The Cold War Swap

Ross Thomas (1926-1995) is one of the more underrated of our modern espionage/thriller writers. He never achieved the popular success of John le Carre or Robert Ludlum, and received only modest critical acclaim, but his books are cynical and stylish noirs with strong doses of wit and humor. His first novel, published in 1966, was The Cold War Swap. It's a solid debut — about an American bar owner in Germany who gets drawn into an international espionage mission — however it is inferior to his later books. Winner of the Edgar for Best First Mystery in 1966.