New York lawyer Stone Barrington (Wild Card, 2019, etc.) celebrates his 50th appearance by bedding two new women, each of whom leads him to criminal complications.Minding his own business lying on the deck of his yacht off Key West, Stone hears, then sees, an airplane falling from the sky. He dives into the water, pulls the pilot to safety even before a police chopper can arrive, and discovers that the rescue diver is a beautiful woman. Since Detective Maxdon't call her MaxineCrowley of the Key West Police Department doesn't believe in one-night stands, she and Stone don't have sex till their second night together. By that time, someone has already relieved the wrecked plane of the watertight suitcases Stone saw perfectly well as he was grabbing pilot Al Dix, who disappears from the hospital shortly after a woman masquerading as a nurse tries to kill him. It's only a matter of time before the plane itself vanishes, leading NYPD Commissioner Dino Bacchetti, an old friend of Stone's, to reflect sagely, "missing pilot, missing cargo, and now, missing airplane." With nothing more than Max's charms to keep him in Key West, Stone is soon back in New York, where he's picked up at a bar by clothing designer Roberta Calder, who, on learning that Stone doesn't sleep with married women, announces that she wants to divorce Randall Hedger, her estranged husband. To avoid an unseemly conflict of interest, Stone hands the proceedings over to his associate Herb Fisher, who's doing a great job until the murders of Hedger and Robbie's friend Estelle Parkinson, a socialite, make Robbie's divorce unnecessary but accentuate her need for legal representation even further when she's arrested for murder. With this many felonies to keep track of, it's no wonder the cast consumes a record number of gimlets.Longtime fans of the series who refuse to hold their breath waiting for these two plots to be connectedthis is Woods, after allwill be pleasantly surprised when they do. Who said the age of miracles is past? Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Bestseller Woods's diverting 50th Stone Barrington novel (after Wild Card) finds the New York attorney relaxing on a yacht anchored off Fort Jefferson, in Florida's Dry Tortugas, when a small plane makes a forced landing nearby and sinks in the shallow water. Stone dives in and pulls the unconscious pilot, Al Dix, from the plane, which is carrying several large pieces of luggage. A helicopter rescue team flies Dix to Key West, where Stone is soon enjoying the favors of gorgeous policewoman Maxine "Max" Crowley. The investigation widens after the mysterious cargo disappears from the wrecked plane. The authorities have no clue what was in the luggage, and Dix isn't talking. Back in New York, high-end clothing designer Roberta "Robbie" Calder wants Stone's help in getting a divorce from her abusive husband. By chance, Stone's connection to Robbie sheds light on the Florida case. The suspense falls off once the reader learns what Dix was smuggling, but it rises as the action builds toward a climactic showdown between Max and Robbie. Woods balances the criminal doings with loads of light banter and tantalizing glimpses of great sex. Agent: Anne Sibbald, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.