Stone Barrington Series

The Stone Barrington series is written by the best-selling thriller author Stuart Woods. With over 45 books published so far, Stone Barrington is one of the longest legal thriller series to date.

If you enjoy courtroom thrillers, reading the Stone Barrington series in reading order will give you many enjoyable hours full of thrill and chill.

Stone Barrington Series in Order

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, 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 Moves, 2011
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, 2013
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 & Loose, 2017
42. Indecent Exposure, 2017
43. Quick & Dirty, 2017
44. Unbound, 2018
45. Shoot First, 2018
46. Turbulence, 2018
47. Desperate Measures, 2018

The series focuses on Stone Barrington, an ex-cop who was forced to retire and became an attorney in New York City as he had a law degree. All this happens in the first Stone Barrington book, New York Dead, where he is not only recovering from an injury but is also at odds with his bosses. So he quits the Force, takes the Bar exam and becomes a lawyer for an established firm as a counsel.

Now, as a lawyer, he can pick and choose the cases that he wants to pursue, and in the process, he becomes quite wealthy, especially considering that his clients are quite wealthy and prominent personalities themselves (police commissioner, CIA director, the American president and first lady, among others).

The Stone Barrington series can be easily read in any order you choose. In some books, references are made to past stories, however, each book stands on its own with its particular plot.

There is only one book that I recommend you read first before any other book: New York Dead, which is also the first book in the series. This book sets up the scene and Stone’s backstory.

In addition, Blood Orchid, book #3 in the Holly Barker series should be read before reading Reckless Abandon, which is not only Holly Barker #4 but also Stuart Barrington #10. Reckless Abandon picks up where Blood Orchid left off.