Stuart Woods Books in Order: Series List & Crossover Timeline

Stuart Woods wrote fast, glossy mystery and thriller novels full of lawyers, cops, pilots, politicians, spies, and rich people making dangerous decisions. If you’re trying to read the Stuart Woods books in order, his bibliography can look a little overwhelming at first because several of his series overlap.

For most readers, the series lists are the easiest place to start. I also included the crossover chronological order once you want to see how the wider Stuart Woods universe fits together, including Stone Barrington, Will Lee, Holly Barker, Teddy Fay, Ed Eagle, Rick Barron, and the connected standalones.

Jump to:

• Stuart Woods Books by Series
• Stuart Woods Standalone Books
• Stuart Woods Nonfiction Books
• Stuart Woods Books in Chronological Order
• Stuart Woods Book-to-Screen Adaptations

Stuart Woods Books by Series

If you want the simplest Stuart Woods reading order, I’d start with the series lists. His books are very connected, but each series still has its own main order.

Stone Barrington Series

Stone Barrington is the center of Woods’ bibliography and the series most readers know first. This page gives you the quick order, but I also have a dedicated guide to the Stone Barrington books in order if you want the series-only version.

1. New York Dead (1991)
2. Dirt (1996)
3. Dead in the Water (1997)
4. Swimming to Catalina (1998)
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 (2004)
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 and 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 (2019)
52. Treason (2020)
53. Hit List (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. A Safe House (2022)
62. Black Dog (2022)
63. Distant Thunder (2022)
64. Near Miss (2023)
65. Stuart Woods’ Smolder (2024) by Brett Battles
66. Stuart Woods’ Finders Keepers (2025) by Brett Battles
67. Stuart Woods’ Deep Water (2026) by Brett Battles
68. Stuart Woods’ Hostile Intent (2026) by Brett Battles

Are Stone Barrington books still being written?

Stuart Woods died in 2022, but the Stone Barrington series has continued under Brett Battles. Woods and Battles collaborated before Woods’ death, so the handoff feels more direct than a random continuation by a stranger.

Holly Barker Series

Holly Barker starts as a small-town police chief and later becomes part of the CIA side of Woods’ world. Her series also crosses into Stone Barrington, especially through Reckless Abandon, but I’d keep that one in the Stone list rather than count it as a main Holly Barker book.

1. Orchid Beach (1998)
2. Orchid Blues (2001)
3. Blood Orchid (2002)
4. Iron Orchid (2005)
5. Hothouse Orchid (2009)

Ed Eagle Series

Ed Eagle is a Santa Fe lawyer with a dangerous personal life and plenty of connections to Woods’ larger cast. His books are short and easy to slot into the wider chronology.

1. Santa Fe Rules (1992)
2. Short Straw (2006)
3. Santa Fe Dead (2008)
4. Santa Fe Edge (2010)

Herbie Fisher

Herbie Fisher is a recurring Stone Barrington character who gets one book of his own. It’s worth including here because it belongs to the same connected world.

1. Barely Legal (2017) (with Parnell Hall)

Teddy Fay Series

Teddy Fay is one of Woods’ best crossover characters. He starts in the wider Stuart Woods universe before becoming the lead of his own thriller series.

1. Smooth Operator (2016) with Parnell Hall
2. The Money Shot (2018) with Parnell Hall
3. Skin Game (2019) with Parnell Hall
4. Bombshell (2020) with Parnell Hall
5. Jackpot (2021) with Bryon Quertermous
6. Obsession (2023) with Brett Battles
7. Stuart Woods’ Golden Hour (2024) by Brett Battles
8. Stuart Woods’ Blown Away (2025) by Brett Battles

Will Lee Series

The Will Lee books start with Chiefs, Woods’ debut novel, and later connect into the same political and intelligence world that runs through several other series.

1. Chiefs (1981)
2. Run Before the Wind (1983)
3. Deep Lie (1986)
4. Grass Roots (1989)
5. The Run (2000)
6. Capital Crimes (2003)
7. Mounting Fears (2009)

Rick Barron Series

The Rick Barron books move Woods’ world into old Hollywood and studio politics. They’re separate enough to read on their own, but they still fit the bigger Stuart Woods universe.

1. The Prince of Beverly Hills (2004)
2. Beverly Hills Dead (2008)

Stuart Woods Standalone Books

These Stuart Woods novels are outside the main series. A few have small connections to the larger cast, but I’d treat them as standalones first.

1. Under the Lake (1987)
2. White Cargo (1988)
3. Palindrome (1991)
4. L.A. Times (1993)
5. Heat (1994)
6. Dead Eyes (1994)
7. Imperfect Strangers (1995)
8. Choke (1995)

Stuart Woods Nonfiction Books

Woods also wrote nonfiction, including sailing memoir material and his autobiography. These don’t need to be read with the novels.

1. Blue Water, Green Skipper (1977)
2. A Romantic’s Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland (1979)
3. An Extravagant Life (2022)

Stuart Woods Books in Chronological Order

The list below is a crossover chronological reading order for the connected Stuart Woods books. It brings together Stone Barrington, Will Lee, Holly Barker, Teddy Fay, Ed Eagle, Rick Barron, and Herbie Fisher into one larger order.

I’d use this after checking the series lists above. It’s helpful when you care about recurring characters, crossover appearances, and the way Woods’ shared world builds from book to book.

1. Chiefs (Will Lee)
2. Run Before the Wind (Will Lee)
3. Deep Lie (Will Lee)
4. Grass Roots (Will Lee)
5. New York Dead (Stone Barrington)
6. Santa Fe Rules (Ed Eagle)
7. Dirt (Stone Barrington)
8. Dead in the Water (Stone Barrington)
9. Swimming to Catalina (Stone Barrington)
10. Orchid Beach (Holly Barker)
11. Worst Fears Realized (Stone Barrington)
12. The Run (Will Lee)
13. L.A. Dead (Stone Barrington)
14. Cold Paradise (Stone Barrington)
15. Orchid Blues (Holly Barker)
16. The Short Forever (Stone Barrington)
17. Blood Orchid (Holly Barker)
18. Dirty Work (Stone Barrington)
19. Capital Crimes (Will Lee)
20. The Prince of Beverly Hills (Rick Barron)
21. Reckless Abandon (Stone Barrington)
22. Two Dollar Bill (Stone Barrington)
23. Iron Orchid (Holly Barker)
24. Short Straw (Ed Eagle)
25. Dark Harbor (Stone Barrington)
26. Fresh Disasters (Stone Barrington)
27. Shoot Him If He Runs (Stone Barrington)
28. Santa Fe Dead (Ed Eagle)
29. Beverly Hills Dead (Rick Barron)
30. Hot Mahogany (Stone Barrington)
31. Mounting Fears (Will Lee)
32. Loitering With Intent (Stone Barrington)
33. Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker)
34. Kisser (Stone Barrington)
35. Lucid Intervals (Stone Barrington)
36. Santa Fe Edge (Ed Eagle)
37. Strategic Moves (Stone Barrington)
38. Bel-Air Dead (Stone Barrington)
39. Son of Stone (Stone Barrington)
40. D.C. Dead (Stone Barrington)
41. Unnatural Acts (Stone Barrington)
42. Severe Clear (Stone Barrington)
43. Collateral Damage (Stone Barrington)
44. Unintended Consequences (Stone Barrington)
45. Doing Hard Time (Stone Barrington)
46. Standup Guy (Stone Barrington)
47. Carnal Curiosity (Stone Barrington)
48. Cut and Thrust (Stone Barrington)
49. Paris Match (Stone Barrington)
50. Insatiable Appetites (Stone Barrington)
51. Hot Pursuit (Stone Barrington)
52. Naked Greed (Stone Barrington)
53. Foreign Affairs (Stone Barrington)
54. Scandalous Behavior (Stone Barrington)
55. Family Jewels (Stone Barrington)
56. Dishonorable Intentions (Stone Barrington)
57. Smooth Operator (Teddy Fay)
58. Sex, Lies, and Serious Money (Stone Barrington)
59. Below the Belt (Stone Barrington)
60. Fast and Loose (Stone Barrington)
61. Indecent Exposure (Stone Barrington)
62. Barely Legal (Herbie Fisher)
63. Quick and Dirty (Stone Barrington)
64. Unbound (Stone Barrington)
65. Shoot First (Stone Barrington)
66. Turbulence (Stone Barrington)
67. The Money Shot (Teddy Fay)
68. Desperate Measures (Stone Barrington)
69. A Delicate Touch (Stone Barrington)
70. Wild Card (Stone Barrington)
71. Skin Game (Teddy Fay)
72. Contraband (Stone Barrington)
73. Stealth (Stone Barrington)
74. Treason (Stone Barrington)
75. Hit List (Stone Barrington)
76. Bombshell (Teddy Fay)
77. Choppy Water (Stone Barrington)
78. Shakeup (Stone Barrington)
79. Hush-Hush (Stone Barrington)
80. Double Jeopardy (Stone Barrington)
81. Jackpot (Teddy Fay)
82. Class Act (Stone Barrington)
83. Foul Play (Stone Barrington)
84. Criminal Mischief (Stone Barrington)
85. A Safe House (Stone Barrington)
86. Black Dog (Stone Barrington)
87. Distant Thunder (Stone Barrington)
88. Near Miss (Stone Barrington)
89. Obsession (Teddy Fay)
90. Stuart Woods’ Smolder (Stone Barrington)
91. Stuart Woods’ Golden Hour (Teddy Fay)
92. Stuart Woods’ Finders Keepers (Stone Barrington)
93. Stuart Woods’ Blown Away (Teddy Fay)
94. Stuart Woods’ Deep Water (Stone Barrington)
95. Stuart Woods’ Hostile Intent (Stone Barrington)

Stuart Woods Book-to-Screen Adaptations

A few Stuart Woods books made the jump to television. If you’re only here for the novels, you don’t need to watch these to understand the books. They’re just useful to know about if you like seeing how an author’s work has been adapted.

1. Chiefs (1983 CBS miniseries)
2. Grass Roots (1992 TV movie)

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• James Patterson Books in Order
• John Sandford Books in Order
• Harlan Coben Books in Order