About 20 years ago I came across an author named Ross Thomas.  I don’t remember how I found him, but I’ve been a huge fan of his since I first read Missionary Stew (this link takes you to a book preview in Google) and I’ve recently been reminded how much I love his writing. I’ve been re-reading Stew since I found a copy at Edward McKay a couple of weeks back, and even though some of the political references are dated (it was written in the early 80s) the observations about the power class in the United States is as accurate now as it was then and the dialogue is as refreshing as I remembered.

What set Thomas apart from other mystery writers were his dialogue and character development.  Almost all writers in the mystery genre can be easily defined by their formula, to the point that after you’ve read one of their books you know what’s going to happen and how it’s going to happen by the end of the first chapter of the next book you read.  While Thomas also has a formula it is not nearly as predictable or dreary as most of the other myster writers’ and even if you figure out the plot line the dialogue still makes it a fun ride.  Smart and witty best describe Thomas’ work.

Thomas died in 1995 and unfortunately his last effort, Ah, Treachery! is not up to his usual standards.  It would have been nice if he could have gone out on top, but let’s cut the guy some slack since his other dozen or so books are great reads.

To preview a bunch of them go here.