her mate (and others) to get what she wants which is his money. This leads the audience to wonder how Ed and others missed her lethal avaricious traits. SHORT STRAW starts out at light speed and never slows down as is typical of Stuart Woods' action thrillers. Surprisingly his characters are three dimensional, not stereotypes and all of them are believable. Let us hope the author writes more works starring Ed Eagle, a protagonist who gets things done his way. Harriet Klausner