Customer Reviews

Ah, Treachery!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ross Thomas' last published book is typical of his output and agood place to start reading one of America's finest, mostunderappreciated writers.

All of the classic Thomas elements are here: the brilliant opening scene, the quirky character names, the sly political wit, and, of course, plenty of great fun.

The plot is too complicated really to describe in just a few lines. Besides, it is more fun to read and discover it for yourself. As you can expect from Thomas, it is inventive and unique, with plenty of delicious twists and turns.

When Thomas died a few years ago we lost one of the true greats in the mystery/suspense--or, truly, any--genre. His body of work matches up favorably with that of any writer. Each of his books deserves to be read and savored. He is sorely missed.

I've read at least half of Thomas' twenty some novels and I don't know that I could rate any of them higher than "Ah, Treachery!"(a pretty strong statement considering how fondly and vividly I remember "The Fools In Town Are On Our Side", even after twenty-five years). Thomas has a dry and ironic tone in his fiction and a gift for understated outrageousness that is pretty nearly incomparable among today's writers. It's no exaggeration to say that Thomas does better in a paragraph what takes a goodly number of authors a page. He's been compared to Raymond Chandler, and I think he "out-Chandlers" Chandler. As I read Ah, Treachery!, knowing it was his last, I had to marvel at the control and effortlessness of the work--no fading talent here.

After having read 5 of Ross Thomas' books, I keep picking up another one. He writes with such style and wit that one wishes one could meet the characters. But perhaps they would be just too cool for us regular folks. His male characters are smart and well-dressed and tough. His female characters are smart and well-dressed and tough. "Ah, Treachery!" is an excellent story about intrigue and the US military and second chances and revenge and impeccable taste in dress and getting the girl.

Read a Ross Thomas novel. You won't regret it.

Millicent Altford of Los Angeles is a Democratic Party insider of long standing. A $1.2 million slush fund has been stolen from right under her nose and she is determined to get it back. To assist her in this task, she hires an ex-Army major by the name of Edd "Twodees" Partain.

Meanwhile back in Washington, D.C., two active Army officers, a colonel and a general, plot to have Mr. Partain rubbed out. You see, he has information linking them to some very serious crimes committed in El Salvador some 3 or 4 years earlier.

Ah, Treachery! has a lot in common with many other Ross Thomas novels. Deliciously bizarre characters, intricate plotting with an abundance of surprising twists and very engaging dialogue are all here, just as we've come to expect from Thomas.

Darkly funny with a body count that steadily increases as the narrative unfolds, Ah, Treachery! is a very entertaining book. The dialogue is exceptionally good and there's plenty of it. I particularly enjoyed a scene where Millicent Altford tells the political facts of life to a newly elected Congressman and a wet behind the ears subcommittee counsel.

This is the last novel Thomas wrote and it is a very fitting finale to an illustrious and prolific writing career. Age did not diminish his literary prowess one bit.

First, let me note that my Kindle book had numerous run-on lines (multiple lines with no spaces between any of the words, making the text almost unintelligible) and incorrect paragraph breaks. Whoever formatted the book for Kindle did an awful job.

In general, I found the book slick, a bit too slick. Many killings, and the reader can usually guess when one is about to happen. The vile military corruption never becomes a real theme of the book, either -- one does not know if the author suggests that it is rampant or unusual. As the father of a Marine officer I found the portrayal of the military (chewing up the good guys and making thieves or murderers out of the others) to be troubling. The book is an escape, one without any kind of deep meaning, and one that leaves the reader with no very good idea of what makes the hero tick.

Ross Thomas, (aka Oliver Bleek) did not write Vandenberg. An excellent book as well, it was written by Oliver Lange. Nevertheless, Ross Thomas is one of the great writers of the last century and will be sorely missed.

Allan Cole

The Kindle edition has hundreds, maybe thousands of typographical errors -- largely missing spaces between words. It's clear the book was optically scanned and published without any thought to a proof-read! Come on, guys, have a little respect for the author and the reader. I've found this to be pretty much the case with all the Kindle versions of Ross Thomas books. Very sad and disappointing.

Ross Thomas left us with twenty novels- each uniquely entertaining and original- a rare commodity these days. Ah, Treachery! is perhaps one of his best. But then, I suppose that's like saying this well polished gem shines better than the others in the proverbial light. Then again, maybe it's just a matter of perspective.

These days the 50s are making a comeback in entertainment so perhaps you need to start with The Cold War Swap and let the Thomas books bring you up the mid-90s with a collection of rare and interesting characters, unique plot twists, and the kind of writing that makes a morning commuter ride seem far too short.

Take your time getting to Ah, Treachery! Edd 'Two-dees' Partain will be waiting for you. No need to introduce yourself. He knows what you're after.