“Severe Clear” by Stuart Woods – Stone Against Terrorism

Severe Clear by Stuart Woods (Book Cover)
In recent years it seems that Stuart Woods has lost his touch, with his novels having noticeably dropped in quality. His fans have been yearning for a comeback for some time now, and lo and behold, it seems they might get what they were asking for.

 Severe Clear is a return by Stuart Woods to the Stone Barrington series, bringing to us virtually the whole case, including Stone’s son, Holly Barker, Mike Freeman, Kate Lee, Herb Fisher, Dino, and some others.

The whole plot revolves around the opening of a new ultra-luxe hotel called the Arrington, built on the grounds of Barrington’s deceased wife’s mansion. As it happens, Stone is in charge of overseeing the opening, and he may very well have his work cut out for him for the NSA has information suggesting that the event has attracted the attention of international terrorists.

The last few book released by Woods were complained about by many of his fans, having the impression that they became too formulaic and littered with filler content… in other words, people accused him of simply milking the popularity he created. Though there is certainly some filler content in this book as well as a share of predictability, I have to say that they weren’t noticeable enough to significantly detract from the book as a whole.

I haven’t really had the chance to get into Woods’ writings yet, but from what I have seen in this one, he enjoys using a simpler style to tell suspenseful stories, even if they are a tad unbelievable or unrealistic.

As far as the entertainment factor goes, the book succeeded quite well at keeping my eyes glued to the pages; even in those instances where I knew what was coming, I had to read on through to see it for myself.

From what I gathered, this book isn’t exactly on par with most of Woods’ early works and some of his more hard-core fans are displeased… however, if you aren’t seeking a ground-breaking masterpiece that will shatter your world, then you probably won’t find much wrong with this work.

Severe Clear by Stuart Woods (Book Cover)
It’s a solid thriller done by the book, flowing rapidly, keeping most of the answers shrouded until the right moment, and providing a suspicious cast of characters who advance the story as much as they provide insight and even the occasional comic relief.

All in all, if you are looking for a good terrorist thriller to keep yourself busy these holidays, Severe Clear would be a great choice for that in my opinion.


Stuart Woods (Author)

Stuart Woods


Personal site

Stuart Woods is an American novelist who began his career after serving in the military, publishing his first book, Blue Water, Green Skipper in 1977. Much of his books draw from his experiences as a sailor, being centered around the sea and its many perils.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

“The Locked Door” by Freida McFadden – Roots of a Lost Innocence

Image
  Freida McFadden has been quietly writing some exciting and original thrillers in her spare time from being a practicing physician, and The Locked Door is one of her latest offering in the genre.  It tells the story of Nora, a surgeon and daughter of a serial killer now in jail, who sees her life assaulted from the dark as someone begins to recreate her father's work with the exact same signature.
Read more

“The Lost Colony” by A.G. Riddle – A New Home Among the Stars

Image
A.G. Riddle's Long Winter Trilogy Series is one many of us will remember for the amazing story it brings of humanity's last stand against an overwhelming enemy in times of hopelessness. In The Lost Colony , the third book in the series, we follow James and Emma on their own respective struggles as humanity tries to settle itself on a new planet with an unseen danger none could have foreseen.
Read more

“Winter World” by A.G. Riddle – Ice Age from the Void

Image
A.G. Riddle is a true literary explorer seeking to push humanity to its limits and beyond, setting them on a desperate collision course with something beyond its understanding in Winter World . With a sudden ice age dawning on humanity entire swathes of land become uninhabitable and people begin dropping like flies, with anarchy reigning supreme. Looking to the stars for a miraculous solution, the remnants of humanity find a massive mysterious object floating near Mars ...whatever it is, our civilization's hopes of survival rest entirely in its hands.
Read more

“The Girl on the Stairs” by Barry Ernest – The Small Thorn you Can’t Ignore

Image
Girl on the Stairs , by Barry Ernest and with a foreword written by David Lifton, is an exploration of one specific aspect of the JFK assassination. More precisely, it looks into what a little girl by the name of Victoria Adams saw on that day while standing in the staircase of the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald was supposedly making his escape.  Actually, it is more about what she didn’t see than what she did see. Victoria was on the staircase Oswald supposedly used, at the exact same time he supposedly used it. If he were to be there, even the little girl she was, Victoria would have noticed a nervous man quickly running down the stairs. However, she says that on that day, she was alone there, with nobody to be found, especially Oswald.
Read more

“Three Comrades” by Erich Maria Remarque – The Other Side of the Barricade

Image
The two World Wars have been documented, discussed and depicted from virtually every perspective imaginable, ranging from small children caught in a crossfire all the way the leaders of each country. However, it seems that here is a startlingly small amount of attention dedicated to the small hiatus period between the two wars, a time during which many changes came to pass in Germany in a very short amount of time.
Read more