Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Under the Lake | 1986 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
| 2 | White Cargo | 1988 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
| 3 | Palindrome | 1990 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
| 4 | L.A. Times | 1993 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
| 5 | Heat | 1994 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
| 6 | Dead Eyes | 1994 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
| 7 | Imperfect Strangers | 1995 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
| 8 | Choke | 1995 | Stuart Woods | Buy |
Stuart Woods wrote eight standalone novels between 1986 and 1995, mostly before the Stone Barrington series took over his publishing schedule. These books range from Southern gothic suspense (Under the Lake) to Hollywood crime (L.A. Times) to psychological thrillers (Dead Eyes, Choke).
The standalones give a good sense of Woods’s range outside his long-running series. Heat and Imperfect Strangers are quick, plot-driven reads, while Palindrome has a slower, more atmospheric style. For readers who know Woods only through Stone Barrington, these earlier novels are worth seeking out.