Dead in the Water
A Novel
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4.1 • 25 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Stone Barrington only wants a winter getaway from the chill of New York in the beautiful, tropical Caribbean paradise of St. Mark's. But what the lawyer and ex-cop gets instead is the chance to defend Allison Manning. The beautiful young woman stands accused of killing her rich husband on board their luxurious yacht and then burying him at sea.
Stone isn't exactly conversant with the island country's law, but this much is clear to him: Allison is being railroaded by the perverse sense of justice of a prosecutor who will do anything to stay in office. Donning the robe and wig of a British barrister, Stone does everything he can to save Allison—from publicizing the case all over the American press to conducting the kind of smart, tough investigation that money can't buy. Just when he has the jury in the palm of his hands, a shocking reversal of fortune changes everything. And what was once a sure thing begins to look a lot like a death sentence.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
