A World of Con Men, Spies, Politicians, and Double Crossers

The New York Times once called 

Ross Thomas 

"America's Best Storyteller."

 The New Yorker has said 

"Very few...

are as consistently entertaining...

even fewer can match him 

for style and power."

 

Stephen King called Thomas 

“the Jane Austen of political espionage.”

 

Best of all, each of his books, 

despite the cynicism,

makes you laugh 

and have a fun ride. 

 

Think Elmore Leonard writes Fargo.

I discovered him by this trailer:

Nobody wrote scoundrels 

the way Ross Thomas could.

 

His heroes all had checkered pasts, though often with a Bogartian streak that led them to do the right thing against their own self-interest.

 

 His villains were a spectacular assortment of con men, spies, shady politicians, corrupt cops, wheelers, dealers, fixers, and schemers.

 

 His complex plots often revolved around political intrigue and backroom chicanery 

 

leading to sudden violence, and featured double-, triple-, or quadruple-crosses, 

 

so much so that it might not be until the very end that you knew exactly who had done what to whom.

 

But you knew you had a FUN read.

 

At the core of his books were

witty dialogue and friendship

 as with   

Cast a Yellow Shadow: 

Mac McCorkle, Book 2

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005PFN77I/

(Only $9 for a great audio book!) 

 

 

 

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003KVKRGS/

His debut novel, The Cold War Swap, was written in only six weeks and won a 1967 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

THE COLD WAR SWAP is a look into a period most readers won't remember (post War Germany) which also makes it 'new.'

Many people have thought there was a fair amount of spook-related activity sprinkled in amongst all Ross' traveling and managing and consulting.

 Thomas himself would only admit to being a “former civil servant.” 

His wife, when asked about it point-blank, simply smiled and said, “Not that he told me.”

 So pick up one of his books, 

and prepare to join Ross Thomas's 

legions of admiring fans.