Thomas Gifford
Encyclopedia
Thomas Eugene Gifford was a best-selling American
author
of thriller novels. He was a graduate of Harvard University
.
He gained international fame with the crime novel The Glendower Legacy and later with the Vatican thriller The Assassini
. The books posited George Washington
as a British
spy and the Roman Catholic Church
as a criminal organization. The Glendower Legacy was made into a movie in 1981 under the name Dirty Tricks.
Gifford also published under the names Dana Clarins and Thomas Maxwell.
He died of cholangiocarcinoma
in his home in Dubuque
, Iowa
, on Halloween 2000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of thriller novels. He was a graduate of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
He gained international fame with the crime novel The Glendower Legacy and later with the Vatican thriller The Assassini
The Assassini
The Assassini is a 1990 thriller novel by American author Thomas Gifford, published by Bantam Books.-Plot summary:Set in 1982, while the Roman Catholic Church's papal conclave is preparing to elect a new pope as the old one is dying, the book describes the attempts of lawyer Ben Driskill to solve...
. The books posited George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
as a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
spy and the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
as a criminal organization. The Glendower Legacy was made into a movie in 1981 under the name Dirty Tricks.
Gifford also published under the names Dana Clarins and Thomas Maxwell.
He died of cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile ducts which drain bile from the liver into the small intestine. Other biliary tract cancers include pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, and cancer of the ampulla of Vater...
in his home in Dubuque
Dubuque
-Places:United States* Dubuque, Iowa* Dubuque County, Iowa* Dubuque, Kansas* East Dubuque, Illinois* University of Dubuque* USS Dubuque-Surnames:* Julien Dubuque, a French Canadian who arrived near what now is known as Dubuque, Iowa...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, on Halloween 2000.