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Philip St. Ives #3
The Procane Chronicle
Assigned to deliver the ransom money to whomever stole thief Abner Procane's diaries, professional go-between Philip St. Ives finds himself stumbling across dead bodies and cops on the make.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Ross Thomas
59 books171 followersRoss Thomas 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.
Thomas served in the Philippines during World War II. He worked as a public relations specialist, reporter, union spokesman, and political strategist in the USA, Bonn (Germany), and Nigeria before becoming a writer.
His debut novel, The Cold War Swap, was written in only six weeks and won a 1967 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. 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 in 2006).
He died of lung cancer two months before his 70th birthday.
Thomas served in the Philippines during World War II. He worked as a public relations specialist, reporter, union spokesman, and political strategist in the USA, Bonn (Germany), and Nigeria before becoming a writer.
His debut novel, The Cold War Swap, was written in only six weeks and won a 1967 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. 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 in 2006).
He died of lung cancer two months before his 70th birthday.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 28, 2019
I'm working my way through all of Ross Thomas' old thrillers this year, marveling at each one, and this one is close to perfect. It's part of the series he wrote under a pen name, Oliver Bleeck, about ex-newspaperman turned professional go-between Philip St. Ives, who serves as our narrator.
This one has an intriguing set-up and a slam-bang opening scene. St. Ives has been hired by New York's most successful thief to pay the ransom for something someone stole from HIM -- journals detailing his many crimes, for which he has never been arrested much less served any time. But in the opening scene, when St. Ives shows up at a laundromat at 3 a.m. with the ransom, he discovers a dead body -- an old con man, trussed up and beaten to death. Then the cops show up and arrest him.
After that it's a pretty wild ride, so hang on.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there's one part that strains credulity just a little too much. Thomas does his best to paper it over, but I still couldn't buy it.
But I cannot WAIT to start the fourth book in this series, which I am enjoying very very much.
This one has an intriguing set-up and a slam-bang opening scene. St. Ives has been hired by New York's most successful thief to pay the ransom for something someone stole from HIM -- journals detailing his many crimes, for which he has never been arrested much less served any time. But in the opening scene, when St. Ives shows up at a laundromat at 3 a.m. with the ransom, he discovers a dead body -- an old con man, trussed up and beaten to death. Then the cops show up and arrest him.
After that it's a pretty wild ride, so hang on.
The only reason I didn't give this five stars is that there's one part that strains credulity just a little too much. Thomas does his best to paper it over, but I still couldn't buy it.
But I cannot WAIT to start the fourth book in this series, which I am enjoying very very much.
did-not-finish
May 17, 2021I gave up on page 66...too slow and boring with characters I didn't really care about.
October 22, 2024
The Procane Chronicle book 3 in the Oliver Bleeker, aka Ross Thomas, Philip St. Ives series, is an interesting tale. St. Ives hired as go between for the return of the stolen diaries of master thief Procane. Once deceived on the initial retrieval and dead bodies accumulate, St.Ives finds himself deeply in meshed in the actual capers of Procane and his two interns. “None of us, of course, is without problems,” he said, “but a subconscious desire to be caught is not one of mine. Nor, I think I should add, is it a problem of either Mr. Wiedstein or Miss Whistler.”
St. Ives provides this explanation for his involvement: “I suppose that basically Procane and I were something alike. He wanted to steal a million. I wanted to watch. Perhaps I wanted to watch him do it as much as he wanted to do it. There’s something voyeuristic about all newspapermen, even those who leave the trade and go on to better things, such as embezzlement and loan sharking and public relations. Nobody held a gun on me. Nobody threatened me with exposure. All they did was offer me the chance and after I got through protesting enough to make it seem decent, I grabbed it.”
In the pursuit of the diaries, Procane, his interns and St. Ives travel to DC, where surfaces an interesting passage: “The center’s neighbor was the Watergate cooperative apartment complex where prices started at $44,000 for a one-bedroom unit and shot up to $150,000 for a three-bedroom affair with a wood-burning fireplace and a view of the river. I tried to remember whether I knew anyone who lived there, but decided that I didn’t although a future client might turn up in the place someday if the burglary rate continued to fulfill its early promise.” The author’s choice of apartment complexes is rather perplexing, was Thomas clairvoyant, or embedded in intelligence on dirty tricks perhaps?
I will leave the story hanging there, but Thomas, his wry St. Ives and other assortment of characters and original storylines continues to interest me…will carry on to book 4 for sure.
St. Ives provides this explanation for his involvement: “I suppose that basically Procane and I were something alike. He wanted to steal a million. I wanted to watch. Perhaps I wanted to watch him do it as much as he wanted to do it. There’s something voyeuristic about all newspapermen, even those who leave the trade and go on to better things, such as embezzlement and loan sharking and public relations. Nobody held a gun on me. Nobody threatened me with exposure. All they did was offer me the chance and after I got through protesting enough to make it seem decent, I grabbed it.”
In the pursuit of the diaries, Procane, his interns and St. Ives travel to DC, where surfaces an interesting passage: “The center’s neighbor was the Watergate cooperative apartment complex where prices started at $44,000 for a one-bedroom unit and shot up to $150,000 for a three-bedroom affair with a wood-burning fireplace and a view of the river. I tried to remember whether I knew anyone who lived there, but decided that I didn’t although a future client might turn up in the place someday if the burglary rate continued to fulfill its early promise.” The author’s choice of apartment complexes is rather perplexing, was Thomas clairvoyant, or embedded in intelligence on dirty tricks perhaps?
I will leave the story hanging there, but Thomas, his wry St. Ives and other assortment of characters and original storylines continues to interest me…will carry on to book 4 for sure.
August 22, 2023
This is the third Philip St. Ives book. He is a professional go-between. He makes the payoffs and exchanges when ransoms are paid for stolen goods or kidnapped persons.
The diaries of a high-class thief are stolen. He is contacted by someone who has the diaries and offers to return them for $100,000. That person insists that St. Ives be the go-between. When St. Ives follows the directions for the payoff, he finds a dead body at the all-night laundromat that was to be the place for the trade.
Bleeck, a pseudonym for Ross Thomas, unrolls a satisfyingly complicated plot. One of the consistent themes in these books is that a suitcase of cash brings out the crook in everyone except St. Ives. Cops, in particular, are obsessed with ending up, somehow, with a suitcase filled with cash.
The story is fun, but the plot is sillier than the first two books. The high-class thief, Abner Procane, is not realistic. He designs perfect crimes. He only steals cash that can't be reported, bribe money or under the table cash or drug money for example. He never gets greedy. He has a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man who work for him. They are apprentice master -thieves. There is a comic book master criminal feel about him.
The plot is also rickety. It is never entirely clear why someone wouldn't just photocopy the diaries or why the diary thieves wouldn't figure out what Procane would do. The story also has St. Ives violating his basic creed that "All I am is the go-between". Instead, he gets himself involved in the middle of a dangerous crime. His explanation for the change is not convincing.
These three books were published over two and a half years. This one feels rushed. It is still a solid thriller with some exciting action scenes and some funny bits, but it is not as good as the first two.
The diaries of a high-class thief are stolen. He is contacted by someone who has the diaries and offers to return them for $100,000. That person insists that St. Ives be the go-between. When St. Ives follows the directions for the payoff, he finds a dead body at the all-night laundromat that was to be the place for the trade.
Bleeck, a pseudonym for Ross Thomas, unrolls a satisfyingly complicated plot. One of the consistent themes in these books is that a suitcase of cash brings out the crook in everyone except St. Ives. Cops, in particular, are obsessed with ending up, somehow, with a suitcase filled with cash.
The story is fun, but the plot is sillier than the first two books. The high-class thief, Abner Procane, is not realistic. He designs perfect crimes. He only steals cash that can't be reported, bribe money or under the table cash or drug money for example. He never gets greedy. He has a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man who work for him. They are apprentice master -thieves. There is a comic book master criminal feel about him.
The plot is also rickety. It is never entirely clear why someone wouldn't just photocopy the diaries or why the diary thieves wouldn't figure out what Procane would do. The story also has St. Ives violating his basic creed that "All I am is the go-between". Instead, he gets himself involved in the middle of a dangerous crime. His explanation for the change is not convincing.
These three books were published over two and a half years. This one feels rushed. It is still a solid thriller with some exciting action scenes and some funny bits, but it is not as good as the first two.
May 15, 2024
The Procane Chronicle is the third novel written by Ross Thomas under the pseudonym, Oliver Bleeck. Unlike the grittier novels he wrote under his own name, the Bleeck novels are light, breezy entertainments featuring a character named Philip St. Ives. St. Ives was once a newspaperman, but now he works as a professional go-between, mediating between people who have had something or someone taken from them and the thieves or kidndappers who want to be compensated for whatever they have taken.
In this case, someone has stolen the diaries of a professional thief named Procane. Procane has been foolish enough to record the details of all his successful heists in the diaries, as well as his foolproof plan for an upcoming theft of one million dollars.
The thief offers to sell the diaries back to Procane for $100,000, and Procane hires St. Ives to serve as the middle man. He will collect the diaries, give the thief his payoff, and keep $10,000 for his trouble. It seems simple enough, but of course the grand plan will immediately disintegrate when St. Ives goes to the place designated for the exchange. Instead of finding the diaries, he will discover one very dead burglar, and, as they say, the game is on.
The plot, of course, is completely unbelievable, but it's great fun watching St. Ives attempt to maneuver through the thicket of intrigue and double-dealing that commences with his discovery of the body. No one will ever argue that the St. Ives novels rank among the best of crime fiction, but they are quick reads that constitute a fun way to while away an evening when you just want to relax with a large whiskey and an entertaining read.
In this case, someone has stolen the diaries of a professional thief named Procane. Procane has been foolish enough to record the details of all his successful heists in the diaries, as well as his foolproof plan for an upcoming theft of one million dollars.
The thief offers to sell the diaries back to Procane for $100,000, and Procane hires St. Ives to serve as the middle man. He will collect the diaries, give the thief his payoff, and keep $10,000 for his trouble. It seems simple enough, but of course the grand plan will immediately disintegrate when St. Ives goes to the place designated for the exchange. Instead of finding the diaries, he will discover one very dead burglar, and, as they say, the game is on.
The plot, of course, is completely unbelievable, but it's great fun watching St. Ives attempt to maneuver through the thicket of intrigue and double-dealing that commences with his discovery of the body. No one will ever argue that the St. Ives novels rank among the best of crime fiction, but they are quick reads that constitute a fun way to while away an evening when you just want to relax with a large whiskey and an entertaining read.
October 15, 2024
This is one of a handful of novels Ross Thomas wrote in the early seventies under the name Oliver Bleeck, featuring a professional go-between named Philip St. Ives. A go-between is the neutral broker employed by two sides who mistrust one another in a transaction such as a ransom payment. Thomas spotted the possibilities for intrigue, skulduggery and the double-cross in such situations, and created an entertaining little mini-genre out of them.
In this one, St. Ives is hired to drop off an airline bag full of money at three in the morning in a dryer at a 24-hour laundromat on Manhattan's west side in exchange for some "personal documents" stolen from a mysterious client a few days before. Instead of the documents he finds a corpse, and we are off to the races. The client, Abner Procane, reputed to be the world's best thief, now wants St. Ives to help him steal the documents back from the crooks who hijacked them. Against his better judgment, St. Ives agrees.
Where nobody can be trusted, there will be twists and turns galore, with a sudden unpleasant end the penalty for a false step. It's great fun for those of us who prefer to enjoy a high-risk lifestyle from the safety of the armchair.
In this one, St. Ives is hired to drop off an airline bag full of money at three in the morning in a dryer at a 24-hour laundromat on Manhattan's west side in exchange for some "personal documents" stolen from a mysterious client a few days before. Instead of the documents he finds a corpse, and we are off to the races. The client, Abner Procane, reputed to be the world's best thief, now wants St. Ives to help him steal the documents back from the crooks who hijacked them. Against his better judgment, St. Ives agrees.
Where nobody can be trusted, there will be twists and turns galore, with a sudden unpleasant end the penalty for a false step. It's great fun for those of us who prefer to enjoy a high-risk lifestyle from the safety of the armchair.
June 8, 2017
This was made into a pretty good B Movie starring Charles Bronson called St Ives, after the main character, in 74-75. One of the better of the series about a go between written by Ross Thomas as Oliver Bleeck. The reveal at the end is a little bit far fetched but the rest is nice and nasty.
November 17, 2017
This was another good quick read in this series that features a professional go between. In this book St. Ives is hired by a thief whose diaries, that chronicle his past jobs, have been stolen. Lots of action and a nice suspenseful ending.
June 13, 2019
This short novel is less engaging than most of Thomas’s, but it delivers as a page-turner.
March 20, 2021
So much love for these sharp, stylish, cynical thrillers about smooth operators, scams, heists and murdered bodies piling up all over.
September 17, 2022
A bit more elegantly-written than some of his other books, which befits a story about a reporter-turned-gobetween. Excellently structured, as usual.
January 14, 2023
Das Procane-Projekt (Alexander Verlag Berlin)
June 29, 2025
Like all in this series, it starts out slow then builds to a good ending.
July 8, 2018
I thought installment number 2 in this series was ho hum so I'm surprised to say that this the 3rd book is now my favorite. St. Ives gets involved with a thief (Procane) who steals from other lawbreakers (reminiscent of Omar from The Wire). The wrinkle here is that Mr. Procane has been burglarized himself and his incriminating journal has fallen into the wrong hands. All of the heist plans dating back 25 years were chronicled in painstaking detail. St. Ives is hired as the go-between to trade money for the diary, but things go wrong of course. You get halfway through the book and realize that Procane might be a better protagonist than St. Ives and maybe Ross Thomas serialized the wrong character. He actually does describe an armored car robbery by someone else that reminded me of a Parker book by Donald Westlake and I wondered if it weren't an homage of some sort.
What I like about this particular book is that St. Ives has to get involved with the primary crime in a way that he hasn't had to in the first two books. He is forced to be a more active agent rather than the passive schlub he began as. Although the ending itself is a little head scratching and seems to be seeking unearned virtue that all authors are tempted to give their heroes, it still worked quite well for me.
One interesting note, this book was written in 1971 and yet there is a decent description of the new Watergate building, the costs of apartments there, and even a reference to burglary. Were these details added to a later edition of the book or just eerily prescient a year before the scandal?
What I like about this particular book is that St. Ives has to get involved with the primary crime in a way that he hasn't had to in the first two books. He is forced to be a more active agent rather than the passive schlub he began as. Although the ending itself is a little head scratching and seems to be seeking unearned virtue that all authors are tempted to give their heroes, it still worked quite well for me.
One interesting note, this book was written in 1971 and yet there is a decent description of the new Watergate building, the costs of apartments there, and even a reference to burglary. Were these details added to a later edition of the book or just eerily prescient a year before the scandal?
April 4, 2014
St. Ives is a professional intermediary, representing thieves, kidnappers, and others who want to return something that's not theirs - generally in exchange for large sums of cash. Oliver Bleeck's (Ross Thomas') books are always delightful caper-cum-mystery stories with a touch of melancholy, and THE PROCANE CHRONICLE is no different. I'm not even going to go into the plot except to say that this time, St. Ives is making an exchange for the diaries of well-off New Yorker Abner Procane - the chronicle of the title. Hijinks ensue, St. Ives gets in over his head, and the whole this is an awful lot of fun.
January 25, 2012
Entertaining, plot-driven mystery/thriller, but not Ross Thomas at his finest.
May 10, 2021
The four stars isn't for the plot or characters, though the protagonist is as good as always. It's for that damn style and tone of writing no one else can do in such a wry way.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews