Dirt

Dirt drops Stone Barrington into Manhattan's tabloid underworld when a feared gossip columnist starts receiving blackmail faxes — and then bodies start turning up. The mystery itself moves at a decent clip, and Woods has a sharp eye for the social theater of New York's wealthy class. But the book earns its content warnings early: gratuitous sexual scenes arrive before the story finds its footing, and the female characters exist mostly as props. If you're looking for a clean, satisfying thriller, this isn't it. The wit is real, but the moral shrug that runs through it undercuts any sense of justice actually mattering. Best skipped.