J. J. STONER

Full Name:	Jean-Jacques 'JJ' Stoner
Nationality:	British
Organization:	Unspecified Intelligence Group
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Frank Westworth
Time Span:	2014 - 2019

ABOUT THE SERIES

       J.J. Stoner is an agent with an unnamed British Intelligence organization.
       We initially meet him through a series of short adventures, the first one detailing how he had been a sergeant in the British army, one who had been around for some time which makes Stoner certainly in his early 30s at least. The incident took place in the Iraq during the conflict there and the unfolding story told how Stoner had sought information from recently captured combatants after a skirmish which resulted in one or more of Stoner's men being killed. Stoner asked questions with a tone which "was one of weariness, resignation, no particular aggression, and certainly no violent intent". When he got no answers, he killed one of the captives and continued asking the others until there were none left.
       This obviously did not sit well with the upper command when word got out, and word always gets out. Stoner's career in the military was certainly over and he stood a very good chance of facing war crimes trial. That is until "Hard Man", as Stoner thought of him, showed up and offered a different outcome. This new path would entail working for him and his off-books group doing what Stoner has recently showed himself good at - killing with no emotion or compunction.
       As time progresses, Stoner's work will change a tad and sometimes his dispatching of a person or two would not be exactly under orders. But one thing that will remain is that by and large, when Stoner does what he does best, he really does it well.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	2
First Appearance:	2014
Last Appearance:	2016


1			A Last Act Of Charity Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2014 Book 1 of Killing Sisters. Though he has spent the past few years as an assassin, usually government-sanctioned, J.J. Stoner is now on a case where he is just an investigator. No killing required. Then the bodies start piling up and he comes across the very seductive killing sisters.

2			The Corruption Of Chastity Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2015 Book 2 of Killing Sisters. "The solitary female sniper squints against the scorching desert sun. Takes the shot. Men die. The solitary female assassin slashes her target's artery. Fades into the Alpine forest. Men die. The betrayed covert operative silences his sadness with the howl of blues music and carnal recreation. What will happen when Chastity, the ice-cold contract killer, encounters underworld investigator JJ Stoner?"

2.5			The Stoner Stories Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2016 Collection of the first 5 previously released stories and a new story. The reprinted tales are: First Contact Two Wrongs Third Person Four Cornered Fifth Columnist The original tale is: Special Relationship

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:	9
First Appearance:	2014
Last Appearance:	2019


1			First Contact Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2014 A prequel to the novels, this adventure tells how J. J. Stoner overstepped the limits of what was acceptable in war and is tossed out of the British army straight into the lap of an off-the-books intelligence group. This is his first assignment for them. Published separately and then in the collection The Stoner Stories.

2			Two Wrongs Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2014 Navy SEAL Stretch McCann is in love with a married woman and her husband is not happy about it. When the lady is severely injured in a car crash, McCann wants justice. J.J. Stoner shows up to offer him a chance to get it but then has to wonder why the FBI is so interested in him. Published separately and then in the collection The Stoner Stories.

3			Third Person Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2014 Not long after the Good Friday agreement went into effect, J.J. Stoner is in Ireland when someone decides it is a good idea to stalk him for a change. The idea had some flaws. Published separately and then in the collection The Stoner Stories.

4			Four Cornered Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2015 J.J. Stoner was on another mission which would have been a simple one except he is distracted by two lovely ladies, both of whom are as deadly as he is and can prove it. This adventure introduces the women involved in the Killing Sisters part of the series. Published separately and then in the collection The Stoner Stories.

5			Fifth Columnist Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2016 The policeman was crooked and it seemed everyone important knew it but the evidence was not fit for the courtroom. That's where someone like J.J. Stoner gets involved. Published separately and then in the collection The Stoner Stories.

6			Six Strings Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2018 The Drug Squad had a man they very much wanted off the streets but there was no way to do so legally. That is where J.J. Stoner comes in but as he is about to do his thing, he is approached by an old acquaintance and life gets interesting.

7			Seven Hells Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2018 With a religious extremist about to unleash mayhem on a city in England, the authorities are playing a nervous waiting game. This time J. J. Stoner is on the sideline except someone from back in the Troubles days is pulling him back into the fray.

8			Special Relationship Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2016 Being English in the South during the days after the Gulf oil spill is not a good thing and being someone of his reputation is even worse. But J.J. Stoner was in Louisiana to enjoy the jazz, not to cause trouble. The agents following him are not believers. Originally published in the collection The Stoner Stories.

9			Czech M8 Written by Frank Westworth Copyright: 2019 J.J. Stoner's boss wants him to kill someone. The girl friend of his best pal wants him to kill someone. His best friend is ticked at him. All Stoner wants to do is to chill out but that just will not be possible.

MY COMMENTS

       This is a tale (well, set of them) of two series.
       The first is the collection of novellettes about the early days of J.J.Stoner's work with the British Intelligence outfit he is employed by. It was in those days that Stoner was used as a very nasty hammer and, it seems, everything was a nail. He hit hard and often and the stories were fascinating.
       The second are a couple of far longer adventures in which the same boss who so readily used Stoner as a basher now wants to use him to understand and track someone else who is doing a fair number of eliminations. This has Stoner being more of an investigator, something he consistently points out is not his specialty.
       Which is better? I preferred the former but the latter have their good points as well.
       Being greedy, I hope the author elects to keep both paths going forward.

GRADE

My Grade: B+

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