Stuart Woods Books In Order – The Complete List of Books

Last Updated on April 17, 2024

The Stuart Woods books in order include his most popular Stone Barrington legal thriller series, along with his other series such as Ed Eagle, Holly Barker, Rick Barron, Teddy Fay, not to mention his standalone novels and non-fiction books.  Stuart Woods is my favorite author to go to when I want to read a PI detective thriller with legal undertones. The Stone Barrington series features the ex-cop now PI with a law degree who solves cases after cases in each book.

Here are all the Stuart Woods books in order for his series and non-series novels. If you are new to this author, I hope you pick up some of them and become a fan, just like me and thousands of others all over the world.

Stuart Woods passed away on July 22, 2022, at the age of 84.

Latest Stuart Woods Books

Stone Barrington Books in Order of Publication

1. New York Dead, 1991
2. Dirt, 1996
3. Dead in the Water, 1997
4. Swimming to Catalina, 1998
5. Worst Fears Realized, 1999
6. L.A. Dead, 2000
7. Cold Paradise, 2001
8. The Short Forever, 2002
9. Dirty Work, 2003
10. Reckless Abandon (Stone Barrington #10, Holly Barker #4), 2004
11. Two Dollar Bill, 2005
12. Dark Harbor, 2006
13. Fresh Disasters, 2007
14. Shoot Him If He Runs, 2007
15. Hot Mahogany, 2008
16. Loitering With Intent, 2009
17. Kisser, 2009
18. Lucid Intervals, 2010
19. Strategic Move, 2010
20. Bel-Air Dead, 2011
21. Son of Stone, 2011
22. D.C. Dead, 2011
23. Unnatural Acts, 2012
24. Severe Clear, 2012
25. Collateral Damage, 2012
26. Unintended Consequences, 2013
27. Doing Hard Time, 2013
28. Standup Guy, 2014
29. Carnal Curiosity, 2014
30. Cut and Thrust, 2014
31. Paris Match, 2014
32. Insatiable Appetites, 2015
33. Hot Pursuit, 2015
34. Naked Greed, 2015
35. Foreign Affairs, 2015
36. Scandalous Behavior, 2016
37. Family Jewels, 2016
38. Dishonorable Intentions, 2016
39. Sex, Lies, and Serious Money, 2016
40. Below the Belt, 2017
41. Fast and Loose, 2017
42. Indecent Exposure, 2017
43. Quick & Dirty, 2017
44. Unbound, 2018
45. Shoot First, 2018
46. Turbulence, 2018
47. Desperate Measures, 2018
48. A Delicate Touch, 2018
49. Wild Card, 2019
50. Contraband, 2019
51. Stealth, 2019
52. Treason, 2020
53. Hit List, 2020
54. Choppy Water, 2020
55. Shakeup, 2020
56. Hush-Hush, 2020
57. Double Jeopardy, 2021
58. Class Act, 2021
59. Foul Play, 2021
60. Criminal Mischief, 2021
61. A Safe House, 2022
62. Black Dog, 2022
63. Distant Thunder, 2022
64. Near Miss, 2022 (with Brett Battles)

Herbie Fisher Books in Order of Publication

1. Barely Legal, 2017 (with Parnell Hall)

Teddy Fay Books in Order of Publication

1. Smooth Operator, 2016 (with Parnell Hall)
2. The Money Shot, 2018 (with Parnell Hall)
3. Skin Game, 2019 (with Parnell Hall)
4. Bombshell, 2020 (with Parnell Hall)
5. Jackpot, 2021 (with Bryon Quertermous)
6. Obsession, 2023 (with Brett Battles)

Holly Barker Books in Order of Publication

1. Orchid Beach, 1998
2. Orchid Blues, 2001
3. Blood Orchid, 2002
4. Reckless Abandon (Holly Barker #4, Stone Barrington #10), 2004
5. Iron Orchid, 2005
6. Hothouse Orchid, 2009

Will Lee Books in Order of Publication

1. Chiefs, 1981
2. Run Before the Wind, 1983
3. Deep Lie, 1986
4. Grass Roots, 1989
5. The Run, 1995
6. Capital Crimes, 2003
7. Mounting Fears, 2008

Ed Eagle Series in Order of Publication

1. Santa Fe Rules, 1992
2. Short Straw, 2006
3. Santa Fe Dead, 2008
4. Santa Fe Edge, 2010

Rick Barron Books in Order of Publication

1. The Prince of Beverly Hills, 2004
2. Beverly Hills Dead, 2008

Other Stuart Woods Books in Order of Publication

• Under the Lake, 1987
• White Cargo, 1988
• Palindrome, 1990
• L.A. Times, 1993
• Dead Eyes, 1994
• Heat, 1995
• Imperfect Strangers, 1996
• Choke, 1996

Non Fiction Books in Order of Publication

• Blue Water, Green Skipper: A Memoir of Sailing Alone Across the Atlantic, 1977
• An Extravagant Life, 2022

Stuart Woods Biography – About the Author

Born in Manchester, Georgia, in 1938, Stuart Woods attended public school in the town, after which he attended and graduated in 1959 from the University of Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology.

After finishing college, he enrolled in the Air National Guard where he remained for two months doing basic training. Towards the end of 1960, he moved to New York where started to work in the advertising industry earning a few dollars in a training program.

His next stop was in England, moving to London at the end of the 1960s, working for the next 3 years again in advertising, before he decided that writing a particular novel, his long childhood dream, should become finally a reality.

This is when author Stuart Woods moved to Ireland and lived in a small flat where he got writing while working part-time crafting ads at a Dublin agency for two days a week.

Sadly his dream of writing the book went sailing when he discovered that very hobby: sailing, which he took to a next level by becoming not only proficient at it but good enough to take part in various competitions and races over the next few years.

The Stuart Woods first published books were non-fiction, the first being an account of his sailing experience in Ireland and the transatlantic race, called Blue Water, Green Skipper, and the second book called A Romantic’s Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland is a travel book that he wrote on a whim. Next came the Stuart Woods series.

The debut novel by the author Stuart Woods, which he started a long time ago, was finally written and published in 1981 under the title Chiefs, a book which sold many paperbacks and became a CBS TV drama featuring Charlton Heston in the main role.  Chiefs earned the Best First Novel Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers Of America.

Chiefs would also become the first novel in his Will Lee series. This book established Stuart Woods as a real published author focusing on legal thriller series mostly, which also shaped the direction his life and work would take from here on. Also, Teddy Fay, is another character that features in a newer Stuart Woods series.

His best-known and most popular books are centered around Stone Barrington, an ex NYPD detective who now works as a lawyer taking on shady cases.

The Holly Barker series is somewhat related to Stone Barrington as some books are part of both series. Holly Barker initially started out as a small-town police chief in a place called Orchid Beach, Florida. Later, she became a CIA Special Agent.

The first book I’ve read by Stuart Woods was New York Dead, which is also the author’s first in the series, published in 1991. I think I’ve read the book in 1995 and I got hooked. I’ve soon found whatever I missed from the series until then, and stayed on the tail of this author ever since.

In the meantime, the author, Stuart Woods, has over 70 books published, which includes 4 other crime mystery series as well.

While I have read some of the Stuart Books books in order in his other series, Stone Barrington book series is still my favorite and probably will ever remain so. It is also the series with the most books included. Although if I have to choose just one most favorite book by Stuart Woods, it will be Palindrome. It is a standalone novel and so far the best he has ever written, at least in my humble opinion.

As he mentioned on his website (in the Interviews section), his publishers asked him to write 3 books a year, much to the delight of the author’s fans who love his writing. Way more convenient to be able to read 3 Stuart Books books within a year rather than having to wait a full year – or two until the next book in a series comes out as it happens with numerous other authors.

Quick & Dirty, Stuart Woods Stone Barrington #43, takes Barrington to the world of art. When a gets involved with a hedge fund widow goes to his office to ask for his help after the widow’s husband fell off the balcony, he falls hard for her. At the same time, he is asked by Arthur Steele’s insurance company to investigate the disappearance of a Van Gogh painting, one which was in the possession of said hedge fund.

The story is a fun romp in the sexy world of Stone Barrington who cruises the scene of the rich and famous with all the ease in the world. There are plenty of twists and turns in the book to keep you engaged. I do miss a bit the old Barrington, however, as this new one of the latest books is a bit soapy, a bit too much of a womanizer and no longer the classy guy he used to be.

Nevertheless, the book is addictive to any Stuart Woods fan and we will continue reading his novels as fast as he keeps on writing them (which is about 3 books a year).

The next book, Unbound, takes us from the glamorous world of Hollywood to the dry New Mexico desert in another exciting adventure with Stone Barrington and Ed Eagle (who also has his own series).

In Wild Card, follows directly the events in A Delicate Touch, so the two books at least should be read in order. Stone Barrington and his latest love interest, New York Times reporter Jamie Cox, are relaxing at Stone’s English estate. While there, Jamie is hard at work on her latest book about the connection between organized crime and Henry Thomas who own his own investment bank. Much of the information has been received from Stone, who basically exposed the corruption, so now Henry Thomas sent his henchman to stop Stone and his girlfriend once and for all. This is when Stone and Jamie leave England to retreat to his Manhattan t0wnhouse which should be safer for them. When Henry hires an assassin to kill Stone, his job might be much easier since from the time Stone and Jamie are in Manhattan, they believe they are truly safer. Hint: they are not.

A favorite Stone Barrington book takes us to Florida where Stone Barrington is taking a much-needed vacation which is interrupted when something falls from the sky. He teams up with a detective to investigate the issue when the evidence seems to disappear. And before he knows it, he is drawn into a web of deceit and crime that follows him wherever he goes – along with old and new enemies who just can’t leave him be.

Overall, there should be a total of 65 Stone Barrington universe books with a last novel with a publication date of 2024, untitled so far.

Stuart Woods died at the age of 84 on July 22, 2022 in his sleep at his Connecticut home.

Stuart Woods Awards Received and Nominations

• Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee for Palindrome in 1992
• Bram Stoker Best Novel winner for Dead in the Water in 1995