BOOK REVIEW: Short Straw

Stuart Woods has been on best seller list consistently for a long time. He is usually compared to David Baldacci, one of my favorite action writers. So, when a copy of SHORT STRAW fell into my hands, I felt that it would be a good book to take on vacation with me.

Successful Santa Fe lawyer Ed Eagle wakes up on his 50th birthday with a hangover. He is expecting the day to deal only with the local dignitaries at a reception to celebrate the opening of his new downtown offices. Not only has he overslept, but he discovers that his wife Barbara has disappeared along with the contents of all of his financial accounts.

The same morning he is called to the judge’s office where he “draws the short straw" and is assigned the job of defending a man accused of murder. His schedule demands that he call in some favors, so with the help of two private detectives, an ace ex- IRS agent, and an accused murder the search for Barbara begins. As the reader follows this unlikely group around the southwest and well into Mexico, we learn that Barbara is a true Black Widow. I was disappointed with SHORT STRAW. It lacked the tension that I expected. What should have been chase scenes that put me on the edge of my seat fell flat.

Character development is important to me and though sometimes inconsistencies can make a character more human, there were times in this book that behavior was more important to the plot then to the person. An example was how quickly good guy Ed Eagle went from still loving his wife to being involved with someone else.

SHORT STRAW was a disappointment. From other reviews, it seems that this is not Woods at his best, so I guess we will give him another try. Sometimes a popular author does his best work at the beginning of his career so I will check some earlier books. If you are a fan and have suggestions, let me know what I should sample next.