Ross Thomas

Ross Thomas (1926–1995) was an American author. As a teenager, he began writing sports reports for a local newspaper. He served as an infantryman in the Philippines during World War II and later worked as a reporter, journalist, union spokesperson, and public-relations and campaign consultant, including for Lyndon B. Johnson. As a writer, he was known primarily for political thrillers exploring the darker sides of American domestic and foreign politics. His first novel, The Cold War Swap, received the Edgar Allan Poe Award. He wrote 25 books in total and won the Edgar Allan Poe Award twice, as well as the German Crime Prize four times. From 1982 onward, he also wrote screenplays for television series.