Customer Reviews

Briarpatch (Crime, Penguin)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ross Thomas is a vastly underappreciated writer who sucessfully blends fast-paced dialog, humor and suspense with unique characters and totally original plot twists. If you're unfamiliar with Thomas, this book is the perfect introduction. If you're already a fan and haven't read this one, you've been missing out. The plot doesn't exactly defy description, but a short synopsis hardly does it justice. Like most of Thomas's novels, Briarpatch tells the tale of murder, politics and corruption. Ben Dill, the likeable-loner hero, comes back to his hometown searching for his sister's killer. The town itself becomes an integral character in the story, and if you are able to guess the identity of the locale, you've solved the OTHER mystery of the book. If you're not already a Thomas fan, you will be after this highly entertaining book.

Benjamin Dill of Washington, D.C. makes his living as an investigator for an obscure Senate subcommittee. His investigative powers are put to the test when his own sister, a policewoman, is murdered.
Briarpatch is an extremely well written mystery told as a third person narrative. Most of the action unfolds in Dill's hometown, an unnamed city in the southwestern United States.

Just as in all Ross Thomas novels, there is plenty of urbane humor. However, unlike most Ross Thomas novels, the story itself is a fairly mainstream, straightforward one. Missing are the way over-the-top characters and situations Thomas fans are used to encountering.

Briarpatch is a well crafted mystery novel noteworthy for having a very smooth narrative flow, an appealing cast of characters, clever dialogue and an engaging plot. This is a book all mystery fans will enjoy.

This was my first Ross Thomas novel. I had heard from friends what a wonderful writer he was and was eager to give him a shot. The writing is truly outstanding. His desciptions left me alternately laughing and shaking my head in amazement that someone could describe things so perfectly.

The plot however leaves a bit to be desired. It is a rather conventional whodunit. It was a bit too straightforward for my tastes and most readers will figure out the ending well before getting there. Having said that it was entertaining and the language Thomas uses makes it well worth taking the time to read.

After only a few pages, I knew that this author was a great writer. There's something very comfortable about reading a Thomas book. His style is so easy and enjoyable to read that it is no surprise that Briarpatch won an Edgar Award.

Story starts with a bang when Dill receives a call that his sister, a policewoman in his hometown, was killed with a car bomb. Dill is an investigator for a Senate subcommittee and his professional and personal affairs get all tangled up when he goes home to bury his sister. This mayhem includes murders, politics, corruption, secret deals, etc. interweaved over more than 300 pages of brilliant storytelling

Author al-Qaeda Strikes Again

A fellow book lover tipped me off to the great books authored by Mr. Ross Thomas last summer. Since then, I have read nine of his books and Briarpatch is one of the best. Read this book. Read his McCorkle & Padillo series. Read his Wu and Durant series. None will disappoint. How this author has remained off my radar screen is a mystery to me.

It seems to me that the fact that this book was originally published in 1984 should be included in the book's description. Some people will opt for newer material, some may think the price is too high for a book that has been out for 20+ years. The book itself is only okay.

Another brilliant book. Carefully intense & intelligent.
Great story, never predictable. Thrilling to follow, well plotted & easy to stay in pace with. Unique descriptions making the characters
alive.

I picked this up because I was on a quest to read some Edgar Award winners. I thought it well-written and fun. But no one has noted this story, with minor changes, is set in an unnamed 1980's Oklahoma City (Ross Thomas's hometown) and gives a cynical history of the city and especially its wealthy neighborhood Nichols Hills. This fact should make it a must-read for OKC residents to suss out what thinly disguised landmarks and personages pop up in the tale.

This was the first of his books that I read and I was hooked. I could not believe that he would be able to tie all the disparate story lines together in a way that would not seem forced, but he did and in an effortless way. If you like stories that have many threads coming together with a reality that is utterly believable this book is for you.

Let's face it, we live in a YOUTUBE/A-D-D world where attention spans last about as long as...hey, is that a shiny quarter? Where was I? Oh yeah, it's about where we are at but not where we have been or how we got here. Ross Thomas took the talent and time to turn out truly good and entertaining books, this one in particular. Is BRIARPATCH a great book? Well, that's subjective because what's great to some, sucks for others.
All I know is that when I get tired of the popular mystery or thriller writers of the day-this day- I go back and find a John D. MacDonald or Ross Thomas to enjoy reading again. A well written book with unique or interesting characters and convincing plot twists, not to mention insight to the ridiculous human experience is usually enough to do it. If you haven't read a Ross Thomas book then find one and see if you don't enjoy it and grin as you do. If you haven't read him in awhile then re-read and discover him all over again.