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Mac McCorkle #2
Cast a Yellow Shadow
A classic mystery featuring Padillo and Mac, from the award-winning author of Ah, Treachery! McCorkle returns from Germany to Washington, D.C., with a beautiful wife, intending to live a quiet life as a saloon keeper in a classy neighborhood. But when his old friend Mike padillo is stabbed, his wife is kidnapped, and various assassination plots and double agents surface, McCorkle and Padillo set off to save the day.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
42 people are currently reading
151 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
May 12, 2022
This is the second novel to feature saloon keeper Mac McCorkle, following The Cold War Swap. McCorkle has now moved from Germany back to the U.S. and opened a new bar/restaurant in Washington, D.C. He's married now and hopes to live a peaceful, quiet life. He maintains a hotel room in Washington for his partner, Michael Padillo who disappeared sometime earlier in Europe, though he has no way of knowing if Padillo will ever surface again.
Happily, or maybe unhappily, he does. Late one night, Padillo steps off a freighter in Baltimore. Almost immediately, he winds up in a fight and is knifed. He has no papers, no I.D. of any kind, only a slip of paper in his pocket with McCorkle's address on it. Padillo is taken to a doctor and McCorkle rushes to his side.
It turns out that Padillo, who previously did shady work for an American intelligence agency has, of late, been running guns in Africa. Some nasty characters there attempted to drag Padillo into an assassination plot here in the U.S., but Padillo turns them down. The bad guys then follow Padilo to Washington, D.C. and, when he continues to refuse their offer, the Africans kidnap McCorkle's wife, Fredl, threatening to kill her if Padillo does not cooperate.
McCorkle and Padillo understand that the assassins will doubtless kill Fredl either way and so they embark on a complicated plan to rescue her. To assist them, they recruit several shady and very untrustworthy characters. McCorkle and Padillo realize that the can't really trust their recruits, but this is a risk they will have to run.
This is another very well-written and entertaining novel from Thomas who was a master of the craft. The plot is complex; the dialog sparkles, and the characters are very well-drawn. Like McCorkle and Padillo, the reader has no idea who to trust and the twists and turns keep coming at you from every direction. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy suspense novels.
Happily, or maybe unhappily, he does. Late one night, Padillo steps off a freighter in Baltimore. Almost immediately, he winds up in a fight and is knifed. He has no papers, no I.D. of any kind, only a slip of paper in his pocket with McCorkle's address on it. Padillo is taken to a doctor and McCorkle rushes to his side.
It turns out that Padillo, who previously did shady work for an American intelligence agency has, of late, been running guns in Africa. Some nasty characters there attempted to drag Padillo into an assassination plot here in the U.S., but Padillo turns them down. The bad guys then follow Padilo to Washington, D.C. and, when he continues to refuse their offer, the Africans kidnap McCorkle's wife, Fredl, threatening to kill her if Padillo does not cooperate.
McCorkle and Padillo understand that the assassins will doubtless kill Fredl either way and so they embark on a complicated plan to rescue her. To assist them, they recruit several shady and very untrustworthy characters. McCorkle and Padillo realize that the can't really trust their recruits, but this is a risk they will have to run.
This is another very well-written and entertaining novel from Thomas who was a master of the craft. The plot is complex; the dialog sparkles, and the characters are very well-drawn. Like McCorkle and Padillo, the reader has no idea who to trust and the twists and turns keep coming at you from every direction. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy suspense novels.
May 19, 2022
Readers of a certain age are likely to remember an advertising slogan for one of Wrigley's gums: "Two, two, two mints in one;" or "Double your pleasure, double your fun with Doublemint gum."
Well, reading Cast A Yellow Shadow truly embodied that notion, so rife with double crosses that the reader's pleasure really is doubled. This book is so full of twists and crosses that one doesn't know who to trust. Well, perhaps with the exception of Mac McCorkle and his erstwhile partner, the mysterious Michael Padillo who disappeared sometime earlier in book #1 (which I've yet to read, by the way).
The plot is convoluted, concerning the planned assassination of a small country's leader, arranged ironically, by the leader himself-- it's a political ploy and meant to occur while on a visiting tour of Washington, DC, of course. In order to force Padillo into cooperating, the bad guys kidnap McCorkle's wife (whom he met, presumably, in the first book while living and operating a bar in Germany) and threatening to kill her unless Padillo cooperates with them. McCorkle, being Padillo's partner and pal, seems to be the only weak link to exploit in terms of extracting cooperation from the clever spy that Padillo apparently is. And Padillo will do whatever he can to rescue Mrs. McCorkle and foil the plan as well.
If this is becoming even slightly confusing, just hold on to your hat, as the book's crosses and double crosses only begin to grow logrithmically after about a third of the way in. Thomas clearly knew how to weave a story that builds momentum and pacing, bringing the reader along slowly at first and then snatching him/her into the roller coaster ride that is the remainder of the book. He has an eye for detail and enjoys sharing it with the reader. Martinis and locales are liberally sprinkled throughout, lending both a sense of place and mood to each chapter.
Written in the late 60's, there is some sexism and racism that seeps through as a result of the times, that was not, to this reader at least, offensive. I want to know more about both of the main characters, McCorkle and Padillo, and will seek out the others in this delightful series. A hearty four stars for this gem.
Well, reading Cast A Yellow Shadow truly embodied that notion, so rife with double crosses that the reader's pleasure really is doubled. This book is so full of twists and crosses that one doesn't know who to trust. Well, perhaps with the exception of Mac McCorkle and his erstwhile partner, the mysterious Michael Padillo who disappeared sometime earlier in book #1 (which I've yet to read, by the way).
The plot is convoluted, concerning the planned assassination of a small country's leader, arranged ironically, by the leader himself-- it's a political ploy and meant to occur while on a visiting tour of Washington, DC, of course. In order to force Padillo into cooperating, the bad guys kidnap McCorkle's wife (whom he met, presumably, in the first book while living and operating a bar in Germany) and threatening to kill her unless Padillo cooperates with them. McCorkle, being Padillo's partner and pal, seems to be the only weak link to exploit in terms of extracting cooperation from the clever spy that Padillo apparently is. And Padillo will do whatever he can to rescue Mrs. McCorkle and foil the plan as well.
If this is becoming even slightly confusing, just hold on to your hat, as the book's crosses and double crosses only begin to grow logrithmically after about a third of the way in. Thomas clearly knew how to weave a story that builds momentum and pacing, bringing the reader along slowly at first and then snatching him/her into the roller coaster ride that is the remainder of the book. He has an eye for detail and enjoys sharing it with the reader. Martinis and locales are liberally sprinkled throughout, lending both a sense of place and mood to each chapter.
Written in the late 60's, there is some sexism and racism that seeps through as a result of the times, that was not, to this reader at least, offensive. I want to know more about both of the main characters, McCorkle and Padillo, and will seek out the others in this delightful series. A hearty four stars for this gem.
April 6, 2017
Here’s a thriller about political assassination, and it’s a hoot from start to finish.
Mac McCorkle is not your average saloon-keeper. His partner Mike Padillo — his mother was Estonian, his father Spanish — speaks “six or seven languages” fluently and has used them in dangerous undercover assignments for a mysterious and unidentified American spy agency that is not the CIA. Mac relocated to Washington, DC, after their bar and restaurant in Bonn, West Germany, was burned to the ground in retaliation by the unnamed agency for one of Mike’s jobs gone awry. (Mike died on that job.) With the insurance money, Mac has opened a popular new bar and restaurant called Mac’s Place in Washington and, apparently, is making money hand over fist. Now, years later, Mike has miraculously shown up, alive and well — in trouble, as usual.
It turns out that the trouble pursuing Mike is of the terminal kind: he is likely to be killed unless he carries out an assassination (or even if he does). The circumstances that have led up to this life-or-death challenge are marvelously complicated and embroil both Mike and Mac and an international cast of unforgettable characters in a romp at breakneck speed all across the capital, just minutes from death at every turn. The story is endlessly suspenseful and lots of fun — especially the dialogue, which is endlessly witty and frequently hilarious.
Ross Thomas’ writing talent is apparent from the first paragraph of page 1: “The call came while I was trying to persuade a lameduck Congressman to settle his tab before he burned his American Express card.” I don’t know about you, but when I read an opening like that, I’m hooked.
Oh, by the way: the yellow shadow of the title is “what the Arabs say, I think. It means he carries a lot of luck around. All bad.”
Ross Thomas died twenty years ago, leaving behind a body of work that includes some of the best mystery novels of the modern era. Cast a Yellow Shadow was the third of the twenty novels Thomas wrote under his own name. (He wrote five mysteries under a pseudonym and two nonfiction books.) He twice won the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
Mac McCorkle is not your average saloon-keeper. His partner Mike Padillo — his mother was Estonian, his father Spanish — speaks “six or seven languages” fluently and has used them in dangerous undercover assignments for a mysterious and unidentified American spy agency that is not the CIA. Mac relocated to Washington, DC, after their bar and restaurant in Bonn, West Germany, was burned to the ground in retaliation by the unnamed agency for one of Mike’s jobs gone awry. (Mike died on that job.) With the insurance money, Mac has opened a popular new bar and restaurant called Mac’s Place in Washington and, apparently, is making money hand over fist. Now, years later, Mike has miraculously shown up, alive and well — in trouble, as usual.
It turns out that the trouble pursuing Mike is of the terminal kind: he is likely to be killed unless he carries out an assassination (or even if he does). The circumstances that have led up to this life-or-death challenge are marvelously complicated and embroil both Mike and Mac and an international cast of unforgettable characters in a romp at breakneck speed all across the capital, just minutes from death at every turn. The story is endlessly suspenseful and lots of fun — especially the dialogue, which is endlessly witty and frequently hilarious.
Ross Thomas’ writing talent is apparent from the first paragraph of page 1: “The call came while I was trying to persuade a lameduck Congressman to settle his tab before he burned his American Express card.” I don’t know about you, but when I read an opening like that, I’m hooked.
Oh, by the way: the yellow shadow of the title is “what the Arabs say, I think. It means he carries a lot of luck around. All bad.”
Ross Thomas died twenty years ago, leaving behind a body of work that includes some of the best mystery novels of the modern era. Cast a Yellow Shadow was the third of the twenty novels Thomas wrote under his own name. (He wrote five mysteries under a pseudonym and two nonfiction books.) He twice won the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
May 11, 2019
Ross Thomas remains the greatest political/mystery writer you’ve never heard of. He’s been dead for decades. Some of his books are out of print because they’re unfashionable—his best uses the “N” word, and this one uses “negro” throughout.
Don’t be put out by the language. Thomas’s better books capture not the doings of the officeholder but the mis-deeds of bag men and spooks behind them. Plus, the D.C.-centric books display a District long disappeared: often pre-air conditioning; slow-paced; definitely segregated.
The tales range from the improbable (this one) to the bizarre (“If You Can’t Be Good”). All but the last two are four or five stars. Try one if you haven’t already.
Don’t be put out by the language. Thomas’s better books capture not the doings of the officeholder but the mis-deeds of bag men and spooks behind them. Plus, the D.C.-centric books display a District long disappeared: often pre-air conditioning; slow-paced; definitely segregated.
The tales range from the improbable (this one) to the bizarre (“If You Can’t Be Good”). All but the last two are four or five stars. Try one if you haven’t already.
September 13, 2020
GOD THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. I mean, everything Thomas write is great (or nearly great), but this one feels special, largely b/c of how Mac handles his emotions about the kidnapping of his wife. His frankness with Padillo as he slowly falls apart is lovely (as is Padillo's patented emotionless, but also: I Will Kill For You response), and his internal tone is simultaneously self-loathing and wry in a way that is somehow both very Ross Thomas and deeply, painfully human.
June 17, 2017
A fairly fast-paced thriller involving a kidnapping and a planned assassination, with the day saved at the end by world-weary and self-doubting saloon owner Mac MacCorkle and his partner, occasional spy Mike Padillo.
The pair were first introduced in Ross Thomas' first novel, The Cold War Swap, in which Padillo has to get a couple of defectors back from East Berlin or die trying -- and at the end, that's what apparently happens to him. But he surfaces again here, wounded but still alive, to join MacCorkle at their new version of Mac's Place in Washington, D.C., the original in Germany having been blown up by a bomb in that first novel.
Nothing that radical happens in this novel, except that MacCorkle's new wife, a German reporter named Fredl, is kidnapped by the white supremacists who run a country a lot like South Africa in order to pressure Padillo to carry out the assassination of their head of state -- an assassination that the guy himself ordered, so as to guarantee that whites will remain in power there for the foreseeable future.
Padillo calls in some shady associates, accompanied by one of MacCorkle's pals, to help rescue Fredl and disrupt the assassination plot, and before long the double-crossing starts in earnest. I have seen other reviewers who complained about this book's plot being considerably slower than that of Cold War Swap, but I had no complaints because it's told in MacCorkle's world-weary, self-deprecating first person. He keeps it entertaining.
At one point he checks a switchblade that he's been given and notes that it would really come in handy if he has any string-tied packages to open. Before the book's over, he's used it to kill someone. That contrast between what he says and what he does makes him an interesting character -- in some ways, more interesting than the slick spy Padillo, who manages to come up with the rescue plot AND to sleep with a beautiful woman shortly after meeting her. I'm glad he wasn't narrating the story.
I'm taking a point off because the final betrayal in the plot leaves a loose end named Betty that made me wonder what happened with her, but Thomas skips right over that. Other than that, I had no real complaints about the book, and look forward to reading the third novel in the MacCorkle series, The Back-Up Men.
The pair were first introduced in Ross Thomas' first novel, The Cold War Swap, in which Padillo has to get a couple of defectors back from East Berlin or die trying -- and at the end, that's what apparently happens to him. But he surfaces again here, wounded but still alive, to join MacCorkle at their new version of Mac's Place in Washington, D.C., the original in Germany having been blown up by a bomb in that first novel.
Nothing that radical happens in this novel, except that MacCorkle's new wife, a German reporter named Fredl, is kidnapped by the white supremacists who run a country a lot like South Africa in order to pressure Padillo to carry out the assassination of their head of state -- an assassination that the guy himself ordered, so as to guarantee that whites will remain in power there for the foreseeable future.
Padillo calls in some shady associates, accompanied by one of MacCorkle's pals, to help rescue Fredl and disrupt the assassination plot, and before long the double-crossing starts in earnest. I have seen other reviewers who complained about this book's plot being considerably slower than that of Cold War Swap, but I had no complaints because it's told in MacCorkle's world-weary, self-deprecating first person. He keeps it entertaining.
At one point he checks a switchblade that he's been given and notes that it would really come in handy if he has any string-tied packages to open. Before the book's over, he's used it to kill someone. That contrast between what he says and what he does makes him an interesting character -- in some ways, more interesting than the slick spy Padillo, who manages to come up with the rescue plot AND to sleep with a beautiful woman shortly after meeting her. I'm glad he wasn't narrating the story.
I'm taking a point off because the final betrayal in the plot leaves a loose end named Betty that made me wonder what happened with her, but Thomas skips right over that. Other than that, I had no real complaints about the book, and look forward to reading the third novel in the MacCorkle series, The Back-Up Men.
January 8, 2023
I wanted to read Ross Thomas' books after watching the Briarpatch miniseries and I'm glad I did. This was such an entertaining book. Despite being written in the 60's, it feels very contemporary in the writing style and subject matter. A cracking read.
March 13, 2017
Ross Thomas is the least sentimental or heroic of thriller writers. Here he fills this novel with spies, assassins, and government agents. All of them driven by money or career ambition (or both). Only the main characters McCorkle and Padillo are united by friendship... And it's only fair to say McCorkle's love for his wife Fredl is absolutely convincing. Everyone else is willing to sell out to the highest bidder.
The story is a hoot, mostly driven by dialog. The action is devastating, and over quickly. All Ross Thomas books are worth reading - it's a shame he isn't better known these days.
The story is a hoot, mostly driven by dialog. The action is devastating, and over quickly. All Ross Thomas books are worth reading - it's a shame he isn't better known these days.
August 26, 2017
4 - 5 stars. I reserve 5 for truly outstanding books, so I give this one 4, which is still good.
A somewhat typical (to me, so far) Ross Thomas novel where double-crosses are expected and happen often. Like the other books I've read by him, you don't know who to trust, except for the 2 main characters, McCorkle and Padilla, who are good friends.
This story seems a bit less complex than some of the other ones, but it's interesting and has some good dialog, although it's a bit dated. For example, there's a Negro section rather than a Black section of town. The more I read of his books, the more I see the formula peeking out, but it's a good formula, so far, and I've liked them all a lot.
A somewhat typical (to me, so far) Ross Thomas novel where double-crosses are expected and happen often. Like the other books I've read by him, you don't know who to trust, except for the 2 main characters, McCorkle and Padilla, who are good friends.
This story seems a bit less complex than some of the other ones, but it's interesting and has some good dialog, although it's a bit dated. For example, there's a Negro section rather than a Black section of town. The more I read of his books, the more I see the formula peeking out, but it's a good formula, so far, and I've liked them all a lot.
September 17, 2015
While the formula peeked through a little in the second book of the series, still an enjoyable read.
March 7, 2023
Early Ross Thomas from 1967, the second of his series featuring partners McCorkle and Padillo. (The Cold War Swap, which introduces them, was Thomas's first novel.) McCorkle is running a saloon in Washington D.C., having written off Padillo, whom he last saw falling into the Rhine at the end of the first book. To McCorkle's surprise, Padillo turns up in the care of a D.C. gangster named Hardman, nursing his wounds from a scrape in which he came to the aid of one of Hardman's men on the Baltimore docks, having just disembarked from a tramp steamer from Africa. As usual, Padillo brings trouble with him.
That's the series hook: Padillo is a former top CIA troubleshooter, fluent in six languages and "handy with either a gun or a knife", who has tired of the game and is trying to retire but finding it difficult. As per an old Arab proverb, he "casts a yellow shadow", meaning he carries bad luck with him.
The bad luck here involves a complicated and somewhat contrived plot on the part of the ruling clique, all white, of a Rhodesia-like fictional African country resisting majority rule; the elderly president, who is dying of cancer, wants to arrange his own assassination during a visit to Washington in order to gain world sympathy for the beleaguered whites of his nation. His men have picked Padillo for the job and kidnapped McCorkle's wife to insure compliance. To wriggle out of this one Padillo will have to call in favors from some supremely shady characters.
As I said, it's a bit contrived, more so than most of Thomas's novels, which are completely believable because rooted in Thomas's long experience of dirty politics as a journalist and political operative. It's also in places just a shade less wickedly ironic than most of his work, which skewers the manners and morals of the commercial and political classes. What is does have is the usual snappy dialogue, sharp characterizations and head-snapping betrayals, reverses and nasty surprises that make a Thomas novel so entertaining. If not his best work, still very much worth reading for fans.
That's the series hook: Padillo is a former top CIA troubleshooter, fluent in six languages and "handy with either a gun or a knife", who has tired of the game and is trying to retire but finding it difficult. As per an old Arab proverb, he "casts a yellow shadow", meaning he carries bad luck with him.
The bad luck here involves a complicated and somewhat contrived plot on the part of the ruling clique, all white, of a Rhodesia-like fictional African country resisting majority rule; the elderly president, who is dying of cancer, wants to arrange his own assassination during a visit to Washington in order to gain world sympathy for the beleaguered whites of his nation. His men have picked Padillo for the job and kidnapped McCorkle's wife to insure compliance. To wriggle out of this one Padillo will have to call in favors from some supremely shady characters.
As I said, it's a bit contrived, more so than most of Thomas's novels, which are completely believable because rooted in Thomas's long experience of dirty politics as a journalist and political operative. It's also in places just a shade less wickedly ironic than most of his work, which skewers the manners and morals of the commercial and political classes. What is does have is the usual snappy dialogue, sharp characterizations and head-snapping betrayals, reverses and nasty surprises that make a Thomas novel so entertaining. If not his best work, still very much worth reading for fans.
January 12, 2019
The second book in the Mac McCorkle series relocates our main character from Bonn Germany to Washington D.C. His business partner, the secret agent Padillo, is being sought to assassinate a leader of an African country and Mac and his wife are square in the middle of it. Like a lot of Ross Thomas the book seems preposterous at times, but there is enough realism and humor that you don't stop reading. I was asking myself before this review why I find Ross Thomas so funny when I think other humor writers fall flat. I think it's because all of his books I have read so far feature a passive hero that wants to be left alone who is forced into action and is actually competent enough to be a hero while complaining the entire way. I can understand and appreciate the fatigue these guys feel when they have to do it all over again. It's certainly a lot more real than the guys that are shot in the shoulder and never even consider the easy life.
What makes the books realistic despite the humor is that alliances between people and the nations they represent change as their interests change. Although this happens in a crunched timeline in the books it's the way realist politics work in real life although not the way allies and enemies are portrayed in the popular media. If you are familiar with the DC area you might also enjoy the book as a description of the city geography in the late 1960s when the city was going through a transformation.
What makes the books realistic despite the humor is that alliances between people and the nations they represent change as their interests change. Although this happens in a crunched timeline in the books it's the way realist politics work in real life although not the way allies and enemies are portrayed in the popular media. If you are familiar with the DC area you might also enjoy the book as a description of the city geography in the late 1960s when the city was going through a transformation.
November 24, 2020
The always mysterious Mike Padillo is back in Washington DC for his first visit to Mac's Place, the saloon he co-owns with Mac McCorkle. Before he gets there, he is stabbed and thrown off a ship in the harbor. It's not unusual for Padillo to make such a splashy entrance; it's just that he's supposed to be dead, killed when a similar bar the two co-owned in Bonn, West Germany was bombed.
Casting a yellow shadow is an Arab concept about carrying around a lot of bad luck and Padillo brings it with him. This time McCorkle bears the brunt of it because his wife Fredl is kidnapped as hostage. Padillo's in DC to assassinate an official of a African country to further the aims of white supremacists. He's reluctant to do it, but must come up with one of his famous plans to con as many people as possible to keep himself alive and get McCorkle's wife back in the same condition. As usual, it's hard to track the betrayals that occur, but Padillo's plan accounts for most of them, doesn't it?
I judge novels not by their covers, but by their opening lines, and Thomas has provided me with a good collection. This one may win the prize: “The call came while I was trying to persuade a lameduck Congressman to settle his tab before he burned his American Express card.”
Casting a yellow shadow is an Arab concept about carrying around a lot of bad luck and Padillo brings it with him. This time McCorkle bears the brunt of it because his wife Fredl is kidnapped as hostage. Padillo's in DC to assassinate an official of a African country to further the aims of white supremacists. He's reluctant to do it, but must come up with one of his famous plans to con as many people as possible to keep himself alive and get McCorkle's wife back in the same condition. As usual, it's hard to track the betrayals that occur, but Padillo's plan accounts for most of them, doesn't it?
I judge novels not by their covers, but by their opening lines, and Thomas has provided me with a good collection. This one may win the prize: “The call came while I was trying to persuade a lameduck Congressman to settle his tab before he burned his American Express card.”
November 12, 2023
I’m almost never disappointed by a Ross Thomas book. Yes, the way he writes women is dated and sexist. But his plots are coherent, his characters are badass, and he writes plots with black and Asian characters that aren’t racist cardboard cutouts.
Once you assume that every woman introduced into the story will either be a bad person, or a sex partner of the protagonist, or both, then you can SMDH about it and enjoy the rest of the story.
This one is about a bar owner and his partner, a man with a very very sketchy past. They have adventures, usually involving spies and double crosses.
This one takes place in DC, and there’s a very good sense of place that I appreciated. I’m sure it was quite something when it came out in the mid-late 60s.
Recommended if you already like Ross Thomas.
Once you assume that every woman introduced into the story will either be a bad person, or a sex partner of the protagonist, or both, then you can SMDH about it and enjoy the rest of the story.
This one is about a bar owner and his partner, a man with a very very sketchy past. They have adventures, usually involving spies and double crosses.
This one takes place in DC, and there’s a very good sense of place that I appreciated. I’m sure it was quite something when it came out in the mid-late 60s.
Recommended if you already like Ross Thomas.
December 13, 2022
Mac McCorkle is busy running his successful restaurant in Washington when out of the blue his longlost friend and partner, Mike Padillo, turns up. Padillo brings with him a world of trouble, which unfortunately results in the kidnapping of McCorkle's beloved wife. Padillo is a clever, competent spook who sets out to unwind the messy situation. Naturally McCorkle, although perhaps a little less competent, is highly motivated to help. The machinations are entertaining and the repartee sharp, even if the denouement does leave a few loose ends lying around. Good light reading.
July 12, 2022
Just jotting down for my benefit, if nothing else...
Implausible, but fun.
Complicated, but curiously simple at the same time.
Hard-boiled, the way they really used to and supposed to make them .
Many drinks. Many traitors. Very few things worth fighting for. So, realistic in that sense.
Totally "politically incorrect". Wouldn't pass the censor nowadays.
Mr. Thomas, the unsung Master.
Implausible, but fun.
Complicated, but curiously simple at the same time.
Hard-boiled, the way they really used to and supposed to make them .
Many drinks. Many traitors. Very few things worth fighting for. So, realistic in that sense.
Totally "politically incorrect". Wouldn't pass the censor nowadays.
Mr. Thomas, the unsung Master.
September 16, 2024
This is not typically included in the pantheon of great Ross Thomas books, but it should be. The plot is straightforward, the suspense is killer, and the loyalties of the characters are ever-shifting. It's also not quite as cynical as some of his work (not that I care), and the relationships between friends, lovers, and co-conspirators are well drawn. Then there's the writing: No one in this genre today can match Thomas. No one.
January 11, 2022
This book was originally published in 1967, but it holds up well to the passage of time, other than a few uses of the word "negro" and the other "n" word, which I found jarring when I heard it.
I particularly enjoyed the quick pacing of the book and the well-written dialogue, but I find it quite surprising the characters are able to accomplish anything with all the drinking they do!
I particularly enjoyed the quick pacing of the book and the well-written dialogue, but I find it quite surprising the characters are able to accomplish anything with all the drinking they do!
July 4, 2022
In my view Thomas is better when he's less cynical and it's more about the runaround. This one is more about the runaround. Excellent stuff but the third quarter is entirely about a job being planned and we watch them rehearse it three times and talk about it too much without anything really changing. The book needed a little more variation but aside from that it was quite good.
May 29, 2018
Not my favorite Ross Thomas book. However, any Ross Thomas is better than most thrillers. Later McCorkle books are better, I think, but it may be a good idea to read that series in sequence. If you don't know Ross Thomas, I'd advise to start with The Fools in Town are on Our Side
August 19, 2019
3.5 stars
International assassination, kidnapping and some very blasé characters in a fine sequel to The Cold War Swamp. Written in the 1960s, some aspects are dated, particularly prices and the view of African Americans, but the story is entertaining and the twists unpredictable.
International assassination, kidnapping and some very blasé characters in a fine sequel to The Cold War Swamp. Written in the 1960s, some aspects are dated, particularly prices and the view of African Americans, but the story is entertaining and the twists unpredictable.
April 14, 2021
This is second Ross Thomas novel I've read and once again if the internet hasn't confirmed the author was a real person I would have believed it was another Donald Westlake pseudonym.
Very similar and clever writing.
Very similar and clever writing.
November 11, 2017
Good read
Good read as appropriate today as when new luck and thought carry the day padillo is back knowing who to call
Good read as appropriate today as when new luck and thought carry the day padillo is back knowing who to call
November 22, 2017
An excellent read.
July 26, 2019
Be prepared for gender politics out of date, but Ross Thomas is always fun, and you really have to admire how propulsive his stories are. And wow, what a lot of drinking.
January 26, 2020
Typical good Ross Thomas. Tricky people, good and bad, and a twisted plot with more cleverness than violence.
April 21, 2020
Good, fun, read. I didn't fall for it quite as hard as the first in the series but still worthwhile. Perfect COVID read.
January 24, 2021
This might be the best of the series.
I see this is Bk #2 so I've read them out of order.
Didn't stop me from enjoying it.
I see this is Bk #2 so I've read them out of order.
Didn't stop me from enjoying it.
May 14, 2022
The pace of these books is relentless, with action and witty one liners speeding by, and yet never rushed. Just terrific stuff.
July 23, 2022
Dated but entertaining.
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