Ross Thomas was an American writer of crime fiction

Crime fiction

Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...

. 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.

Thomas served in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. He worked as a public relations specialist, reporter, union spokesman, and political strategist in the USA, Bonn

Bonn

Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....

 (Germany), and Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 before becoming a writer.

His debut novel

Debut novel

A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...

, The Cold War Swap, was written in only six weeks and won a 1967 Edgar Award

Edgar Award

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...

  for Best First Novel. Briarpatch earned the 1985 Edgar for Best Novel. In 2002 he was honored with the inaugural Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award

Gumshoe Awards

The Gumshoe Awards are an American award for popular crime fiction literary works. The Gumshoe Awards are awarded annually by the American Internet magazine Mystery Ink to recognize the best achievements in crime fiction. The nominated books were chosen from those published for the first time in...

, one of only two authors to earn the award after their death (the other was 87th Precinct author Evan Hunter in 2006).

He died of lung cancer two months before his 70th birthday.

Novels

• 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
  The Fools in Town are on Our Side
  The Fools in Town are on Our Side is a 1970 crime/espionage/social satire novel by American author Ross Thomas. The title is a paraphrased partial quote of a line from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:...
  
   (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)

As Oliver Bleeck

• The Brass Go-Between (1969)
• Protocol for a Kidnapping (1971)
• The Procane Chronicle (1971)
• The Highbinders (1973)
• No Questions Asked (1976)

The Procane Chronicle was the basis for the 1976 Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...

 movie St. Ives

St. Ives (1976 film)

St. Ives is a 1976 American action film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Charles Bronson.- Plot summary :Abner Procane, top L.A. burglar, finds that somebody stole his plans for his next ambitious heist. He hires Raymond St. Ives, crime books writer, to negotiate the return of those...

.

Recurring characters

Aside from Philip St. Ives, the following characters appear in more than one novel:

• Cyril (called "Mac") McCorkle, pub owner in Bonn
  Bonn
  Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
  
   and Washington, DC, and his business partner/friend Michael Padillo, spy, are in The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, The Backup Men, and Twilight at Mac's Place.
• Artie Wu and Quincy Durant, con men/adventurers, and their associate Otherguy Overby are in Chinaman's Chance, Out on the Rim, Voodoo, Ltd. Booth Stallings, expert on terrorism, and Georgia Blue, cashiered Secret Service agent, join them in the latter two.
• Howard Mott, a Washington Lawyer, has cameo roles or is mentioned in several novels.
• Ione Gamble, an actress, is a central character in "Voodoo, Ltd." and is mentioned in Ah, Treachery!.
• Draper Haere, political rainmaker, is a central character in Missionary Stew and is mentioned in Ah, Treachery.
• Minor Jackson and Nicolae Ploscaru, central characters in The Eighth Dwarf, are mentioned in Ah, Treachery.
• Chubb Dunjee is the main protagonist in The Mordida Man and is mentioned in Voodoo, Ltd.

External links

• Ross Thomas at the Internet Movie Database