Edgar-winner Woods's 15th Stone Barrington novel (after Shoot Him if He Runs) finds the familiar cast of characters up to their usual antics: dining at Elaine's, drinking expensive liquor and having fantastic sex. Stone's pal CIA deputy director for operations, Lance Cabot, asks Stone to watch over his brother, Barton Cabot, who's recovering from injuries, amnesia chief among them, after being beaten and robbed. Barton, who builds and sells reproduction antiques, lives in Connecticut, as luck would have it, near a cottage Stone owns. The plot centers on a missing 18th-century mahogany secretary, which is worth in the neighborhood of $24 million, and the theft of hundreds of gold coins from the South Vietnamese government when Barton was commanding a regiment there during the Vietnam War. As always, Stone gets to bed several new beautiful women in the course of pursuing the case. Series fans will find all their expectations nicely fulfilled. Author tour. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.

Stone Barrington, last seen in Shoot Him if He Runs (2007), is once again drawn into danger and intrigue while trying to enjoy a quiet meal at Elaine's restaurant. Lance Cabot, the deputy CIA director Stone often deals with, wants Stone to help his older brother, Barton, who has lost his memory following a brutal beating. Stone agrees and learns that the man has a shady past anchored in a scheme from his service in Vietnam that made him and several others in his platoon rich. Currently a dealer and restorer of antiques, he's disturbed to discover that a valuable mahogany secretary is missing from his house. Barton had just completed a replica, so he's not sure whether the missing piece is the original or the copy. Stone agrees to help find the thief and the stolen secretary. If the plot doesn't sound as exciting as Woods' usual fare, it's because it isn't; antiquing and auctions simply can't take the place of murder and international intrigue. Die-hard Woods' fans won't be fazed, but others should wait for a more exciting entry.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2008 Booklist

An army intelligence officer whose memory is muddled after an act of violence, Barton Lance needs watching, and Stone Barrington gets the job. With a two-week tour. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.