Woods, Stuart 1938-

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WOODS, Stuart 1938-

PERSONAL: Original surname Lee, legally changed to stepfather's first name in 1955; born January 9, 1938, in Manchester, GA; son of Stuart Franklin (in business) and Dorothy (in business; maiden name, Callaway) Lee. Education: University of Georgia, B.A., 1959. Politics: Democrat.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Anne Sibbald, Janklow & Nesbit, 445 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Advertising writer and creative director with firms in New York City, 1960-69, including Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne; Papert, Koenig & Lois; Young & Rubicam; and J. Walter Thompson; creative director and consultant with firms in London, England, 1970-73, including Grey Advertising and Dorland; consultant to Irish International Advertising and Hunter Advertising, both in Dublin, both 1973-74; freelance writer, 1973—. Past member of board of directors of Denham's, Inc. Military service: Air National Guard, 1960-68, active duty, 1961; served in Germany.

MEMBER: Authors Guild, New York Yacht Club, Royal Yacht Sqadron, The Century Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: Advertising awards from numerous organizations in New York, including Clio award for television writing and Gold Key award for print writing; Edgar Award, Mystery Writers of America, 1980, for Chiefs; Prix de Literature Policiere (France), for Imperfect Strangers.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Chiefs, Norton (New York, NY), 1980.

Run before the Wind, Norton (New York, NY), 1983.

Deep Lie, Norton (New York, NY), 1986.

Under the Lake, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1987.

White Cargo, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1988.

Grass Roots, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1989.

Palindrome, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1991.

New York Dead, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1991.

Santa Fe Rules, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1992.L.A. Times, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1993.

Dead Eyes, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1994.

Heat, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1994.

Imperfect Strangers, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Choke, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.

Dirt, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.

Dead in the Water, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1997.

Swimming to Catalina, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.

Orchid Beach, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.

Worst Fears Realized, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1999.

L.A. Dead, Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

The Run, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Cold Paradise, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Orchid Blues, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

The Short Forever, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Blood Orchid, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Dirty Work, Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Capital Crimes, Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

Reckless Abandon, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

The Prince of Beverly Hills, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

Two-dollar Bill, Putnam (New York, NY), 2005.

NONFICTION

Blue Water, Green Skipper (Dolphin Book Club selection), Norton (New York, NY), 1977.

A Romantic's Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland, Norton (New York, NY), 1979.

Contributor to magazines, including Yachting. Contributing editor and restaurant critic for Atlanta.

ADAPTATIONS: Chiefs was filmed as a television miniseries, 1983; Grass Roots was filmed as a television miniseries, 1993.

SIDELIGHTS: Stuart Woods is a writer of suspenseful thrillers that regularly make their way onto the bestseller lists. Woods has enjoyed equal success with three series—the Will Lee books about modern politics, the Stone Barrington mysteries, and the Holly Barker books featuring a female protagonist and her feisty Doberman sidekick, Daisy. A Publishers Weekly reviewer characterized the author's work as a "breezy and irreverent brand of detective fiction, full of mischievous asides." And David Pitt, in a Booklist review of The Run, commended Woods as a "careful, talented writer" whose stories "should please . . . anyone who loves good political fiction."

Woods began his writing career as an advertising executive but was smitten with the sailing life while living in Europe. Upon receiving an inheritance, he commissioned the construction of his own boat and took to the seas as a sail racer. His first publication, Blue Water, Green Skipper, is the story of his own experiences as a novice at transatlantic voyages. He once explained to CA: "Blue Water, Green Skipper is a memoir deriving from my decision to sail in the 1976 Observer Single-Handed Transatlantic Race (OSTAR), though I had only eighteen months to build a boat and learn to sail it. I also sailed in the 1979 Fastnet race, in which many lives were lost." He added: "I expect to continue ocean racing and cruising, including a transatlantic crossing from England to Antigua." This trip was indeed accomplished in 1979.

In reviewing Blue Water, Green Skipper, Holger Lundbergh of Yachting declared, "The step-by-step account of how this green skipper in a remarkably short time became a seasoned blue-water sailor is beautifully told by a young American from Georgia, a brilliant stylist, a man of humor, courage, and patience." Lundbergh added that the book is "dramatic and inspiring reading of rare quality."

Woods's novels are fast-paced adventures that are frequently set in high society, power politics, or the entertainment world. His first novel, Chiefs, introduced Senator Will Lee and his CIA deputy director wife, Kate, who find themselves enmeshed in a series of intrigues on Capitol Hill. The Lees are also featured in Grass Roots and The Run. A Publishers Weekly critic stated that Senator Lee "is for the most part about as likable as a politician can be, and boasts impeccable Democratic stripes."

Woods's most popular works are those featuring the character of Stone Barrington, an ex-cop turned New York City lawyer and detective. Over a series of novels Barrington has evolved from a cash-strapped street-level hero to a wealthy, jet-setting gumshoe with an international clientele. What has remained consistent is Barrington's fondness for romantic encounters with women and his reliance upon his longtime fellow detective Dino Bacchetti to help him solve his cases. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that, when writing Barrington series novels, "Woods is eternally in best-seller mode."

In Dirt, for instance, Barrington is hired by a sexually voracious gossip columnist to find out who is faxing damaging information about her to influential people around the city. June Vigor, a reviewer for Booklist, found Dirt to have "brisk sex, designer name-dropping, and the voyeuristic tingle of dishing dirt on the rich and famous." A Publishers Weekly correspondent also praised Dirt, noting: "This slickly entertaining suspenser displays Woods at the top of his game with no signs of flagging. . . . [This] superbly paced tale [is] subtly reminiscent of the waggish P. G. Wodehouse, [and] Woods delivers a marvelously sophisticated, thoroughly modern old-fashioned read." Emily Melton approved of Swimming to Catalina, another Barrington adventure, stating in Booklist that the novel is "a highly entertaining read that's chock-full of slam-bang action, fast cars, beautiful women, fine wine, and tart, tongue-in-cheek humor. Another outstanding effort."

More recently Woods has introduced another series sleuth, Holly Barker. Holly is a former Army Military Police Battalion commander who was run out of the service after filing a sexual harassment charge against her superior. Orchid Beach introduces her story and finds her working as a deputy in the small Florida town that gives the novel its name. Holly solves crimes with the assistance of her father, Ham, and her dog, Daisy. The Florida milieu allows Woods—a part-time Florida resident—to explore the special criminal dynamic of that region. Kristine Huntley in Booklist found the Holly Barker series to be "suspenseful" and "exciting . . . sure to please Woods's many fans."

Woods once told CA: "Writing fiction is terribly hard work, and I intend to alleviate this oppression by continuing to write about yachting, travel, food and wine, and whatever else takes my fancy. I have found the secret to happiness: finding a way to make a living doing all the things you like best, or, to put it another way, finding a way to make all the things you like to do best tax-deductible."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1998.

PERIODICALS

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Magazine, February 8, 1977.

Booklist, December 1, 1994, p. 635; August, 1996, p. 1857; July, 1997, p. 1777; March 15, 1998, p. 1180; September 14, 1998, review of Orchid Beach, p. 44; June 1, 1999, Emily Melton, review of Worst Fears Realized, p. 1744; April 1, 2000, David Pitt, review of The Run, p. 1413; March 1, 2001, Kristine Huntley, review of Cold Paradise, p. 1189; February 1, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review of The Short Forever, p. 908; August, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review of Blood Orchid, p. 1888; February 15, 2003, Kristine Huntley, review of Dirty Work, p. 1019.

Cosmopolitan, January, 1994, p. 18.

Entertainment Weekly, May 7, 1993, p. 53; January 20, 1995, p. 47.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2003, review of Dirty Work, p. 181; August 1, 2003, review of Capital Crimes, p. 992.

Library Journal, March 1, 1997, p. 141; August, 1997, p. 136; September 15, 1997, p. 118; May 15, 2002, Steven J. Mayover, review of Orchid Blues, p. 144.

New York Times, November 24, 1991; October 8, 1995.

People, September 16, 1996, p. 48; May 11, 1998, p. 48.

Publishers Weekly, April 12, 1993, p. 48; June 7, 1993, p. 26; November 1, 1993, p. 65; May 30, 1994, p. 36; December 5, 1994, p. 66; August 12, 1996, p. 65; July 14, 1997, p. 63; September 1, 1997, p. 40; April 6, 1998, p. 58; July 5, 1999, review of Worst Fears Realized, p. 57; August 23, 1999, Daisy Maryles, "Not Out of Woods Yet," p. 18; April 24, 2000, review of The Run, p. 58; June 5, 2000, Daisy Maryles, "A Run on the Charts," p. 17; September 11, 2000, review of L.A. Dead, p. 67; April 16, 2001, review of Cold Paradise, p. 46; May 7, 2001, Daisy Maryles, "Woods Catches Cold," p. 32; October 1, 2001, review of Orchid Blues, p. 34; November 12, 2001, Daisy Maryles, "Woods Goes Skyward," p. 16; January 7, 2002, review of Orchid Blues, p. 21; March 25, 2002, review of The Short Forever, p. 42; August 26, 2002, review of Blood Orchid, p. 39; March 17, 2003, review of Dirty Work, p. 52; August 18, 2003, review of Capital Crimes, p. 55.