Ross Thomas, The Mordida Man

Ross Thomas, The Mordida Man
Copyright © 1981 Ross Thomas
Available from used booksellers and
as an ebook


Let me start by saying that I thought I’d read all of Ross Thomas’s books…until I ran across this one.  Thomas wrote many of the best thrillers ever written, with some of the most memorable characters in the genre.  So I was expecting something special.  And I got it, mostly.


Writing a review of a book by Thomas is almost impossible.  The number of characters is generally immense.  The machinations are complex (and ever-changing).  While it’s generally possible to be fairly certain who the “good guys” are, one can never be completely clear on that.  The Mordida Man (“mordida is said to be “the man who offers bribes) is no exception.  It is (by my count) his 14^th published…novel of suspense (?), and while it is not among his best (in my opinion), it is more than good enough to spend the 2 or 3 hours it will take to read.


The cast of characters is, if anything, even larger and more complicated than usual.  We have a 5-person terrorist group—and a lot of people want to get their hands on its leader.  And some group got its hands on 2 fingers of the leader of this terrorist group.  We have Nigerian and Libyan politicians.  We have an ambassador to the UN whose primary job is gathering useful gossip.  We have rogue FBI and CIA operatives.  We have FBI and CIA operatives who are not rogues.  We have the older brother of the president, who has been kidnapped—and a not-so-terribly -important body part used for identification.  We have a multi-millionaire whiz kid who wants to return to the US (he’s broken a lot of laws).  We have the new ruler of Libya and his air conditioned tent in the desert.  And we have a former (one term) member of Congress, now doing this-and-that to make a living.  This final character (Chubb Dunjee—and the origin of his first name is mentioned, although it really doesn’t matter) is, if anyone is, our “hero.”  (There are more, but these are the major players.)


I’m not sure we need a coherent plot.  Which is good, because I’m not sure we have a coherent plot.

What we do have is a search-and-rescue operation that moves at an almost dizzying pace between the US (mostly New York and D.C.), London, Rome, a Caribbean island, a Mediterranean island (or two), and the Libyan desert.  And I’m probably leaving some places out.  The pace and repartee are fast, the violence is copious and sometimes unexpected, and the denouement brings us to a “happy” ending (the ending is, in my opinion, a bit weak).


This is not Thomas at the top of his form.  But Thomas not at the top of his form is better that 95% of the thriller writers who have ever written.