Winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel
At the height of the Cold War, two Americans are runnng a bar in the West German capital, called Mac's place. One of the pair, Michael Padillo, isn't around a lot; he keeps disappearing on "business trips." McCorkle, his partner, wisely doesn't ask questions; he knows Padillo has a second job -- he's a (reluctant) US agent. But McCorkle is ready to answer a call for help from Padillo, and he joins his friend in a blind journey with no inkling of what they will encounter at the turn of each dark and dangerous corner.
ROSS THOMAS is the author of over twenty-five critically acclaimed novels. His debut, The Cold War Swap, was written in under six weeks and won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and Briarpatch won an Edgar Award for Best Novel. He's also written under the name Oliver Bleeck.
Thomas died in 1995 at the age of 69 in Santa Monica, California.
Stuart M. Kaminsky was the author of more than 60 novels and an Edgar Award winner who was given the coveted Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. His series include the Lew Fonesca, Inspector Rostnikov, Toby Peters, and Abe Lieberman mysteries, which includes such titles as
Terror Town,
The Last Dark Place, and
Not Quite Kosher. He passed away in the fall of 2009.