Stuart Woods was an American novelist, renowned for his debut novel Chiefs and his long-running Stone Barrington series. Born in Georgia, Woods embarked on a career in advertising post-college, spending nearly a decade in England and Ireland. During this time, he became an accomplished and competitive sailor. His passion for sailing inspired him to write his first published work, Blue Water, Green Skipper, detailing his experiences in a transatlantic yacht race.

Woods' initial literary pursuits were centered around sailing, but he soon expanded his repertoire to include reviews of numerous British restaurants, inns, and hotels. His seminal work Chiefs, inspired by a family story about his grandfather, a police chief, is a gripping crime saga spanning several decades. The novel won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was later adapted into a television miniseries, marking the beginning of Woods' illustrious career as a novelist.

The Stone Barrington series features the detective-lawyer protagonist and a recurring cast of supporting characters handling lucrative, high-stakes cases. Beyond writing, Woods enjoyed piloting and yachting, maintaining residences across several states.