Ross Thomas

Mr. Thomas was a widely admired writer of suspense thrillers, many of them set in a Washington D.C. filled with scheming, subterfuge and sudden death. Mr. Thomas, who was a combat infantryman in WWII and a former newspaperman and political consultant, became a highly productive novelist whose 25 books were praised for their intricate plots, crisp writing, and pointed dialogue. The first, "A Cold War Swap", appeared in 1966, and the last, "Ah, Treachery!", was published in 1994. Throughout his career, his work was praised by critics for wit, realism and the complexity that he brought to his plots and with which he endowed his characters. The hint of cynicism toward people and institutions that some critics perceived in his work could be traced to his background, personality and experiences. In addition to writing novels, Mr. Thomas wrote screenplays - some adaptations, some original. One of his originals became the movie 'Bad Company'. One of his books became the movie 'St. Ives', starring Charles Bronson. But, his wife said, the very subtleties and ambiguities of plot and characters cherished by readers of Mr. Thomas's books appeared to prevent the rest of them from becoming movies. "He didn't mind", she said. "What entertained him and his readers didn't necessarily translate to the screen very easily", she said.