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Title: Out on the Rim

Author: Ross Thomas

Narrator: David Birney

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 07-17-09

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

Some shadowy and well-financed interests want to funnel five million dollars to rebels holed up in the Phillippine mountains to fund a revolt against the new Aquino government. They need a resourceful and gutsy team to engineer the transfer of funds. And what a team it is! There's Booth Stallings, a terrorism expert, the only man the rebel leader trusts as a liaison. And there's Georgia Blue, a colorful statuesque lady bodyguard. Their point man: Otherguy Overby, so called for his skill in making sure whenever he's in trouble, that the other guy did it. And for the sake of local expertise, the most inventive con artists on the Rim: Artie Wu, the illegitimate son of the illegitimate daughter of the Boy Emperor of China, and his slick, often explosive partner Quincy Durant. None of them are very interested in the political powers struggle, but five million dollars - now, that's another story!

©1987 Ross Thomas; (P)2009 Phoenix

Members Reviews:

Delightful!

Ross Thomasâ inimitable thrillers were originally published between 1966 and 1994. (Ross died the following year.) More recently, most of his work has been brought out in new editions, each with an introduction by a prominent contemporary of his who wrote mysteries and thrillers, too. Introducing Out on the Rim, one of Thomasâ last novels, Donald E. Westlake comments âThe dialogue zings, the story twists like a go-go dancer, and you often canât tell the players even with the program.â Amen to that.

Published in 1987 and set a year earlier, Out on the Rim is a roller-coaster of a tale that moves from Washington, DC, to Los Angeles, to Manila and Cebu City in the Philippines, to Hong Kong, and back to Washington, DC, for a typically ironic and very satisfying conclusion. The focus of attention is Booth Stallings, a âterrorism expertââhe holds a Ph.D. and wrote a book on the subjectâbut Thomas shifts the point of view from Stallings to each of a number of other intriguing characters whose principal occupation seems to be double-crossing each other.

Thereâs Artie Wu, the brilliant and corpulent âPretender to the Chinese Imperial Throne.â (He claims to be the illegitimate son of the illegitimate son of Pu Yi, the Last Emperor.) Wuâs partner in crime is Quincy Durant, a sociopath who works cons with him. Others frequently refer to him as âthat f***ing Durant.â Maurice Overby, âHouse-sitter to the Stars,â known to most as Otherguy Overby (the other guy always did it), is also a con man. He always works at an angle about 45 degrees off course from everyone else. Georgia Blue, a cashiered former Secret Service agent, may not be licensed to kill, but itâs clear she is fully capable of doing it. Alejandro (Al) Espiritu, who fought the Japanese with Stallings, is now the leader of a rebel movement in the south of the Philippines. Also appearing are Alâs wife and sister, assorted CIA agents, a Philippine homicide detective, and an Australian expatriate in Manila who is selling secrets to so many governments that he canât keep them all straight. As Donald Westlake says, âyou often canât tell the players even with the program.â

Shortly after his 60th birthday, Booth Stallings is recruited to return to the Philippines after more than 40 years to reconnect with Al Espiritu.