Missionary Stew [Paperback]

Ross Thomas (Author), Roger Simon (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Missionary Stew follows political fundraiser Draper Haere on a quest to uncover the secret behind a right-wing coup in an unnamed Central american country. Haere seeks the information in order to get dirt on his boss's opponent in the 1984 US Presidential election. Haere's pursuit of the truth repeatedly puts Haere's life in danger, as the powers-that-be stop at nothing to keep the episode buried. Along the way, Haere carries on an affair with the wife of his candidate and enlists the aid of Morgan Citron, an almost-Pullitzer winning journalist who has recently been released from an African prison where the prisoners where fed human flesh--the titular missionary stew. Together Citron and Haere face up against cocaine traffickers, Latin American generals, corrupt US officials, and Citron's estranged, tabloid-publisher mother.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's good to see the world again through Ross Thomas' cool, clear gaze."
--Los Angeles Times

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." 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312327064
• ISBN-13: 978-0312327064
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #524,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A first rate satire., February 14, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Missionary Stew (Paperback)

Missionary Stew by Ross Thomas is a wickedly irreverent satiric novel that is both fast paced and hilarious.
There are two main characters, Draper Haere and Morgan Citron. Haere makes his living in the world of politics. He's not a politician himself. Rather he operates behind the scenes to advance the agendas of politicians he works for. Morgan Citron is an investigative reporter who has been traumatized by a rather unpleasant 13 month stay in an African jail and is conflicted about returning to work.
An incident of some sort has ocurred in a Central American country. The details of this incident are sketchy, but it seems that whenever someone learns what has happened, that person winds up dead.
Haere's current client is Baldwin Veatch, the governor-elect of California and a presidential hopeful. Haere has reason to believe that the incident being covered up constitutes an embarassing scandal for the sitting President. Therefore, if he can expose the secret, his client's chances of becoming President will be greatly enhanced. So, Haere hires Citron to use his investigative skills to unravel the mystery.
The plot of Missionary Stew is exceedingly complex. As the narrative advances, the reader learns of all manner of complications. Playing key roles are: a redneck Floridian drug runner, the CEO of a National Inquirer type tabloid who happens to be Citron's own mother, a corrupt Central American general, as well as various and sundry members and ex-members of the intelligence community.
Suffice it to say that the book's characters are all very interesting and delightfully eccentric. Moreover, the dialogue is quite snappy and has an understated wit about it that is genuinely entertaining.
If you like your political novels to have byzantine plots, quirky characters, clever dialogue and cynical points of view, by all means read this book. You'll love it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Savvy, sharp, and funny political thriller/mystery, September 1, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Redlands, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missionary Stew (Crime, Penguin) (Paperback)

This book is one of the most curious political thrillers that I've read. It's a byzantine kind of world in which the hero doesn't really want to be involved, but he gets dragged into successively stranger and deeper situations--yet none seem contrived. Its Elmore Leonard with a political twist. Says one character of a bad guy, "he's called Hallmark. He's who they send when they want to send their very best."

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing is what it seems, December 28, 1999

By 

Doug Vaughn - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Missionary Stew (Crime, Penguin) (Paperback)

Like all of Thomas's books, this one presents the reader with a world where just beneath the surface of ordinary reality danger and betrayal lurk just waiting for the hapless figures he creates to step in whatever new qucksand he has perpared. This book is vintage Thomas with believable characters, great dialogue, memorable lines, a convoluted but engrossing plot - full of surprises and ultimate satisfactions.

I just can't believe that most of his books are out of print. This stuff is great reading. There is nothing else like it.