The Money Shot

The Money Shot by Stuart Woods

Sorely disappointed to find that the big warehouse place didn’t have this book when it first came out. Usually, that warehouse chain (Costco) carries the Stuart Woods hardbacks. Not carrying it mean they didn’t sell enough last time. Have to love that shrewd economical business, though.

Then, too, there’s the notion that the novels run right at 50,000 words — that’s a guess — and the author himself noted that his publisher wanted 4 books in a year, not just 3. Still, at least so far, I haven’t detected any decline in quality, still the gripping, craftsmen-constructed quality and frankly, the books themselves? Although I prefer to consume this as digital text? The books themselves are a hallmark of the old-school way of binding fine literature. Glossy cover art, good paper, stitched, cut.

Subsidiary characters, spin-offs from previous novels, supporting characters who get a new role? Sure.

Always helps to wrap the stories in sense of glitz and glamor, with a dash of intrigue. After nearly a hundred novels? Still having that zinger of an opener.

Fiction always tend to be more true than truth.

Timing, suspense, maybe an absolute potboiler schematic, but still, the delivery is good, and sometimes, better than good. Books that evoke feelings, always means something special. The Money Shot is not different.

“The motion to adjourn is always in order. “ Page 106.

That’s also sourced in Pink Cake.

With the hardback in hand, one buddy nodded, “Takes me about two hours to read one of those.” Takes me longer, but I tend to savor a bit. Although, more action, seamlessly driven, sure there is that.

I still recall settling into a 7-hour flight back from Seattle, with the then-new Stuart Woods novel in hand, and finishing it maybe half hour or more before we landed. That’s about right.

Gripping read, if one enjoys this kind of material. Almost broke the Fourth Wall, with a nod to Deadpool, maybe?

I figure the digital library copy I read most of? Think that tells the story, on the release date, there was a 90+ day wait for the library copy. It was available in less than a week, so at least three or four people read it before me, and returned it. Not long, not challenging, but damn fine entertainment. Well, a little challenging, as the structure of the novel itself, the eternal question, “How is he going to resolve this one?”

Have to read the book to see.

Most annoying aspect to the novel? I had other things to do, like work and stuff. Kept interrupting.

The Money Shot

The Money Shot