Stuart Woods published 98 novels, 1 novella and 7 other books, beginning with Chiefs (1981). The series is Stone Barrington (68 books, starting with New York Dead (Stone Barrington #1)). 6 feature Will Lee, 5 feature Holly Barker and 3 feature Ed Eagle.
Updated September 2026
Stone Barrington books in order (68)Series page
Reading order: 1 New York Dead (Stone Barrington #1) (1991) · 2 Dirt (1996) · 3 Dead in the Water (1997) · 4 Swimming to Catalina (1996) · 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 (2001) · … all 68 below
- 1.
New York Dead (Stone Barrington #1) (1991)
- 2.
Dirt (Sep 1996)
- 3.
Dead in the Water (Aug 1997)
- 4.
Swimming to Catalina (Sep 1996)
- 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 (2001)
- 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 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 [large Print] (2019)
- 52.
Treason (2020)
- 53.
Hit List [large Print] (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.
Safe House (2022)
- 62.
Black Dog (2022)
- 63.
Distant Thunder (2022)
- 64.
Near Miss (2023)
Dead Paradise (2006)
New York Dead/Dead in the Water (2007)
Smooth Operator (2016)
Bombshell (2020)
Books featuring Will Lee (6)
Chiefs (Jun 1981)
Run Before the Wind (Mar 1983)
Grass Roots (1989)
The Run (Jun 2000)
Capital Crimes (Oct 2003)
Mounting Fears (Jan 2009)
Books featuring Holly Barker (5)
Orchid Beach (1998)
Orchid Blues (2001)
Blood Orchid (2002)
Iron Orchid (2005)
Hothouse Orchid (2009)
Where to start with Stuart Woods
Start here
Chiefs
Stuart Woods's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Blue Water, Green Skipper (1977)
A Romantic's Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland (1979)
Deep Lie (Feb 1986)
Under the Lake (1987)
White Cargo (1988)
L.a. Times (1993)
Dead Eyes (1994)
Heat (1994)
Choke (1995)
Imperfect Strangers (1995)
Palindrome (1995)
The Prince of Beverly Hills (2004)
Short Straw (2006)
Beverly Hills Dead (2007)
Barely Legal (2017)
Skin Game (2019)
The Money Shot (2019)
Jackpot (2021)
An Extravagant Life (2022)
Obsession (2023)
Novellas in order
Sante Fe Rules (1995)
Other books in order
Stuart Woods Mixed (1998)
Short Forever, The (Stone Barrington) (2002)
Standup Guy by Stuart Woods Summary (2015)
Film and TV adaptations
- ChiefsTV · from Chiefs
About Stuart Woods
Stuart Woods was an American novelist, known best for his first novel Chiefs and his series of novels featuring protagonist Stone Barrington.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Stuart Woods FAQ
- How many books has Stuart Woods written?
- Stuart Woods published 98 novels, 1 novella and 7 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Stuart Woods's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Stone Barrington with New York Dead (Stone Barrington #1). The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Stuart Woods's last book?
- Obsession (2023).
- What is Stuart Woods's most famous book?
- Chiefs (1981) is Stuart Woods's most widely read book.
- Are Stuart Woods's books connected?
- 68 books belong to 1 series (Stone Barrington); the other 38 books stand alone.
- Which Stuart Woods books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including Chiefs (TV).
Authors like Stuart Woods
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.