Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of bestseller Woods's suspenseful, twisty 48th Stone Barrington novel (after Desperate Measures), lawyer Stone arranges for a safe located in the Brooklyn mansion of the late Eduardo Bianchi, "a mysteriously powerful man reputed to have been at the top of the Mafia," to be opened on the behalf of Eduardo's grown daughter. Inside, besides millions in cash, are criminal histories prepared by Eduardo of a number of high-level mob bosses, all of whom are dead, except for Henry Thomas, formerly Gianni Tommassini. Long ago, Henry founded an investment bank, "with much of its original funding from the Five Families." Henry's son, Jack, has run the bank for the last 20 years, and Jack's son, Henry II, is a popular New York congressman. What are the Thomases up to now? Stone joins forces with comely New York Times reporter Jamie Cox to find out. Meanwhile, Henry becomes aware that Stone is on his trail and orders his henchmen to use any means to stop Stone. As usual, Woods tells a fast, enjoyable crime story seasoned with tantalizing views of the lifestyles of the rich. Agent: Anne Sibbald, Janklow & Nesbit. (Jan.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A long-hidden safe turns out to contain enough material to juice the next half-dozen adventures of jet-setting lawyer Stone Barrington.Mary Ann Bianchi Bacchetti, the ex-wife of Stone's ex-NYPD partner Dino Bacchetti, who's now the police commissioner, calls Stone because she needs to open an Excelsior safe she's found in the library of her late father, reformed Mafioso Eduardo Bianchi, before turning the place over to its new buyer the next day. So Bob Cantor, Stone's tech guru, locates Solomon Fink, at 104 one of the last surviving members of the Excelsior firm, who opens the safe during a brief break from his nursing home, to reveal a prodigious sum of cash, documents leading to even more millions, and some detailed files on some very dangerous criminals. Since much of the money is earmarked for Dino, it looks at first as if this will be nothing more than another exercise in unbridled consumer spending, as Dino and his current wife, Viv, race to rival the conspicuous consumption that's marked Stone's recent outings (Desperate Measures, 2018, etc.). But the file on Jack Thomas, ne Gianni Tommassini, promises more interesting developments, from his initial and predictably unsuccessful attempts to silence everyone who knows about the file to his deep-laid plans to help his son, Congressman Henry Thomas II, become president by running as an independent against Secretary of State Holly Barker, one of Stone's many once and future lovers. Armed with a formidable bank of computers and a staff whose loyalty isn't limited by inconvenient notions of personal morality, the Thomases are formidable opponents. But Stone, Dino, Holly, Bob Cantor, and even Solomon Fink, who returns for a closing bow, are fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.The best of Woods' recent thrillers, a primer on election rigging that plays to both Democrats' recent alarm and Republicans' attachment to the material perks of the good life. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Woods' Stone Barrington is always dependable, even as the author turns out four books a year featuring this much-loved character. Ex-NYPD detective turned lawyer at a tony law firm, Barrington is able to indulge his expensive tastes while maintaining his integrity. Here, as executor of the estate of Eduardo Bianchi, a man reputedly once high in the Mafia in his younger years who turned respectable and gained power, Barrington comes into possession of files on 12 men, 11 now dead, containing explosive information. The sole living subject of the files is Gianni Tommassini, whose Mafia-ordered murders are documented. Now, with his name anglicized to Henry Thomas, he leads a prominent banking family, and his grandson is a candidate for president. Barrington plans to expose the files and the politically motivated corruption behind them, but first he must evade the Thomas family in a potentially deadly yacht chase. Woods continues to deliver satisfying escapist fare, with the Bondian Barrington outmaneuvering his foes yet again, always with high-tech gadgetry at the ready and a beautiful woman at his side.--Michele Leber Copyright 2018 Booklist
