Dead in the Water

Stone Barrington, the lawyer and investigator featured in Dirt and Choke, returns for another twist- and sex-filled romp, which finds him matching wits with a Caribbean island politico in a fight to save the life of a beautiful yacht-owning widow. Allison Manning sails the Expansive into the harbor of St. Marks alone. Her husband, noted author Paul Manning, died of a heart attack--according to her account at the coroner's inquest--during the journey. She buried him at sea before completing the sail solo. Sir Winston Sutherland, St. Marks's minister of justice, seeking publicity that might elevate him to prime minister, decides to charge Allison with murder on the basis of an incriminating diary and a $12 million life insurance policy. Trial, verdict, sentence, appeal and punishment (death by hanging) are to be carried out in the briefest possible time. With everything favoring the prosecution, Stone, on the island for vacation, comes to the lady's aid in every possible way, even when he begins to have doubts about her story. Woods keeps this fast-paced yarn above farce but filled with enough humor, sex and clever surprises all the way to the last page to make it thoroughly entertaining amusement. (Sept.)