Missionary Stew

Rating:
Summary: Nothing is what it seems
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A first rate satire.
Review: 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. Veatch is 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.

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: This book is extremely interesting -- not at all in the style of most mysteries, it offers a surprisingly introspective look at the key characters. The beginning is rather bizarre. Get through it, and you will really enjoy the rest.

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: This book is extremely interesting -- not at all in the style of most mysteries, it offers a surprisingly introspective look at the key characters. The beginning is rather bizarre. Get through it, and you will really enjoy the rest.

Rating:
Summary: Savvy, sharp, and funny political thriller/mystery
Review: 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."

Rating:
Summary: Savvy, sharp, and funny political thriller/mystery
Review: 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."