Stuart Woods

Dates:

January 9, 1938—July 22, 2022

Georgia Connections

Manchester, Meriwether County

Graduated from the University of Georgia.

Notes of Interest

Stuart Woods, a prolific writer of mystery novels, was born January 9, 1938, in Manchester, Georgia. He received a B.A. in sociology from the University of Georgia in 1959 and went to work in the advertising business, first in New York, then London. He settled in Ireland in 1973 and grew interested in sailing, becoming a championship ocean racer. His first novel Chiefs, based in his native state, appeared in 1981 and won a prestigious Edgar Award for the Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It was made into an Emmy Award-winning television movie starring Charlton Heston. He has written over 40 novels and in recent years has published as many as four in a single year. 

He is most known for a series of novels focus on the character Stone Barrington, a former NYPD detective turned lawyer. 

Woods is a licensed private pilot who flies to his own book tour stops and also owns an antique yacht. He lived between residences in Florida, New York, New Mexico, and Maine.