In the latest installment of Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington series, Loitering with Intent, Barrington heads to Key West to track down Evan Keating, who needs to sign documents which would allow his father to sell the family business. Sounds easy enough, but things don’t quite work out the way they should. Keating doesn’t want to be found, and when Stone does find him, he isn’t interested in signing the papers.
Barrington, a former cop turned detective, and his friend Dino Bachetti, a New York City police Lieutenant and Stone’s former partner, quickly find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery. It seems that Charlie Boggs, long-time friend of Keating, and now a major Key West drug dealer, was found killed, leaving Keating at one of the suspects.
As Stone soon finds out, the reason that Keating doesn’t want to authorize permission for his father to sell the family business is that he suspects him of murdering his Uncle Harry, and poisoning his grandfather and tossing him into a nursing home. Keating thinks his father is trying to off him next and claim all of the proceeds of the sale for his own. It’s not long before someone tries to kill Keating, and now Stone and Dino must find out who it is, and why.
Loitering with Intent, Stuart Woods’ 40th novel, and 16th featuring Stone Barrington, hits bookstores April 21st. While not the best book in the series, it reads very quickly and serves as a light mystery with a nice twist at the end. The non-stop banter between Stone, Dino, and others they come in contact with are often amusing. Like many of Woods’ novels, it’s perfect for a day at the beach or sitting by the pool. Not too taxing, but it won’t put you to sleep, either.
