Stone Barrington receives a rather unexpected phone call from Arrington Calder, the ex-girlfriend with whom he has a son. Arrington's much older husband, the actor Vance Calder, has just died, leaving her a fortune in Centurion Studios stock. Arrington has plans for the money and asks Stone to represent her in the sale of the company. But when he arrives at her home in Bel-Air to finalize the deal, things take a nasty turn.

"After returning home from a treacherous adventure, Stone Barrington is all too happy to settle back down in his New York City abode. But when he's introduced to a glamorous socialite with a staggering inheritance, Stone realizes his days are about to be anything but quiet. As it turns out, Stone's intriguing new companion has some surprisingly familiar ties and other far more sinister ones--including a nefarious enemy who gets too close for comfort....

"Stone Barrington is looking forward to some quiet time in New York City, until he is asked to transport precious, top-secret cargo across the Atlantic. Taking on the challenge, Stone flies off unaware of what--or who--he is bringing with him. But his plans to lie low are quickly spoiled when a dangerous dispatcher tracks down Stone and his tantalizing mystery guest, intent on payback--and silencing anyone who poses a threat. From the English countryside...

"Stone's relationship with Dolce, the daughter of a 'retired' Mafia chieftain, takes a new turn, and then their plans are shattered by events half a world away." Dino Bacchetti's investigations lead to "a court trial that will either condemn or set free an old love, with the hounds of the tabloid press baying at the courthouse doors."--Jacket.

"Brought in to recover a young Croatian billionaire's wife, who was kidnapped while her husband was making a deal with Centurion Studios, Teddy Fay quickly comes to realize dark forces are at play, while dealing with an obsessive fan with deadly intentions who weasels his way onto the film set."--

Stone Barrington finds himself on the trail of an elusive stalker in "Cold Paradise," and in "The Short Forever," Barrington stumbles upon a deadly rivalry between two spies and is implicated in a double murder.