Member Reviews

One of the pleasures of reading a Stuart Woods book was the level of action and suspense he provided. With Woods’ passing, Brett Battles has taken on the stories of Teddy Fay and Woods would be very happy with the results. This is a non-stop action thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Teddy Fay left the CIA and faked his earth. Now he has a number of identities. Among them is Billy Barnett, a movie producer, and Mark Weldon, an award winning actor. Fay is about to depart on a European promotional tour for his latest film, ending at a festival in Berlin. Someone is killing the agents that he worked with over ten years earlier on a mission called Golden Hour. Fay is approached by Lance Cabot, director of the CIA. The tour would provide a perfect cover for Fay to investigate who is behind the murders. Cabot plans to leak that Fay is still alive, hoping to bring the assassins to him. Surrounded by the cast members of his movie, Teddy arranges security to protect them and calls Vesna, another former agent who has contacts throughout Europe, to provide back-up for him. Three Golden Hour participants have already been killed. Teddy and Vesna must move quickly to save the others as well as themselves.

Teddy has a close group of friends who know his real identity. Even his assistant Stacy only knows him as Billy Barnett. Appearing as both a producer and an actor on his film has been a juggling act, with excuses for why Billy and Mark are never present at the same time. Tracking the assassins through Europe there is a final showdown in Berlin, where Teddy discovers that this has been a personal vendetta that also puts Cabot and the President in the cross hairs. Battles keeps the tension high from the opening pages to the very end. Thriller fans should not miss this one. I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group - Putnam or providing this book.

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Another great Stuart Woods book! Always an adventure awaits with Teddy Fay and Stone Barrington. You definitely need to read this one.

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Your favorite neighborhood ex-CIA agent, Teddy Fay, is about to embark on a mission in which he must make himself the target for an unknwon assasain. His fellow agents on a dated mission, Golden Hour, are now being hunted and killed. With his usual style, Teddy runs through an obstacle course full of deadly traps. A story line full of tension, action, twists and turns that are what fans expect in this series.

Brett Battles is the author of several of my favorite series, including Jonathan Quinn. He has done an excellent job of maintaining the best of Stuart Wood's Teddy Fay series and keeping the fans happy.

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Danger, suspense, action, and glamour are combined in Stuart Woods’ Golden Hour by Brett Battles. I was happy to see the Teddy Fay series continued by this author with the seventh book in the series. Teddy is nearly ready to depart on a European press tour with Peter Barrington and others associated with the latest Centurion film when he gets a surprise visit from Lance Cabot, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director.

Several CIA agents have been killed and they all were part of a mission Teddy was involved with years ago: Golden Hour. Lance wants him to use the trip as a cover to investigate who is behind the killings. Rome, Venice, Zurich, Budapest, and Berlin are the cities for the press tour. Teddy, in his many disguises, must dodge movie fans, fascinating women, interesting men, and assassins. Can he maintain his aliases and identify the culprits or is this the end for Teddy?

Teddy is a master of disguises and aliases. He can be charming, genial, considerate, humorous, and respectful. However, he can also be deadly. The other characters have a variety of levels of depth, but it’s appropriate for their roles in this novel. There are always several new characters as well as some visits from characters from previous books giving the series even more continuity. Reconnecting with these old friends was effortless.

Battles’s writing is vivid and enabled me to easily visualize the people, the glamourous parties, photo shoots, and the lesser-known areas of several European cities. This riveting mystery kept me flying through the pages. While readers know who is ultimately behind the murders relatively early, it was exciting to see Teddy’s investigation into trying to understand who it is.

The author’s writing style hooked me immediately. The dialogue feels natural and flows well, pulling readers into the inner world of the characters. There are a few twists and turns with some unpredictable moments in the story to keep readers on their toes. Dynamic characters and fantastic world-building, along with a great plot, intense scenes, and excellent pacing kept me glued to the book. As I advanced through the story, I kept wondering what would be uncovered next.

Overall, this suspenseful, entertaining, and exciting novel gripped me from the beginning and kept me fully engaged. I’m a fan of the author and am looking forward to reading his next novel in the series. Battles has done an excellent job continuing this series started by the late Stuart Woods.

PENGUIN GROUP Putnam – G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Brett Battles provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for December 03, 2024. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

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Teddy Fay is about to embark on the European press tour of Storm's Eye, Peter Barrington’s latest film, when he receives an unexpected visit from C.I.A. director Lance Cabot. Several CIA agents have been turning up dead, all part of a mission Teddy was involved in called Golden Hour. Lance wants Teddy to use his trip as a cover to investigate who is behind these killings. The book was non-stop action from start to finish. I really enjoy the Teddy Fat novels, with all of the aliases he employs. This is a fun, quick read that is perfect for anyone who loves a good high-stakes thriller.

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I always enjoy Stuart Woods' books. It is like catching up with an old friend. This book focuses on Teddy Fay and his many "faces" as he attends a European film festival. Former CIA colleagues that were involved in mission with Fay are being killed. The CIA brings him back in to help find who is responsible.

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Having read the previous Teddy Fay books this one continues his story seamlessly, well paced storyline.

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Teddy Fay is getting ready for a European film festival tour for the latest movie he made under his actor persona, Mark Waldon. As he is preparing he receives a message from his friend, Stone, that the head of the CIA, and Teddy's former boss, whom he does not want anything to do with, needs to meet with him asap. When he reluctantly meets the man, it is not good news. Agents that worked a mission that Teddy led over ten years ago are being killed. The only reason Teddy has not been targeted is the world thinks he's already dead. So the CIA director wants Teddy to use the European film tour as a cover to find out who is doing the killings and stop them. It will mean leaking information that Teddy is alive and being the bait. Hopefully it will work...

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Well this has got to be my All time favorite Teddy Fay novel. I was deeply sad when Stuart Woods passed. Brett has taken charge and I am very thankful that I still get my fix of Stone, Dino, Holly, and the rest of the gang. Great storyline and some terrific new characters.

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In STUART WOODS’ GOLDEN HOUR by Brett Battles, Teddy Fay is approached by Stone Barrington to meet him and Lance Cabot from the CIA to talk about Golden Hour, a CIA operation that took place over 20 years ago. Teddy is told that three agents assigned to Golden Hour have been killed. Since Teddy is one of the twelve CIA agents who had been assigned to Operation Golden Hour, finding the person responsible for killing the agents is imperative. What happens next? I’m hooked.

This is the first time I’m reading a Teddy Fay novel, so it surprises me to learn Teddy has two additional personas, film producer Billy Barnett and actor Mark Weldon. Bret Battles handles this trio quite well. In fact, the three versions of Teddy Fay make this a fun read. There are times when the dialogue reminds me of Robert Parker’s writing. I find the plot fascinating, and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of STUART WOODS' GOLDEN HOUR.

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Another quick read by Stuart Woods. Not his best Stone Barrington novel, you can tell this is not written by Stuart Woods.

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Brettt Battles ha done a good job with his addition to the series. The characters are true to when Woods was writing the books and the story line will keep you turning the pages. Thank you to net galley for an danced readers copy.

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Another fun Teddy Fay / Billy Barrett romp! Capably written by Brett Battles who is continuing the Stuart Woods tradition, this book is a light, refreshing read. Always entertaining, always engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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Brett Battles has done an excellent job taking over this series by the late Stuart Woods. I can see slight differences is in writing style but basically it’s almost as good. Another great addition to the series. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

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This book is centered around Teddy Fay and his different identities. He needs all of his identities to solve this current crisis. The CIA needs his help to solve who is killing the old operatives from a bygone era case. Another great read!

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Head of the CIA Lance Cabot has a problem: several of his CIA agents are being murdered because they were all involved in a secret mission called Operation Golden Hour. While Lance seeks to uncover a mole in the CIA, he turns to Teddy Fay who also was involved in that mission. Teddy agrees to find out who is behind these murders. He uses his covers as Hollywood producer/actor, Billy Barnett and Mark Weldon, as "they" are to attend a film festival in Europe. This plan includes using Teddy as bait and leaking rumors that he is alive.
With plenty of action and sharp wit, this is a wonderful edition to the Teddy Fay series.
Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, Brett Battles and NetGalley for this ARC.

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Brett Battles has proven that he is the Author who can carry on in the
tradition of Stuart Woods. This book is absolutely good. It’s a little
disappointing that Stone was a secondary player, but given the story
it had to be in order to get the job done.
I highly recommend this book to the Stone Barrington fans as another
great offering in the series.
My thanks to Penguin Group Putnam for the download copy of the
book for review purposes.

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Battles has done well mimicking the style of Stuart Woods. Golden Hour is a typical Stuart Woods novel: rich people who happen to be the smartest people in the room with the resources to overcome any situation. It's a light palate cleanser and a quick read. Fans of Stone Barrington have to continue the series(ish - this is more Peter and Teddy than Stone).

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In “Golden Hour,” Teddy Fay, a former CIA agent living under multiple identities—including film producer Billy Barnett and actor Mark Weldon—is called back into action when the agency needs an unknown operative to investigate why ex-CIA members connected to a mission called "Golden Hour" are being killed. As one of those former agents, Fay agrees to risk exposing his secret—that he’s still alive—to uncover the truth. His deep cover is maintained by joining a national promotional tour for a film, allowing the familiar blend of Hollywood glamour and espionage to unfold.

The late Stuart Woods’ series continues seamlessly under the skilled pen of Brett Battles. “Golden Hour” delivers the same gripping, fast-paced action fans have come to expect, with both familiar and fresh characters keeping the reader engaged throughout. As with most of Woods’ works, a certain suspension of disbelief is occasionally required, but the sharp writing and thrilling plot make it well worth it.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley and have provided my honest review here.

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Brett Battles is doing a great job of remaining true to the style and approach of Stuart Woods, and I am so glad. Woods was always one of my favorite authors. His style of writing was easy, and the characters were developed well, and this is still the case. Teddy Fay is the star of this book, and he does not disappoint. Teddy remains true to himself while working to assist Lance Cabot (CIA) in his task of figuring out who is killing operatives. Teddy Fay switches seamlessly between the characters that he portrays while still keeping things interesting. It provides intrigue and adventure in an entertaining manner. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

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