A decent read
Hard to believe, but it was entertaining all the way. Reminds me of the movie "The Devil Wears Prada".
Dirt
My husband and I really like Stuart Woods books, and will continue to read every thing he writes.
Schlock -but okay schlock!
Dirt is a novel about the world of celebrity gossip.Amanda Dart is the Queen Bee of that world -a gossip writer who knows everyone and who is courted and feared in equal measure.She finds what it is like to be on the receiving end of gossip when she is caught having sex with a married Atlanta industrialist and blackmailed with the threat of having the story exposed in a scurrilous scandal sheet named Dirt.She hires a private eye -Mr Woods' regular series character Stone Barrington- to investigate .
She is not the sole victim of the magazine and the blackmailers running it .There is also a British "journalist"(an editor of a west Coast tabloid) -and then there is Amanda's boss who is on the verge of being outed as the head of a porn publishing empire.This guy raises the stakes ,bypasses Stone and engages the Mafia to root out the person or persons behind the stories.
The hunt is on -Barrington and the Mafia guys for the blackmailers .snd then in conflict with each other.
Barrington is the least convincing PI in modern crime writing -independently wealthy ,an ex-cop and qualified lawyer,he is suave and sophisticated and seemingly irresistible top women .James Bond-ian in a way and like no PI yopu would find in the phone book if you wanted to hire an investigator.Amanda is a great creation however -a Joan Collins role in waiting ;if they ever make a TV movie of the book she would be great casting .Amanda is tough as old boots -born of poor white trash and utterly unscrupulous she is not above ,murdering her own PA when she discovers her disloyalty
It is schlocky and wildly improbable and I like a bit more grit in my crime writing but if you want a night or two of escapism and gloss in your reading you could do a lot worse
What a hoot!
This book was a hoot and a half to read - a vicious gossip-monger who has always been careful to keep her own dirty laundry hidden finds out she hasn't done as good a job as she would like and finds the tables turned. She turns to Stone Barrington to get help. As things progress, more and more of the high and mighty find themselves being drug through the mud. I had lots of good laughs in this, and of course the suspense was great as well. The twists and turns were everything you would expect out of Stuart Woods and more and the mystery plotting was tight. Expect some pins and needles, because you're not going to want to put it down - you'll sit right where you are until you're finished!
Not even worthy of being called Dirt
My first Stuart Woods book and I'm not likely to pick up another. Not a likeable character to be found other than the domestic help. I didn't care what happened to anyone.
(34 reviews)
