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Barbara Eagle loves to adapt --- to new surroundings, new husbands, new money, new lovers and new opportunities to break the law. Her husband, Ed Eagle, a 6'7" attorney, believes that he has the perfect life: a beautiful home, a loving and affectionate wife, a position in Santa Fe society, an excellent reputation and the contentment of a man who has all the trappings of success. He has all these things until his 50th birthday, which begins with Ed waking up three hours late. This is also the day that Ed's new law offices open. From that point forward, it seems as though Ed is destined to pick the short straw repeatedly.
Barbara has a plan. She aims to rip off her husband for more than five million dollars, change her appearance and live the life of luxury for the rest of her existence. The plot is nonstop action, as Ed tries to discover Barbara's whereabouts, stop his money from flowing into her account and convince her to sign needed documents. We go from Santa Fe to rural Mexico and cross the border several times.
Stuart Woods engages the reader in a back-and-forth carnival ride through plots and subplots between Ed and Barbara, the private investigators Ed has hired to track down Barbara, and a convict named Joe Big Bear. When a judge assigns cases to certain lawyers based on "picking straws," of course Ed chooses the short straw. He must represent an incarcerated man, Joe Big Bear, who is charged with a triple murder. He seems to have an airtight alibi --- he was fixing an automobile for a client during the hours when the triple murder took place. But, of course, there is more than meets the eye in his alibi.
Joe Big Bear has several interesting and revealing confrontations during his time in prison as he awaits his trial. There, coincidentally, he meets the man Barbara hired to kill her husband. This is an excellent example of Woods's sense of humor and irony. The plot development here is very savvy.
Another example of Woods's ability to supply the reader with a backdrop of humor is his detailed adventure of the private investigators who were hired by Ed to find Barbara. They were given only one task: find Barbara's whereabouts, approach her and have her sign six pieces of paper. That's it! What transpires is a Three Stooges-type comedy that alone is worth the price of this book.
Woods's 33rd novel is aptly named and contains all the elements that continue to appeal to his avid readers. His main characters are multi-faceted, interesting and intelligent. The point is not to figure out the ending of his mysteries but to savor the details, the subtleties and nuances, twists and turns, and character development. Having read almost all of Woods's books, I continue to be a fan and thoroughly enjoyed SHORT STRAW.
--- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher
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