Ah, Treachery!

Ross Thomas left us with twenty novels- each uniquely entertaining and original- a rare commodity these days. Ah, Treachery! is perhaps one of his best. But then, I suppose that's like saying this well polished gem shines better than the others in the proverbial light. Then again, maybe it's just a matter of perspective. These days the 50s are making a comeback in entertainment so perhaps you need to start with The Cold War Swap and let the Thomas books bring you up the mid-90s with a collection of rare and interesting characters, unique plot twists, and the kind of writing that makes a morning commuter ride seem far too short. Take your time getting to Ah, Treachery! Edd 'Two-dees' Partain will be waiting for you. No need to introduce yourself. He knows what you're after.

Millicent Altford of Los Angeles is a Democratic Party insider of long standing. A $1.2 million slush fund has been stolen from right under her nose and she is determined to get it back. To assist her in this task, she hires an ex-Army major by the name of Edd "Twodees" Partain. Meanwhile back in Washington, D.C., two active Army officers, a colonel and a general, plot to have Mr. Partain rubbed out. You see, he has information linking them to some very serious crimes committed in El Salvador some 3 or 4 years earlier. Ah, Treachery! has a lot in common with many other Ross Thomas novels. Deliciously bizarre characters, intricate plotting with an abundance of surprising twists and very engaging dialogue are all here, just as we've come to expect from Thomas. Darkly funny with a body count that steadily increases as the narrative unfolds, Ah, Treachery! is a very entertaining book. The dialogue is exceptionally good and there's plenty of it. I particularly enjoyed a scene where Millicent Altford tells the political facts of life to a newly elected Congressman and a wet behind the ears subcommittee counsel. This is the last novel Thomas wrote and it is a very fitting finale to an illustrious and prolific writing career. Age did not diminish his literary prowess one bit.

Ross Thomas, (aka Oliver Bleek) did not write Vandenberg. An excellent book as well, it was written by Oliver Lange. Nevertheless, Ross Thomas is one of the great writers of the last century and will be sorely missed.Allan Cole

I've read at least half of Thomas' twenty some novels and I don't know that I could rate any of them higher than "Ah, Treachery!"(a pretty strong statement considering how fondly and vividly I remember "The Fools In Town Are On Our Side", even after twenty-five years). Thomas has a dry and ironic tone in his fiction and a gift for understated outrageousness that is pretty nearly incomparable among today's writers. It's no exaggeration to say that Thomas does better in a paragraph what takes a goodly number of authors a page. He's been compared to Raymond Chandler, and I think he "out-Chandlers" Chandler. As I read Ah, Treachery!, knowing it was his last, I had to marvel at the control and effortlessness of the work--no fading talent here.

Ross Thomas' last published book is typical of his output and agood place to start reading one of America's finest, mostunderappreciated writers. All of the classic Thomas elements are here: the brilliant opening scene, the quirky character names, the sly political wit, and, of course, plenty of great fun. The plot is too complicated really to describe in just a few lines. Besides, it is more fun to read and discover it for yourself. As you can expect from Thomas, it is inventive and unique, with plenty of delicious twists and turns. When Thomas died a few years ago we lost one of the true greats in the mystery/suspense--or, truly, any--genre. His body of work matches up favorably with that of any writer. Each of his books deserves to be read and savored. He is sorely missed.