Stone Barrington is back in Paris for the opening of his newest hotel, l'Arrington, named for his late wife. The main story in PARIS MATCH is that a Russian mobster wants to buy all of Stone's holdings, even if he has to do it with a gun in his hand. He is Yevgeny Majorov, who believes Stone had a hand in his brother Yuri's death and is connected to the French police. On the other side of things, Stone has a crew of friends, including CIA operatives (one of whom he happens to be sleeping with), who will do anything to keep him alive and well. After all, he is a well known and "connected" attorney, a CIA operative and a former New York City cop. The women in Stone's life, which will be no surprise to fans, is another theme woven through Stuart Woods's new suspense novel.

"PARIS MATCH is a fun book and is perfect if you’re looking for a quick but satisfying read. Woods has a way with dialogue that moves the plot along apace."

One woman who stands out in Stone's life is Mirabelle Chance, a famous couture designer whose father and brother are both prefects in the French police. They, too, would like to get their hands on Stone and his hotel conglomerate, and are portrayed as eccentrics because of the brother's strange obsession with his sister. Questions always surface about the relationship these two had growing up.

Readers of Woods’ work will not be surprised to find that characters from his previous books play an important role in this one. For example, from CUT AND THRUST, the First Lady of the United States decides she wants to run for president despite the fact that she's pregnant. She's in an ugly race against a man who will stop at nothing to ruin her chances of winning. Rumors from his election committee start showing up on the Internet in a blog, one of which is that Stone is the father of her baby. This could turn the tide against her if it's true, but it's not.

In this time of such sophisticated electronics, cell phones keep everyone, both good and bad, in touch with their allies and enemies. Stone has a lifeline to anyone he needs help from or wants to talk to about business or threats on his life. He has several guests at the hotel, including President Lee and the First Lady.

One night, Stone is taking a walk by himself only to find two black vans blocking any egress from the bridge he was crossing. He has no other choice if he wants to save himself but to jump into the Seine. He grabs a tire hanging off a passing boat and climbs aboard. He is treated well by the husband and wife who own the tug and is obviously still alive, much to the chagrin of those who had planned to finally off him.

PARIS MATCH is a fun book and is perfect if you’re looking for a quick but satisfying read. Woods has a way with dialogue that moves the plot along apace. Readers will always be looking for the next bit of trouble Stone Barrington gets himself into or who his next paramour will be.