Two-Dollar Bill (Stone Barrington Series #11) by Stuart Woods

From the Publisher

Stone Barrington is caught between a clever con man-who's just become his client-and a beautiful prosecutor in this stylish thriller in the bestselling series.

Two-Dollar Bill delivers all the storytelling twists and whip-smart banter readers have come to love in Stuart Woods's thrillers. In this latest, Stone Barrington, the suave Manhattan cop-turned-lawyer, is back on his home turf facing down a brilliant Southern flimflam man.

The fun-and action-begins with what Stone believes will be a quiet dinner with his ex-partner, Dino, but they are interrupted by Billy Bob, a filthy rich, smooth-talkin' Texan, who strolls in and parks himself at their table. He's in town "to make money," he says, unwrapping his wad of rare two-dollar bills, and in need of an attorney-namely, Stone-though he won't say why or when such representation will be necessary. As they leave the restaurant, however, an unknown assailant shoots at Stone and his cohorts-and the wily Southerner has spread his two-dollar bills around to everyone like confetti.

Against his better judgment, Stone offers Billy Bob a safe haven for the night but almost immediately begins to suspect that he's made several precipitous misjudgments-for the slippery out-of-towner has gone missing and someone has been found dead-in Stone's town house no less. Stone is now caught between a beautiful federal prosecutor and a love from his past, a con man with more aliases than hairs on his head, and a murder investigation that could ruin them all.

The New York Times - Janet Maslin

The escapist appeal of this series is best summed up by Stone's old pal and fellow Elaine's loiterer, Lt. Dino Bacchetti. "All I do is follow the evidence, wherever it leads," Dino says. "It's just more fun when it leads to Stone."

Publishers Weekly

Fans of Woods's ex-cop turned lawyer, Stone Barrington, will not be disappointed in this latest entry in the series. This time out, Stone becomes involved with a loud-talking Texan improbably named Billy Bob Barnstormer. It isn't long before Stone regrets ever being introduced to Billy Bob, especially when he leaves a dead body in Stone's guest room. But that is only the beginning of a tale that finds Stone, along with his best friend, Dino Bacchetti, following a twisted trail as they attempt to capture Billy Bob, who, it turns out, is much more dangerous than Stone could ever have imagined. Narrator Roberts slips comfortably into his performance, bringing a nice, down-to-earth quality to his portrayal of Stone. He is equally at home in his characterizations of Stone's recurring circle of friends, giving each a distinct voice and personality. Roberts's slightly over the top, good old boy portrayal of Billy Bob works well, and he nicely shifts his performance as the likable, backwoods-sounding Texan changes and his true sociopathic tendencies rise to the surface. Roberts is also adept at handling Woods's dialogue, providing some laugh-out-loud moments in his delivery of the banter between Stone and Bacchetti. Simultaneous release with Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 28). (May) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Flashy Billy Bob sweet talks Stone Barrington into taking him on as a client and then putting him up when someone sends a bullet his way. And now Stone's in big trouble. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Jet-setting New York attorney Stone Barrington (Reckless Abandon, 2004, etc.) proves that you just can't be too careful about who you take into your house. Even though he's hazy about the reasons, Texas businessman Billy Bob Barnstormer has blown into the Big Apple convinced he needs a lawyer, and he has 50,000 reasons why he deserves help. Bill Eggers, the managing partner of Woodman & Weld, knows Billy Bob is outside his comfort zone, but he sees no reason why Stone, of counsel to W&W, shouldn't help him, even to the extent of putting his new client up for the night. Big mistake. Billy Bob, it turns out, is a man of many names-Rodney Peeples, Whitney Stanford, Harlan Wilson, Jack Jeff Kight [sic]-who takes advantage of Stone's hospitality to broil a steak Stone had been saving for a special someone, bring home a hooker and strangle her, place bugs all over the department, plant an embarrassingly hot handgun on his host and swindle him out of that $50,000. Stone's current cookie-cutter romance with beautiful Tiffany Baldwin, the new U.S. Attorney for New York, puts him between the law and his client. But even after he's wriggled off the hook as Billy Bob's legal representative, his troubles continue. His erstwhile client, who's much, much more than a common con artist, goes on a spree that suggests his only joy in life is giving ebullient Stone problems. Even when Stone's former lover Arrington Carter Calder replaces Tiff in his bed, the instinctive warmth between them ("they came together as if they had never been apart") is only a setup for more high-concept skullduggery and condign retaliation. How does Woods keep churning out bestsellers? By taking exceptional pains not to adulteratethe formula with any new character types, plot twists or ideas. Mystery Guild main selection; Literary Guild alternate selection

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