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Mac McCorkle #4
Dämmerung in Mac's Place
Ein neuer Fall für McCorkle und Pa- dillo: Der plötzliche Tod eines CIA-Propagandaexperten hinterläßt sei- nem Sohn und Erben eine Bombe: seine brisanten Memoiren. Längst vergessen geglaubte Informationen aus dem Kalten Krieg drohen ans Licht zu kommen. Daher will die Agency das gefährliche Manuskript kaufen und so tief wie möglich ver- graben. McCorkle und Padillo, in deren Bar Mac’s Place die Dokumente sicher deponiert werden sollen, finden sich schnell in einem tödlichen Intrigennetz wieder ...
"Nach seinen Romanen sind Kenner süchtig."Der Spiegel
"Es tut gut, die welt durch den coolen, scharfen Blick von Ross Thomas noch einmal zu sehen."
L. A. Times
"Nach seinen Romanen sind Kenner süchtig."Der Spiegel
"Es tut gut, die welt durch den coolen, scharfen Blick von Ross Thomas noch einmal zu sehen."
L. A. Times
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
19 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Ross Thomas
58 books170 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 - 30 of 41 reviews
March 13, 2024
I've read that this book is not as good as the first three of the series; I read them a while back, and liked them, but I don't remember them that well. But after reading this one, I plan to reread all of them soon, because I loved this book. OK, I've read a few Ross Thomas books lately, and I've loved them all. I've never really been much for rereading books, but books like this are changing my mind. I want to reread all of them.
The story stays interesting, and you never know quite what is going on. The characters are great, and if I knew of a place like Mac's Place, I might become a full time customer - and I don't even drink much, normally.
If you have not read any of the Ross Thomas books, I'd recommend starting now, with any of them - they're all good.
The story stays interesting, and you never know quite what is going on. The characters are great, and if I knew of a place like Mac's Place, I might become a full time customer - and I don't even drink much, normally.
If you have not read any of the Ross Thomas books, I'd recommend starting now, with any of them - they're all good.
June 13, 2018
Ross Thomas was forty-one years old when his first novel was published in 1967. He had already lived an eventful life. Thomas served in the infantry in the Philippines in World War II and later worked as a reporter and a public relations specialist, and, most famously, as a political campaign strategist in the labor union movement, in races for Governor and the US Senate, and in Nigeria. His novels reflect the breadth of his varied work experiences, taking readers into the realms of crime, politics, and espionage. Many of the most vividly drawn characters in his books reflect the ambivalent attitudes of the Cold War era. Most of them are corrupt. Even the good guys rarely hesitate to use questionable means to achieve their ends.
Twilight at Mac's Place, published five years before Thomas' death, brings together many of the themes that emerge in his earlier novels. It's a murder mystery involving detectives, corrupt spies, and bent politicians. The book's characters include a former L.A. homicide investigator turned actor and his estranged father, a corrupt former spy named Steadfast Haynes. Mac McCorkle and Michael Padillo, co-owners of the Mac's Place saloon, enter for repeat performances after appearing in three previous Thomas novels. (Padillo had been an assassin for the CIA for many years.) Two aging senior CIA officers, a former reporter for Agence France-Presse, an ex-French Legionnaire turned thief, a high-priced criminal attorney, an heiress who once worked for the CIA in Laos, and a DC homicide detective round out the cast. Every one of these characters leaps from the page fully fleshed.
Twilight at Mac's Place isn't the very best of Thomas' novels, but it's head and shoulders over most of what other thriller writers produce. (The Cold War Swap, The Fools in Town Are on Our Side, and Missionary Stew take those honors, in my opinion.) He was simply one hell of a storyteller.
Before he passed away in 1995 at the age of sixty-nine, Ross Thomas wrote twenty mysteries and thrillers under his own name, sixteen of which are available for the Kindle. (I no longer read books on paper.) I've now read and reviewed all sixteen novels; you can access my reviews by typing "Ross Thomas" in the Search box in the upper-lefthand corner of the home page. He also wrote five novels about professional go-between Philip St. Ives under the name Oliver Bleeck. They're in my to-read queue.
Twilight at Mac's Place, published five years before Thomas' death, brings together many of the themes that emerge in his earlier novels. It's a murder mystery involving detectives, corrupt spies, and bent politicians. The book's characters include a former L.A. homicide investigator turned actor and his estranged father, a corrupt former spy named Steadfast Haynes. Mac McCorkle and Michael Padillo, co-owners of the Mac's Place saloon, enter for repeat performances after appearing in three previous Thomas novels. (Padillo had been an assassin for the CIA for many years.) Two aging senior CIA officers, a former reporter for Agence France-Presse, an ex-French Legionnaire turned thief, a high-priced criminal attorney, an heiress who once worked for the CIA in Laos, and a DC homicide detective round out the cast. Every one of these characters leaps from the page fully fleshed.
Twilight at Mac's Place isn't the very best of Thomas' novels, but it's head and shoulders over most of what other thriller writers produce. (The Cold War Swap, The Fools in Town Are on Our Side, and Missionary Stew take those honors, in my opinion.) He was simply one hell of a storyteller.
Before he passed away in 1995 at the age of sixty-nine, Ross Thomas wrote twenty mysteries and thrillers under his own name, sixteen of which are available for the Kindle. (I no longer read books on paper.) I've now read and reviewed all sixteen novels; you can access my reviews by typing "Ross Thomas" in the Search box in the upper-lefthand corner of the home page. He also wrote five novels about professional go-between Philip St. Ives under the name Oliver Bleeck. They're in my to-read queue.
November 29, 2013
Loved it, like I do all of the Ross Thomas Books. I thought I had read them all, but I missed this one. I am glad I found it. It is so much better to shop at the library than on line. Nice to hold a book instead of an iPad. Too bad the print is so small.
The characters are great and don't take themselves too seriously. A fun who done it.
The characters are great and don't take themselves too seriously. A fun who done it.
April 6, 2017
There was a time, from about the 1970s to the end of the 1980s, when nifty, sophisticated little thrillers like this one showed up in bookstores on a regular basis from such writers as Richard Condon ("The Manchurian Candidate") and William Goldman ("No Way to Treat a Lady"). Reading this Ross Thomas novel reminded me of the pleasures of those by-gone days of books with an engaging plot, clever dialogue, a strong interest in sex, a cynical view of humanity and a twist of some sort.
In this novel, the hero is Granville Haynes, who is perhaps the unlikeliest character ever to show up in one of these kinds of books. He's the handsome, chip-off-the-old-block son of a spy/propaganda merchant/con man named Steadfast Haynes, and he was working as a homicide cop in LA until he hit the lottery. So now he's a fledgling actor, and he turns out to be a gifted mimic as well. Got all that? Good.
The book begins with Steadfast Haynes dying in DC just as he's beginning to shop around his scandalous memoirs. Granville Haynes flies out for his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, an event attended by only three other people: the foreign correspondent who helped him write his memoirs; former French Foreign Legionnaire turned arms merchant Tinker Burns; and CIA analyst Gilbert Undean. Before long two of those people are dead, found by the third, and someone goes after Granville Haynes as well. Also, a horse is shot. Then so is a man NAMED Horse.
Haynes seeks assistance from two of his father's old pals, Mac MacCorkle and Robert Padillo, ex-spies who now run a bar in DC called Mac's Place. MacCorkle's hot blonde daughter Ericka shows up too, and soon she and young Haynes are canoodling together in between dodging bullets.
Multiple copies of the supposed memoir turn up, suggesting the late Steadfast was running another of his big cons, and there's a hitman and a couple of cops poking into all the murders. I think even Thomas worried about confusing the readers because several times he has one of the main characters run down for the others what just happened, as a reminder.
Still, the ending, when it arrives, doesn't strain your credulity too much, and I enjoyed the ride. After I finished I discovered this is the fourth (and final) novel that Thomas wrote featuring Mac and Padillo, so now I want to go back and read the other three in order to see how we got to this point. I'm sure they will all include an engaging plot, clever dialogue, a strong interest in sex, a cynical view of humanity and a twist of some sort.
In this novel, the hero is Granville Haynes, who is perhaps the unlikeliest character ever to show up in one of these kinds of books. He's the handsome, chip-off-the-old-block son of a spy/propaganda merchant/con man named Steadfast Haynes, and he was working as a homicide cop in LA until he hit the lottery. So now he's a fledgling actor, and he turns out to be a gifted mimic as well. Got all that? Good.
The book begins with Steadfast Haynes dying in DC just as he's beginning to shop around his scandalous memoirs. Granville Haynes flies out for his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, an event attended by only three other people: the foreign correspondent who helped him write his memoirs; former French Foreign Legionnaire turned arms merchant Tinker Burns; and CIA analyst Gilbert Undean. Before long two of those people are dead, found by the third, and someone goes after Granville Haynes as well. Also, a horse is shot. Then so is a man NAMED Horse.
Haynes seeks assistance from two of his father's old pals, Mac MacCorkle and Robert Padillo, ex-spies who now run a bar in DC called Mac's Place. MacCorkle's hot blonde daughter Ericka shows up too, and soon she and young Haynes are canoodling together in between dodging bullets.
Multiple copies of the supposed memoir turn up, suggesting the late Steadfast was running another of his big cons, and there's a hitman and a couple of cops poking into all the murders. I think even Thomas worried about confusing the readers because several times he has one of the main characters run down for the others what just happened, as a reminder.
Still, the ending, when it arrives, doesn't strain your credulity too much, and I enjoyed the ride. After I finished I discovered this is the fourth (and final) novel that Thomas wrote featuring Mac and Padillo, so now I want to go back and read the other three in order to see how we got to this point. I'm sure they will all include an engaging plot, clever dialogue, a strong interest in sex, a cynical view of humanity and a twist of some sort.
December 20, 2023
I’ve enjoyed several of Ross Thomas’s novels, and this one was no different. Mac’s place, a Washington DC bar & restaurant is co-owned by Mac McCorckle and Robert Padiillo, a couple of aging former CIA agents who are out of the life— until they’re not.
But, as you can gather from my esteemed GR colleagues’ reviews, these two only play a supporting role. Instead, the focus is on Granville Haynes and Mac’s sexy daughter, Erika. Oh, and about a half dozen other characters that you’ll need to keep track of, especially during the first third of the book. See, that’s when the author sets the stage and offers several potential suspects for the sudden rash of killings surrounding the murder of Granville’s father, and, subsequently, a few others who were somehow connected to him. Confusing? A little. But hang on and fasten your seatbelt, because from about halfway through, the story accelerates exponentially.
Ultimately, Thomas delivers a satisfying conclusion, making the effort worthwhile. I found myself a bit impatient for a while in the beginning, but overall, it’s a very entertaining novel, albeit perhaps not his best. Fans should definitely include it, but if you’re new to the author, perhaps start at the beginning of the series.
But, as you can gather from my esteemed GR colleagues’ reviews, these two only play a supporting role. Instead, the focus is on Granville Haynes and Mac’s sexy daughter, Erika. Oh, and about a half dozen other characters that you’ll need to keep track of, especially during the first third of the book. See, that’s when the author sets the stage and offers several potential suspects for the sudden rash of killings surrounding the murder of Granville’s father, and, subsequently, a few others who were somehow connected to him. Confusing? A little. But hang on and fasten your seatbelt, because from about halfway through, the story accelerates exponentially.
Ultimately, Thomas delivers a satisfying conclusion, making the effort worthwhile. I found myself a bit impatient for a while in the beginning, but overall, it’s a very entertaining novel, albeit perhaps not his best. Fans should definitely include it, but if you’re new to the author, perhaps start at the beginning of the series.
October 12, 2020
This is very different from the first three in the series, which is quite reasonable given the massive gap in years between The Backup Men and Twilight at Mac's Place. Thomas seems more interested in new characters than he does in Mac and Padillo, who are very much supporting characters in this final episode of their story. That said, though, despite the changes in how the story is presented, Mac and Padillo remain wonderful, and their now 25+ year old relationship is as understated and lovely as ever.
TL;DR: I love them a lot.
TL;DR: I love them a lot.
March 26, 2021
Ross Thomas wrote the cold war Mac McCorkle trilogy in the early 1970s and then returned to it once more in 1990 with this last book. Mac and Padillo are secondary characters this time around and it feels like he includes them here more as an homage than a 4th book about them.
The story is a CIA operative that knows too much may have written his memoirs before his sudden death. That book is potentially lethal to politicians and what is now referred to as the deep state. The operative’s son is a former homicide detective and current actor from Los Angeles who seeks to find such memoirs and maybe learn something about the father he rarely saw.
The main character here is really the cop/actor son and the idea might have made a decent book series by itself. The result is a standard whodunit with Thomas’s clever humor making it more entertaining than the puzzle would otherwise be. Mac and Padillo are not really prominent until the last part of the book and thus Twilight expresses the end of the series and these characters.
The story is a CIA operative that knows too much may have written his memoirs before his sudden death. That book is potentially lethal to politicians and what is now referred to as the deep state. The operative’s son is a former homicide detective and current actor from Los Angeles who seeks to find such memoirs and maybe learn something about the father he rarely saw.
The main character here is really the cop/actor son and the idea might have made a decent book series by itself. The result is a standard whodunit with Thomas’s clever humor making it more entertaining than the puzzle would otherwise be. Mac and Padillo are not really prominent until the last part of the book and thus Twilight expresses the end of the series and these characters.
May 25, 2022
Another corker, the last of the Padillo/McCorkle four-book series. The only one of the four in third person (the first three are all first-person stories told by McCorkle). Thomas makes his distate for George H.W. Bush and a bunch of other Langley/Eli Republicans indirectly but strongly known.
February 9, 2020
Ross Thomas was a very graceful writer. By that I mean his narrative is smooth and fluid; his characterizations are deftly drawn, swiftly cemented and wonderfully indirect; his dialogue is interesting and believable; his plots are quirky, satisfying and memorable; and his wit crowns every page and makes each one of the four novels I've read an absolute delight. I'll go out on a limb and state unequivocally: There was and is no better writer of intelligent thrillers than Ross Thomas. This last of the McCorkle/Padillo quartet certainly doesn't contradict that bald statement. In other words, it's a good 'un and you should give it a shot. If you've already read The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow and The Backup Men, this one will not disappoint.
May 10, 2015
I have read every book Ross Thomas every wrote, including those he signed as Oliver Bleeck, and as far as I'm concerned he outshines even Hammett and Chandler. A master of the thriller with a political edge, he is smart, funny and extremely knowledgeable about the spy-versus-spy world of the Cold War era (the one we thought we left behind but that seems to be returning). Arm yourself with a dry martini and open 'Twilight at Mac's Place', which takes place in Washington D.C. And don't expect to get much sleep until you finish this riveting book.
October 11, 2009
I decided to now add reviews for books that I don't finish, but read at least half of. This book, by a notable and skilled writer, repeatedly suggested the possible existence of a scandalous diary, which would be embarrassing to highly powerful persons. Over and over the author dangles this carrot of a possible diary. Over and over. And over. I said, "Enough of this crap...you're kicked off the island."
Still, the average rating for this book is high, so, don't take my word for it.
Still, the average rating for this book is high, so, don't take my word for it.
May 8, 2015
dated but ok
December 20, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed it, but one star off for confusing / anticlimactic ending.
October 24, 2023
Twilight at Mac's Place is the fourth and final novel by Ross Thomas to feature Mac McCorkle and Michael Padillo, after The Cold War Swap (1966), Cast a Yellow Shadow (1967), and The Backup Men (1971).
The first three novels were all set against the backdrop of the Cold War and involved a lot of international intrigue. McCorkle's life's ambition was to be a saloon owner and in the first novel, he takes Padillo in as a partner in Mac's Place. Padillo, though, spent several years working deep undercover for a shadowy government agency. Though he'd like to get out from under that life, he keeps getting pulled back in, often dragging his reluctant partner along for the ride.
All three books were very well done at a time when the protagonists were in the prime of their lives. Twilight was published nineteen years after the third book in the series, and McCorkle and Padillo have aged all of that nineteen years. Mac's Place remains a prominent Washington, D.C. watering hole, but it's been a long, long time since its two proprietors have been called into action.
Enter Steadfast Haynes, who claims to have been a C.I.A operative doing dirty deeds for the agency in countries around the world. The C.I.A disavows any knowledge of Haynes or his activities, but when Haynes turns up in D.C. allegedly ready to sell his memoirs to the highest bidder, a lot of very influential people in the nation's capitol are suddenly extremely nervous.
Before the bidding can begin, however, Haynes dies, leaving the copyright to his manuscript to his son, Granville, who is the spitting image of the old man. A former L.A. homicide detective, the younger Haynes has become an actor. When he arrives in D.C. for his father's funeral, he is immediately offered $100,000 from an anonymous source for his father's memoirs. Not sure what to do, he turns for advice to his fathers old friends, McCorkle and Padillo.
What follows is a very entertaining tale about the search for the manuscript and the attempts by several parties to buy it so that they can destroy it, perhaps before it destroys them. The search will turn deadly very early on and no one may survive long enough to actually read the memoir. McCorkle and Padillo fade in and out of the story and, unlike the previous three novels, the story does not center on them. Rather the two main characters are Granville Haynes and McCorkle's beautiful daughter, Erika.
Like all of Thomas's characters, these two are very well drawn and it's fun to watch their journey through this very entertaining plot. Twilight at Mac's Place isn't really on a par with the first three books in the series, but Ross Thomas never wrote a bad book and this one is certainly worth the effort to search it out.
The first three novels were all set against the backdrop of the Cold War and involved a lot of international intrigue. McCorkle's life's ambition was to be a saloon owner and in the first novel, he takes Padillo in as a partner in Mac's Place. Padillo, though, spent several years working deep undercover for a shadowy government agency. Though he'd like to get out from under that life, he keeps getting pulled back in, often dragging his reluctant partner along for the ride.
All three books were very well done at a time when the protagonists were in the prime of their lives. Twilight was published nineteen years after the third book in the series, and McCorkle and Padillo have aged all of that nineteen years. Mac's Place remains a prominent Washington, D.C. watering hole, but it's been a long, long time since its two proprietors have been called into action.
Enter Steadfast Haynes, who claims to have been a C.I.A operative doing dirty deeds for the agency in countries around the world. The C.I.A disavows any knowledge of Haynes or his activities, but when Haynes turns up in D.C. allegedly ready to sell his memoirs to the highest bidder, a lot of very influential people in the nation's capitol are suddenly extremely nervous.
Before the bidding can begin, however, Haynes dies, leaving the copyright to his manuscript to his son, Granville, who is the spitting image of the old man. A former L.A. homicide detective, the younger Haynes has become an actor. When he arrives in D.C. for his father's funeral, he is immediately offered $100,000 from an anonymous source for his father's memoirs. Not sure what to do, he turns for advice to his fathers old friends, McCorkle and Padillo.
What follows is a very entertaining tale about the search for the manuscript and the attempts by several parties to buy it so that they can destroy it, perhaps before it destroys them. The search will turn deadly very early on and no one may survive long enough to actually read the memoir. McCorkle and Padillo fade in and out of the story and, unlike the previous three novels, the story does not center on them. Rather the two main characters are Granville Haynes and McCorkle's beautiful daughter, Erika.
Like all of Thomas's characters, these two are very well drawn and it's fun to watch their journey through this very entertaining plot. Twilight at Mac's Place isn't really on a par with the first three books in the series, but Ross Thomas never wrote a bad book and this one is certainly worth the effort to search it out.
November 27, 2024
Another droll, spark-plug of a novel about spy versus spy in post-war Europe.
Deighton's series protagonist, here going by his old French Resistance name, Charles Bonnard, is sent to investigate an old comrade now too suspect for his own good.
The fun (I leave aside the expertly drawn tragedy) of Yesterday's Spy is the conflict today between Charles and his Ugly American boss, Colonel Schlegel, US Marine Corps (Air Wing), Retired.
[....] Schlegel sat hunched forward in his seat, while the rain beat down upon our plastic bubble. ‘They must be on the Autobahn to Cologne by now,’ he said finally. He reached for the pilot’s map and opened it on his knees. ‘If they are going to Bonn, they will turn off the Autobahn at that big clover-leaf there – Autobahnkreuz Köln West – and follow the circular road as far as the next cloverleaf.’ He stabbed the place on the map. ‘From there, it’s only a lousy twenty kilometres to Bonn.’ He looked at me and then at the pilot. ‘When those trucks get half way between Cologne and Bonn – we stop them, and screw the diplomatic ruckus.’
‘You want me to radio for permission?’ the pilot asked.
Schlegel looked at him unenthusiastically. ‘I’m giving the orders, Baron von Richthofen! You just pull the levers! Let’s go!’
Deighton's series protagonist, here going by his old French Resistance name, Charles Bonnard, is sent to investigate an old comrade now too suspect for his own good.
The fun (I leave aside the expertly drawn tragedy) of Yesterday's Spy is the conflict today between Charles and his Ugly American boss, Colonel Schlegel, US Marine Corps (Air Wing), Retired.
[....] Schlegel sat hunched forward in his seat, while the rain beat down upon our plastic bubble. ‘They must be on the Autobahn to Cologne by now,’ he said finally. He reached for the pilot’s map and opened it on his knees. ‘If they are going to Bonn, they will turn off the Autobahn at that big clover-leaf there – Autobahnkreuz Köln West – and follow the circular road as far as the next cloverleaf.’ He stabbed the place on the map. ‘From there, it’s only a lousy twenty kilometres to Bonn.’ He looked at me and then at the pilot. ‘When those trucks get half way between Cologne and Bonn – we stop them, and screw the diplomatic ruckus.’
‘You want me to radio for permission?’ the pilot asked.
Schlegel looked at him unenthusiastically. ‘I’m giving the orders, Baron von Richthofen! You just pull the levers! Let’s go!’
May 10, 2017
One of Mr. Thomas' final works, this book showcases his masterful ability to adapt to changing technological and social forces while still retaining core style elements. I was impressed (as always) with his excellent treatment of race in America, along with his ability to compellingly spin a whodunit all the way into the final chapter.
Twilight at Mac's Place is also an excellent reflection on aging, parenthood and identity, showcasing more overtly philosophical (and autobiographical) gestures from Mr. Thomas. The book could've easily been a fan service victory lap, as Mac and Padillo are two of Mr. Thomas' most-beloved (and certainly longest-running) protagonists. Mr. Thomas provides just the right amount of winks and nods while allowing characters to grow up around them. A superb example of his later works.
Twilight at Mac's Place is also an excellent reflection on aging, parenthood and identity, showcasing more overtly philosophical (and autobiographical) gestures from Mr. Thomas. The book could've easily been a fan service victory lap, as Mac and Padillo are two of Mr. Thomas' most-beloved (and certainly longest-running) protagonists. Mr. Thomas provides just the right amount of winks and nods while allowing characters to grow up around them. A superb example of his later works.
September 3, 2017
Card board characters; nothing to care about here.
March 25, 2019
I think I'm done reading books from Little Libraries.
June 13, 2020
A so-so mystery written in 1990 which involved events that happened to the principals primarily during the Vietnam War and Laos.
June 3, 2021
Great characters, witty dialogue, and a plot which keeps the reader off-balance from start to end.
June 25, 2021
The whole McCorckle & Padilla series is good .
It's only 4 books long.
Do yourself a favor and read them in order.
It's only 4 books long.
Do yourself a favor and read them in order.
July 2, 2021
CIA intrigue, murder, and old friends. Son searching for his father’s memoirs along with a cast of characters. Entertaining and enjoyable read.
March 4, 2022
This book was as good as I remembered. It caused me to restart reading some of Thomas’s books, especially this series.
March 1, 2024
Top notch Thomas
June 26, 2024
Looks like I’ve got some catching up to do on old-school thriller writers. This was exceptionally well done.
June 6, 2014
Based on a universe of two books (I also read The Cold War Swap a few years ago), I like Ross Thomas' novels. Twilight at Mac's Place spins forward in an easy-to-read relaxed style, with witty dialogue, a plot that's just intricate enough, and a steady progression of intrigue. The characters are interesting people, and their actions seem to sit on the border between real life CIA dirty dealings and a send up of the whole Cold War experience; as a result, the story is both compelling and fun.
An aside. Thomas has the characters interject plot summaries every once in a while. Obviously, those summaries are there for the reader's benefit, not the characters'. If memory serves, those summaries are more effectively interpolated in Twilight at Mac's Place than in The Cold War Swap. Perhaps that's because The Cold War Swap was Thomas' first novel and Twilight at Mac's Place was among his last. That said, both books make for enjoyable reading.
An aside. Thomas has the characters interject plot summaries every once in a while. Obviously, those summaries are there for the reader's benefit, not the characters'. If memory serves, those summaries are more effectively interpolated in Twilight at Mac's Place than in The Cold War Swap. Perhaps that's because The Cold War Swap was Thomas' first novel and Twilight at Mac's Place was among his last. That said, both books make for enjoyable reading.
July 6, 2015
Solid; could have used more of McCorkle and Padillo but I know they are getting up there in age. Character driven story and I really enjoyed the descriptions of Washington DC to include the architectural comments and not just because I will never get to that exotic location. Furniture descriptions too. Thomas is also, in the vein of Sir Conan Doyle and Rex Stout, very good at keeping us fed by noting what our protagonists are eating and drinking. who doesn't like that? Possibly the only known appearance of Liverwurst in an English language novel is in Chapter 47.
October 18, 2008
I'll never figure out why Ross Thomas isn't held in as high regard as, say, John Le Carre. Maybe if his books were more bloated. Or maybe it's because he nimbly jumps from international intrigue to hard-boiled crime noir. To be honest, I don't remember a lot about this book, except that I enjoyed it. And I can say that for pretty much every Thomas book I've read. There have been few authors who have written so much and kept such an enviable track record of constant creativity.
May 29, 2014
Not up to other Ross Thomas books, notable the Artie Wu-Quincy Durant group. It's the same general idea, though--a smart, tough protagonist conspires to make some money by bamboozling (not cheating exactly, just bamboozling) some anxious, gullible people who maybe aren't so nice. Along the way, he falls in with a beautiful girl, does some clever things, and turns out----well, you'll have to read it to find out. Good airplane reading.
books-abandoned
May 25, 2013I really liked the first book by Ross Thomas that I read, but have liked each successive book less until the last two I have abandoned unfinished. I even abandoned this one after a body was found, a supposedly exciting moment. When a writer is this uninvolving, it is time to move on.
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