Briarpatch [Paperback]

Ross Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 1988

A long-distance call from a Texas city on his birthday gives Benjamin Dill the news that his sister—it’s her birthday, too, they were born exactly ten years apart—has died in a car bomb explosion. It’s the chief of police calling—Felicity Dill worked for him; she was a homicide detective. Dill is there that night, the beginning of his dogged search for her killer. What he finds is no surprise to him, because Benjamin Dill is never surprised at what awful things people will do—but it’s a real surprise to the reader. As Newsday said when the novel was first published, “One sure thing about Ross Thomas’s novels: A reader won’t get bored waiting for the action to start.”

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“America’s best storyteller.”—The New York Times Book Review

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Ross Thomas is ranked as one of the very top thriller writers by his fellow authors, and his readers loudly agree. Two Edgar Awards, and other prizes, only complement the abundant praise that Thomas has received.

Thomas died in 1995, and since then all but one of his twenty-five novels have gone out of print. This should never have happened to the man of whom The New Yorker has said, “Very few...are as consistently entertaining...even fewer can match him for style and power.” St. Martin’s Minotaur is proud to remedy this situation by reissuing Thomas’s novels. So start reading, and prepare to join Ross Thomas’s legions of admiring fans.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 38 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 5, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140105816
• ISBN-13: 978-0140105810
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,772,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Edgar Award Winning Mystery, January 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Briarpatch (Crime, Penguin) (Paperback)

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great storytelling., December 19, 2006

By 

Michael G. "mikefromrochester" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Briarpatch (Paperback)

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful writing, so-so plot, September 12, 2005

By 

Eric Van Der Walde (ann arbor, michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Briarpatch (Paperback)

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.