Shoot Him If He Runs

August 6, 2007
Stone Barrington and Holly Barker, Woods's longtime investigative and romantic duo, search for a rogue CIA agent on a beautiful tropical island in this low-voltage thriller. At the request of U.S. President Will Lee, Barrington and Barker travel to the Caribbean island of St. Marks to track down Teddy Fay, an agent-turned-assassin who has been on the loose for years. They find a mix of luxurious beach clubs, corrupt but genial politicians and a shady expatriate community that enjoys the local government's don't-ask-don't-tell approach to foreigners. What they don't find is Fay, a master of disguise and escape. Woods (Fresh Disasters
) brings in his usual cast, including Barrington's sidekick Dino Bacchetti and CIA boss Lance Cabot, and spends as much time on fine dining and vacation fun in the sun as he does on the actual mission. The plot smartly picks up momentum toward the end, and a handful of character developments will keep fans eager for the next installment.

December 24, 2007
Tony Roberts shows off his comedic and dramatic skills in Woods's newest addition to the Stone Barrington saga. The elegant cop-turned-lawyer's new adventure has a welcome lightheartedness. He, his crime-fighting paramour, Holly, and their friends Dino and Genevieve fly to the Caribbean island of St. Marks on a sub-rosa assignment from the CIA to find a homicidal rogue agent rumored to be living in disguise on the island paradise. Woods and Roberts guide us through what turns out to be mainly a lovely vacation for the quartet—with cocktails, elaborate dinners and brisk swims along sparkling white sandy nude beaches marred by an assassination or two and a few anxious moments at the hands of the island's police chiefs. The result is more diverting than thrilling, with Roberts adding considerably to the overall entertainment value via his sly use of amusing British, French and clipped East Coast American accents. One of the nasty police chiefs, for example, sounds suspiciously like Peter Sellers's irrepressible Inspector Clouseau. Simultaneous release with Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 6).

Stone Barrington and his colleagues are dispatched to the Caribbean island of St. Marks to hunt down a rogue CIA agent, who has turned into an assassin. Their task is simply to locate and report his whereabouts. However, once they begin their mission, their orders take a terrible turn. SHOOT HIM IF HE RUNS, their CIA handlers command. Tony Roberts's narration is clear and crisp. He differentiates the characters comfortably, although his representation of NYPD Detective Dino is a tad irritating. Roberts, an accomplished reader, blunders, as many people do, with his pronunciation of "Spokane" (Washington) during the opening chapter. However, for those who enjoy thrillers, this is still an entertaining production. T.J.M. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine