CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

4 stars out of 5

Don't quote me on this, but I suspect this book may have set the record for how many women uber-rich New York attorney Stone Barrington beds in the shortest amount of time. But then hey - he's gotta be 95 by now (this is his 60th book, after all) - as the old saying goes, if you've got it, flaunt it.

And flaunt it he does, starting with teeny-tiny "Tink" Dorsey, who cheekily accosts Stone while he's sipping a drink at one of his favorite bars. Two drinks or less later, they're at his pricey Manhattan digs - and she goes home with his small Remington bronze statue. She also, Stone later learns, has invested a considerable sum of money with a guy who apparently is running a Ponzi scheme and is in the process of running off with the proceeds. When she fails to believe what Stone tells her about the man (Stone has forgiven her for the theft - what's a little statue among friends), he blows her off in favor of a blind date with Kitty Crosse, a friend of the wife of Stone's friend and NYPD Police Commissioner Dino Bachetti. It goes without saying that this encounter, too, ends up with Stone and Kitty you-know-where. To that end, a word to those who might care about such things: the bedtime adventures seemed to me to be a little more graphic than usual.

Stone soon learns that Kitty, too, has invested with the Ponzi scheme guy (after it hits him square in the pocketbook). Even though he can well afford the loss, he decides to do what he can to bring the pseudo investment fund manager to justice - hopefully recouping at least some of the money for the bilked investors and a bounty for himself and Dino.

It doesn't come easy; the thief leads Stone, Dino and the FBI (including a beautiful top agent, so read what you will into that) on a not-so-merry island-hopping chase and not-so-merry time spent in a Middle East country where U.S. residency doesn't mean diddly squat. Money, however, speaks loud and clear - and that's something Stone and the U.S. government have plenty of. Still, there's the question of honor: who's to say whether the desert powers-that-be will live up to their end of the bargain?

All told, it's another relatively entertaining romp through the life of the rich and powerful that easily can be polished off in a day at the beach or in front of a cozy fire. No doubt it will be another hit with series fans (and I count myself among them).

Criminal Mischief by Stuart Woods (G.P. Putnam's Sons, December 2021); 317 pp.