Ross Thomas (1926-1995) was an American author best known for his exquisitely written political thrillers. His first book The Cold War Swap won the 1967 Edgar for Best First Mystery and Briarpatch, one of his later stand-alone books, won the 1985 Edgar. He received the 1990 Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award for Best Translated Crime Novel for Chinaman’s Chance. See a retrospective of his work in the Los Angles Review of Books: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/are-the-fools-in-town-still-on-our-side-a-ross-thomas-retrospective/.
Thomas didn’t write exclusively about politics though. In 1969 he published his first book about a ransom specialist named Philip St. Ives under the pseudonym Oliver Bleeck. St. Ives leads a casual existence, funded by occasional consulting assignments. Through caution and assiduously doing what he was told, St. Ives established a reputation with law enforcement and the underworld of being a reliable intermediary when one of the two groups wished to exchange something with the other, such as a large sum of money for stolen jewelry. The ransom payor could feel confident that St. Ives would not abscond with the cash and the ransom receiver could be sure that St. Ives would not try to substitute newspaper strips for the money or try to capture the individual retrieving it. In return St. Ives charged 10% of the ransom and reserved the right to withdraw if violence on either side ensued.
Because of his reputation St. Ives is tapped to hand over the ransom for an historic brass shield, a rare African artifact stolen from a Washington DC museum. Two countries in Africa claim it and the loss while in the hands of the U.S. is welling up into a political crisis. While the museum and St. Ives await instructions to pay the ransom, the museum guard suspected of aiding the theft is killed, then someone known to connect members of the underworld with thugs for hire turns up dead in his office. By the time the third murder occurs, St. Ives is prepared to call it quits but of course does not. Instead he does a little investigating of his own.
An entertaining read with politics and police corruption simmering in the background, ready to boil over at any minute. The two representatives of one of the African nations who wants the shield are larger than life characters and a high point of the story. St. Ives himself is charming and indolent, anxious only to earn enough to allow him to lead his self-absorbed lifestyle. He can however be roused to take action, as the story shows. Somewhat dated, as to be expected, but the political considerations at play are still quite recognizable. Especially recommended to crime fiction readers looking for a change.