Ross Thomas
Personal Information
Description
Ross Thomas (born February 19, 1926, in Oklahoma City – December 18, 1995, in Santa Monica, California) was an American writer of crime fiction. He is best known for his witty thrillers that expose the mechanisms of professional politics. He also wrote several novels under the pseudonym Oliver Bleeck about professional go-between Philip St. Ives. His debut novel, The Cold War Swap, won a 1967 Edgar Award, for Best First Novel, and Briarpatch earned the 1985 Edgar for Best Novel. In 2002 he was honored with the inaugural Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award, one of only two authors to earn the award after their death (the other was 87th Precinct author Evan Hunter aka Ed McBain in 2006). Source: Wikipedia
Books
Briarpatch
Presents the story of a Washington, D.C. policeman, the murder of his sister under suspicious circumstances, and his investigation of the crime.
Ah, treachery!
When his rainmaker associate discovers that $1.2 million has been stolen from her war chest, gun shop clerk Edd "Twodees" Partain is forced to return to his former life of spies, revolutionaries, and murderers.
Voodoo Limited
Detective Arthur Wu of Wudu, Ltd. takes on a case involving two kinky British hypnotists and a Hollywood personality who is accused of gunning down her very wealthy ex-fiance.
Twilight at Mac's Place
The son of a dead CIA agent is offered $100,000 for the rights to his father's memoirs sight unseen.
The fourth Durango
The Fourth Durango is not your ordinary Durango. It's not in Spain, or Mexico, and it's not a ski town in the Colorado Rockies, although Durangos do exist in all of those places. This Durango has an industry, albeit a rather odd one-it is a hideout business, a place where people pay to find sanctuary from former friends and associates who are either trying to kill them, or have them killed.
Chinaman's Chance
"It was while jogging along the beach just east of the Paradise Cove pier that Artie Wu tripped over a dead pelican, fell, and met the man with six greyhounds." Thus begins what may be the most popular of Ross Thomas's unique stories.
Out on the rim
"Booth Stallings, 60-year-old Washington expert on terrorism and perennial drunk," is fired from his job, but Georgia Blue plans to deliver $5 million to rebels in the Philippine jungle, and Stallings, Otherguy Overby, Artie Wu, and Stallings' sidekick Durant "have other destinations in mind."--Audio cassette container.
Missionary Stew
Political fundraiser Draper Haere finds himself in over his head when he sets out to uncover the truth about a right-wing coup in Central America, hoping to reveal dirty secrets about his boss's opponent in the 1984 U.S. presidential election.