Dirt

Stone Barrington: 2

ISBN: 0-7887-0630-6 Order from: Recorded Books

A twisty mystery full of glamorous but venal characters, this novel provides entertainment without any particularly sympathetic characters.

Reviewed by David on September 20, 1999

Genre: Mystery (Court Drama, Amateur Sleuth)

Synopsis: Stone Barrington, a New York attorney specializing in unusual cases, investigates an ingenious blackmailer that succeeds in capturing the most embarassing and sometimes downright illegal moments of the rich and powerful of New York and Los Angelos.

In between episodes of lust, the investigation is complicated by the victims themselves trying to stop the blackmail by a spot of assassination.

Full Review: This is an unabridged recording of Dirt. The novel takes a wallow in the "dirt" of its title, as the rich, famous and seemingly respectable of the media world prove to have the base failings of all of us, except more so: infidelity, greed, envy and tax evasion.

Through it all, our detective Stone is almost coincidental to the occasionally frustrating unfolding of events, as several unscrupulous people vie in barely veiled ruthlessness.

The book is moderately entertaining, but the plot meanders quite a bit as several viewpoints are used to pump up the tension. The resolution introduces a modicum of poetic justice, although the general cynicism of the plot is hardly lifted throughout the book.

This novel is followed up by Dead in the Water.

Overall: 5.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 5;

ISBN: 0-7887-0630-6 Order from: Recorded Books