The Cold War Swap

I began with THE COLD WAR SWAP, then systematically read every ROSS THOMAS novel I could lay my hands on. His novels are smart, fast-paced and never predictable. Thomas writes dialogue with a sharp, buttery knife. And there's more than a little swagger. His characters are fascinating, wounded and often brilliant. But most strikingly, they seem to have never been written before. Read Ross Thomas and forever more you will see him show up in the work of his contemporaries. Here are Ross Thomas's novels in order: * The Cold War Swap (1966) * Cast a Yellow Shadow (1967) * The Seersucker Whipsaw (1967) * Singapore Wink (1969) * The Fools in Town are on Our Side (1970) * The Backup Men (1971) * The Porkchoppers (1972) * If You Can't Be Good (1973) * The Money Harvest (1975) * Yellow Dog Contract (1976) * Chinaman's Chance (1978) * The Eighth Dwarf (1979) * The Mordida Man (1981) * Missionary Stew (1983) * Briarpatch (1984) * Out On The Rim (1987) * The Fourth Durango (1989) * Twilight at Mac's Place (1990) * Voodoo, Ltd (1992) * Ah, Treachery! (1994)

Ross Thomas's THE COLD WAR SWAP is a good introduction to one of the better and often overlooked thriller writers. Grab a handful of his novels (Briarpatch, Ah Treachery, etc.)and you'll come away liking his style, wit, and sense of story structure better than much of what is out there today. THE COLD WAR SWAP is a look into a period most readers won't remember (post War Germany) which also makes it 'new.' I don't think this one represents his best but it's enough for you to add his name to your reading list. By the time you get through several of his books you'll wonder why you haven't read him sooner. I'm glad to see the books are being re-released.

The Cold War Swap is the first in a long series of excellent mystery/thrillers by Ross Thomas. Thomas's first novel was written during his career as a newsman and public relations expert in many parts of the world. As with all first novels there are a few holes - the one that sticks out most in my mind is the biographical anomaly of main character Michael Padillo - alleged to have been born in 1926 - who after a variegated upbringing by his multi-lingual mother, enters the US Army and "in late 1942 was happily running the bar of an officers' club..." As a veteran myself I found it extremely unlikely that a 16 year old kid would be "running" anything in the US Army. Padillo gets picked for undercover work after someone "browsing through his records" learns that he can speak and write six languages. I'm kind of surprised they didn't discover that he was underage for enlistment at the same time.. In any case the novel is extemely well-written, with sharply defined characters in a classic 50's-60's Cold War "us against them" espionage story. Most of the characters are neither wholly good nor completely evil, and you have some fun trying to figure out which way some of them might bounce. A very satisfying read, well worth checking out from your library if available - a good introduction to the shadowy and shady worlds of money, politics, espionage and government about which Ross Thomas wrote so well during his writing career.

When I saw this book at the local library years ago, the title made me reach out; and I've been glad that I did ever since. Saloon owner 'Mac' McCorkle runs a popular bar in Bonn, Germany. And becomes the cloak and good friend of a very suave, multi lingual, and lethal dagger named Mike Padillo. Late of the OSS, Padillo is the man they send out on the little 'jobs' that never make the papers. His assignment in the 'Swap', is to bring back two defectors from the NSA (No Such Agency, at the time) through Checkpoint Charlie. Unfortunately, anything that could go wrong does, and McCorkle is soon on his way to help Padillo through assorted mayhem, kidnapping, murder, and the odd double and triple cross. The plot is exquisite, the dialogue, believeable, and the travelouge, tension, and sense of surroundings, superb. You may want to look for a character named Cook Baker, who's a dead ringer for Dr. Hunter Thompson. And probably the finest description of a favorite watering hole, bar, or saloon, in print: Comprising only three sentences! Ross Thomas had a splendid talent for words. With Hammett's brief, juicy, four course descriptions and Chandler's eye for noir and mysterious mood and humor. 'The Cold War Swap' was his first offing into literatue, and very likely his best. If you see a title from Ross Thomas, pick it up. I guarentee you won't be sorry. But don't blame me if you begin to seek high and low for his 24 later novels. Four of them under the pseudonym Oliver Bleeck.

McCorkle, Bonn Saloon-keeper, meets the mysterious Padilla, and becomes a reluctant spy. Chase back and forth across the Berlin Wall. Good guys win. One of the first Ross Thomas novels. Sets the standard. Fast paced. Witty dialog.