Notes:
New York
Venice by plane
Bianchi Palazzo (Venice)
World Famous Harry’s bar
2 wedding ceremony
-civil

Bel-Air Hotel
The Judson Clinic – Dr James Judson
Anterograde Amnesia

This latest installment in Woods's Stone Barrington thriller series finds the lawyer/sleuth from New York back in Los Angeles on a murder case in which everyone, even the accused, lazes along, enjoying life in sunny Southern California. In his sixth outing (following 1999's Worst Fears Realized), Barrington is surrounded by his usual cast of friends, acquaintances and casual sex partners. The biggest change here is that his ex-lover, Arrington Calder, stands accused of murdering her husband, movie star and renowned man-about-town Vance Calder, found dead of a gunshot wound in the couple's Bel Air mansion. Upon hearing the news, Barrington, in Italy for his imminent wedding to the lovely but unpredictable Dolce Bianchi, rushes to L.A. to take over Arrington's defense. Not much of substance happens next; there's plenty of rambunctious sex, lots of light banter, a few tiffs and a minimal bit of sleuthing. Barrington checks out who left the size-12 shoe imprint near the murder scene and does his best to avoid Dolce, who took exception to her fiance 's sudden departure from the nuptials and is now stalking him. The whole case ends abruptly and with little suspense, and everyone goes along his or her merry way. Woods's desultory plotting Dit is never made entirely clear who really killed Vance Calder Dand chatty dialogue may not suit hardcore thriller or mystery readers, but Barrington's fans will likely welcome the detective's newest California-chic adventure
Stuart Woods has been clicking right along recently, particularly with his novels involving Stone Barrington. Barrington, former NYPD cop, present lawyer and investigator, has been the subject of such novels as NEW YORK DEAD and DEAD IN THE WATER as well as the current L.A. DEAD. These are what I would call airport books --- they are long enough to occupy you as you fly from Point A to Point
B, and engaging enough to help you to forget, however momentarily, that you are engaged in an act that violates all known laws of nature, science, and aerodynamics.
Woods's Stone Barrington books remind me of the golden days when the James Bond movies first became popular. The movies, for the most part, were somewhat different from the books. When some paperback houses accordingly rushed a few titles to fill the void, it resulted in the series revolving around a secret agent who was more interested in bedding the dangerous but lusty (or were they lusty but dangerous?) wenches who confronted him at every turn.
Stone Barrington is the fictional heir to those gentlemen. It seems as if he barely gets off of a plane before he is being led to bed by a woman who has stripped her clothes off within five minutes of meeting him. And, as one might expect, this gets him into a spot of trouble. L.A. Dead by Stuart Woods
About the Author
Stuart Woods was born in the small southern town of Manchester, Georgia and attended the local public schools, then graduated from the University of Georgia, with a BA in Sociology. He doesn’t remember why. After college, he spent a year in Atlanta and two months in basic training for what he calls “the draft-dodger program” of the Air National Guard. Then, in the autumn of 1960, he moved to New York, in search of a writing job. The magazines and newspapers weren’t hiring, so he got a job in a training program at an advertising agency, earning seventy dollars a week. “It is a measure of my value to the company,” he says. He spent the whole of the nineteen-sixties in New York, with the exception of ten months, which he spent in Mannheim, Germany, at the request of John F. Kennedy. Stuart Woods is the author of forty-four novels, including the New York Times-bestselling Stone Barrington series and Holly Barker series. The last twenty-eight of them have been New York Times best-sellers. He is an avid private pilot, flying his own jet on two book tours a year.
Genre
Fiction - Mystery and Thrillers

Cast of Characters

Main Characters:
• Stone Barrington – lawyer, main cast
• Dolce Bianchi (Rosaria real name) – love interest of Stone, fiancee of Stone / sister in law of Dino / Sister of Mary Ann
• Dino Bacchetti – Stone former NYPD Pal / friend
• Arrington Calder – ex lover of Stone (suspect of murder) / wife of Vance Calder
• Vance Calder – ex of Dolce, a Hollywood Star (was murdered)
• Mary Ann Bianchi Bacchetti – wife of Dino Bacchetti
• Eduardo Bianchi – father of Dolce and Mary Ann / soon to be father-in-law of Stone
• Peter Calder- Son of Arrington and Vance
• Lou Regenstein – Chairman of Centurion Studios, Host of the Party
• Felipe Cordova – the gardener of the Vance and Charlene Joiner/ Witness
• Manolo Sanchez– Filipino Butler
•
Supporting Characters:
• Elaine – friend of Stone
• Michael – the head waiter friend of stone
• Rosaria – Aunt of Dolce and Mary Ann
• Rick Grant - police
• Barbarra Tierney
• Marc Blumberg – Best criminal lawyer in LA
• Betty Southhard – Secretary of Vance
• Joan Robertson – stone’s secretary
• Hillary Carter – Arringtons mother
• Jim Judson –Doctor of Arrington
• Dr. Lansing Drake –personal physician of Arrinton, A well-known Beverly Hills doctor and lethargic
• Geraldo – Arrington and Vance grass cutter
• Betty Southward – PA of Vance
• Wilson – Commanding Security
• Sam Durkee and Ted Bryant – Detectives
• Charlene Joiner – co-star of vance
• Mrs Beverly Walters – Arrington’s friend / gossip / Vance friend / witness
• Will Lee – a politician
• Isabel Sanchez – the maid at the Calder’s
• Marvin Kitman -Vance’s accountant
• Bradford Crane – Vance’s lawyer
• Harold Beame –
• Liz Raymond- one of Marc Blumberg’s accociates
• District Attorney Team – Dan reeves, Bill Marshall, Helen Chu
• Brandy Garcia – latino hulstler, cayote
• Billy Foote --Stone’s carpenter
• Helene – house keeper of stone
• Vanessa Pike – Marc’s friend
• Daniel Pike – big time producer / director
• Gordon Walter – husband of Beverly

Introduction
This latest installment in Woods's Stone Barrington thriller series finds the lawyer/sleuth from New York back in Los Angeles on a murder case in which everyone, even the accused, lazes along, enjoying life in sunny Southern California. In his sixth outing (following 1999's Worst Fears Realized), Barrington is surrounded by his usual cast of friends, acquaintances and casual sex partners. The biggest change here is that his ex-lover, Arrington Calder, stands accused of murdering her husband, movie star and renowned man-about-town Vance Calder, found dead of a gunshot wound in the couple's Bel-Air mansion. Upon hearing the news, Barrington, in Italy for his imminent wedding to the lovely but unpredictable Dolce Bianchi, rushes to L.A. to take over Arrington's defense. Not much of substance happens next; there's plenty of rambunctious sex, lots of light banter, a few tiffs and a minimal bit of sleuthing. Barrington checks out who left the size-12 shoe imprint near the murder scene and does his best to avoid Dolce, who took exception to her fiancé’s sudden departure from the nuptials and is now stalking him.
Summary
That having been said, L.A. DEAD begins with Barrington about to enter a state of connubial bliss with Dolce, a world-class beauty who is the widow of one Mafia underboss and the daughter of another. Barrington and Dolce are to be married in Italy, first at a civil ceremony and then at a Roman Catholic one the next day. In between the two ceremonies, however, Barrington learns that the great lost love of his life, Arrington (yes, Arrington. If they would have gotten married she'd have been Arrington Barrington) Calder, is about to be indicted for the murder of her husband. She has motive --- Vance Calder, Arrington's handsome movie star husband, had a reputation for dallying with everything that could move or breathe --- and opportunity. Barrington flies back to the States before undergoing the church ceremony with his erstwhile bride, and all too soon finds that he is involved with Arrington on both a professional and personal level.
No matter what happens to Arrington, however, Barrington is going to get off easily. Dolce has returned to the States intent on putting things back together with Barrington. He, meanwhile, is not confining his extracurricular activities to Arrington --- who may, or may not, have murdered her husband. Barrington soon comes to doubt his own motives: is he more interested in discovering the truth about Vance Calder's murder or in protecting Arrington?
L.A. DEAD requires a lot of suspension of disbelief and is written tongue thrust firmly in...well, in cheek, I guess, but it is great fun from beginning to end, notwithstanding the stereotyped and one-dimensional characters
L.A. Dead, is a tale of romance and murder that stretches from the Grand Canal of Venice to the mansions of Bel-Air, with a cast of characters who display the best and worst of the Hollywood milieu. Stone's relationship with Dolce, the daughter of a "retired" Mafia chieftain, takes a new turn, and then their plans are shattered by events half a world away. Soon Stone is up to his neck in a baffling murder case that threatens his old love, Arrington, while offering him a new chance for a life he once desperately wanted. But now that it is within his grasp, will he want it again? With his former NYPD partner, Dino Bacchetti, at his side, Stone plumbs the depths of Hollywood society, and dredges up enough dirt to end the careers of some and send others to prison. The novel climaxes in a court trial that will either condemn or set free an old love, with the hounds of the tabloid press baying at the courthouse doors.

Analysis and Evaluation
The whole case ends abruptly and with little suspense, and everyone goes along his or her merry way. Woods's desultory plotting it is never made entirely clear who really killed Vance Calder chatty dialogue may not suit hardcore thriller or mystery readers, but Barrington's fans will likely welcome the detective's newest California-chic adventure. Mystery Guild main selection; BOMC and Literary Guild featured selections.
And the conclusion, surprisingly, is extremely thought-provoking. It will be interesting to see what Woods does next with Barrington (or what Barrington does with, or to, whomever) and whether Woods picks up any of the strands of plot that he leaves dangling in L.A. DEAD. It will, in either event, be worth a look at his next novel.

Conclusion