While dining at Elaine's, Stone meets aspiring actress Carrie Cox from Delano, Georgia (home of President Will Lee and other Stuart Woods notables), who is now working as a lipstick model. Stone immediately steps in to aid the beautiful Carrie with sexual harassment from a Broadway producer, contract negotiations with a New York agent to star in a Broadway show, and protection from an attack by her ex-husband on the streets of New York City. In typical Stuart Woods style, Stone and Carrie become instant lovers.  

Simultaneously, Stone is asked by Bill Eggers, the managing partner of the law firm for which he works, to help Hildy Parsons, the daughter of a prominent New York art dealer. Hildy is living with  drug-dealing artist Derek Sharpe who has a history of bilking trust funds from the wealthy. Eggers also warns Stone that Carrie Cox may not be the innocent victim and that she has a history of twice attempting to kill her ex-husband.  

Along the way, Stone works with beautiful and rich policewoman Mitzi Reynolds from South Carolina. Taking advantage of her wealthy background, Reynolds and Stone scheme to ensnare Sharpe and his associate Sig Larsen who is running a Ponzi scheme.  

One of the joys of reading the seventeen Stone Barrington novels (besides the action, the sex and the great fun) is the reappearance of favorite characters such as Lt. Dino Bachetti, who was Stone's partner at the NYPD, Bob Cantor who does Stone's security and, of course, restaurateur Elaine. In Kisser, Woods brings back major Mafia figure Eduardo Bianchi and his daughter Dolce, who in prior novels was both married to Stone and then during a psychotic break tried to murder him. It would appear that Dolce will be back in Lucid Intervals scheduled to be published in April. I can't wait to see what happens.

--Jerry Solot