The Cold War Swap

I am really picky about the kinds of stories I read. I figure there are more books out there than I will ever get to read so I don't have to read stuff I don't want to. Having said that, I am going to retract at least a piece of it now. I've heard people say that if an author is REALLY good, the subject matter doesn't matter. The photo by that explanations must be The Cold War Swap. I have no interest in the cold war, little interest in spies and less interest in books set outside of the U.S. But Ross Thomas can flat just tell a story. And this one is a gripper. I'm so delighted to have found him and that he was so very prolific. I have a whole shelf of stuff he wrote to get to yet. What luxury. (reviewed in 1996)

An interesting and enjoyable book. This Edgar winner, published in 1966, feels like a farewell to the noir of the 50s and 60s while also foreshadowing the opening of the LGBT wave and our realizations of the naked power wielded by governments. It's all delivered in a casual almost easy-going style. Don't look for a page turner or deep character development but the European setting, the Great Powers lurking and some great plot twists add up to a delectable read. Seems like the Edgar folks got this one right.

If I have read a Ross Thomas book before it was so long ago I have forgotten. I really enjoyed this. It has good characters, lots of action, all that double, triple, quadruple dealing that you love in a good spy story. Our hero is McCorkle "Mac" who owns and operates a bar in West Berlin during the cold war. His partner, Michael Padillo, takes the odd job as a secret agent. Now he is in a real jam and needs his partner's help. If you think a spy novel should be like a James Bond movie, don't even pick this up. If, on the other hand, you enjoy the spy novels of the Cold War Era try this one.

During his life, other writers, critics, and fans ranked Ross Thomas (1926-1995) as one of the top thriller writers. He won two Edgar Awards, for "The Cold War Swap" (1966) and "Briarpatch" (1984). However since his death many of his 25 novels have gone out of print. Thank heaven for the interwebs and used bookstores where readers can find Thomas’ powerful and funny stories.

In "The Cold War Swap" (in the UK, "A Spy in the Vodka") Mac McCorkle owns and runs a popular watering hole in Bonn, West Germany. His pal Mike Padillo uses the bar for espionage and con jobs, two activities treated as indistinguishable in Thomas’ novels. An Unnamed Mysterious Agency sends out Padillo, a resourceful clandestine agent, to do risky and sensitive show more jobs.

In this thriller Padillo’s masters instruct him to drag back two American defectors from East to West Germany. Snafus occur one after the other, and McCorkle has to help Padillo ferry the unstable pair back. Strengths of the novel: snappy dialogue, cynical but likeable characters, and the credible milieu of the two Germanys. Never sounding like a know-it-all, Thomas comes off as having a fix on how the world works--evidence of his life as a beat reporter, foreign correspondent and PR executive before he started writing thrillers. Thomas is especially funny and insightful when he’s talking about clothes; every one of this novels has tangents about men’s fashion. Some argue that, like Hammet’s tales, Thomas’ plots sometimes get unwieldy, but I don’t think that’s true of this one. show less

This cold war, spy-noir. The main characters are two american expats living in Germany a few years after WW II. They both fought in the war. One is still in the CIA while the other owns a bar and wants to live a quiet, peaceful life. They get caught up in a plot to bring somebody over the border from the GDR. The pace moves along quickly. This is definitely a fun, quick read.

I believe this book was written in 1966 and while I am old enough to remember that year very well, possibly more has changed from that era than I realize. I came across this author and this title in an article reviewing all-time mystery and thriller writers and the description of the author's style made me want to check it out. As well, other reviews I have read of it write of the author's wit and how the book was therefore a funny read. Maybe that is what has changed. I didn't find anything even mildly amusing in this book. It was rather a disappointment after all the hype. The plot was simple and the characters stereotypical, down to the Albanian thugs who are just background "heavies".
Maybe in 1966 this type of book was a departure show more from what was normally written in the genre. I wouldn't know as I believe I was going through the teenage male addiction to science fiction back then. But today, at least for me, it is a fairly wooden read and I certainly wouldn't recommend it for its humour show less

This is my second book by Ross Thomas. I read "The Fools in Town are on Our Side " a few week before this, and enjoyed it enough to seek more. Both had interesting stories, humorous dialogs, lots of twists and turns, and people having bad days in general.

I will most likely read more by this author.