Kindle
$1.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$23.40
Paperback
$53.57
Kindle Price: $1.99

Save $8.00 (80%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $14.20

Save: $6.71 (47%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Ross Thomas
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Backup Men Kindle Edition

by Ross Thomas (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 213 ratings
See all formats and editions
Mac McCorkle and Mike Padillo team up to help twin bodyguards in a thrilling crime caper from“America’s best storyteller” (The New York Times Book Review).

The twins who walk into Mac McCorkle’s bar look identical, despite their differing genders. Their names are Wanda and Walter Gothar, and from the steel in their eyes it’s apparent that their business isn’t the friendly kind. They’ve come seeking help from Mac and his partner, Padilla, an ex-CIA agent who has skulked in the world’s darkest corners. Anxious for a big payday, the twins took an assignment out of their depth, working as bodyguards for a Saudi prince who came to Washington to sign an oil deal. The job fell apart, and now the twins are being pursued by the world’s two finest killers­—who take out Walter without breaking a sweat. Now Mac and Padilla are faced with a choice: Save Wanda, or join her in the grave.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    202 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  5. Publication date
    October 4, 2011
  6. File size
    3437 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Review

“America’s best storyteller.” —The New York Times Book Review “A wonderful chase . . . awfully, awfully good.” —The New Yorker “Ross Thomas is that rare phenomenon, a writer of suspense whose novels can be read with pleasure more than once.” —Eric Ambler, author of The Mask of Dimitrios

About the Author

The winner of the inaugural Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award, Ross Thomas (1926–1995) was a prolific author whose political thrillers drew praise for their blend of wit and suspense. Born in Oklahoma City, Thomas grew up during the Great Depression, and served in the Philippines during World War II. After the war, he worked as a foreign correspondent, public relations official, and political strategist before publishing his first novel, The Cold War Swap (1967), based on his experience working in Bonn, Germany. The novel was a hit, winning Thomas an Edgar Award for Best First Novel and establishing the characters Mac McCorkle and Mike Padillo.  Thomas followed it up with three more novels about McCorkle and Padillo, the last of which was published in 1990. He wrote nearly a book a year for twenty-five years, occasionally under the pen name Oliver Bleeck, and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel with Briarpatch (1984). Thomas died of lung cancer in California in 1995, a year after publishing his final novel, Ah, Treachery!

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005PFN728
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (October 4, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 4, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3437 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 202 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 213 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ross Thomas

Ross Thomas

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
213 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ivanino
5.0 out of 5 stars Ross Thomas is one of my favorite!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
My top author is certainly Ross Thomas. He is pure genius. This is the third in the series and they are all great. Start at the beginning of the series to get a better flavor. The characters are so brilliantly described, dialog so amazing, slipping humor in when it counts without saturation. Descriptions of places, situations, so vivid this is just a joy to read. I never discussed the plot for fear of spoiling something so I leave that to someone else. If you like thrillers, suspense, and all around fun fast read, this is your best stop at the book shop. Ross Thomas could make any story interesting the way he just ties it all together and gives it a final end that may just keep you guessing. I am not saying this is his best, but he is just so good, compared to the rest, for me, he is five star author through and through. While you may think another author is as good as Ross Thomas, nobody is better.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Joseph l. Warner
4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and funniest
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020
Verified Purchase
Ross Thomas was a master of the fun thriller. His books have aged well and are still amusing reads.
Helpful
 Report
Paul Rooney
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant as always
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
This man never wrote a bad word and this is one of his best so its brilliant. Its a waste of time me writing anything other than if you enjoy well written thrillers buy everything you can of Ross Thomas's and enjoy them over and over because they are like land, they not making anymore
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Expat
3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, poor narration
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
Ross Thomas was one of the great thriller writers. His heroes are not supermen, they are clever, realistic, and humorous. The Padillio-McCorkle series is not as great as the Durant-Woo series, but it is still much better than most of what is written today. Unfortunately, the reader of this book is wretched. Padillo is someone who speaks six languages fluently and is always impeccable. A person who knows the best wines and foods, comfortable in any situation,and well educated The narrator has him sound like a Brooklyn hood who barely got out of middle school. It comes close to ruining the book
Helpful
 Report
James Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars Ross Thomas rocked!!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2013
Verified Purchase
My very first Ross Thomas book from back when I was in college. This one set the stage for me to read all the rest. Mike Padillo and Mac MacCorkle became two of my favorite fictional characters of all time.
Helpful
 Report
Humanities94
4.0 out of 5 stars Great fun
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
Another Thomas novel featuring his usual wit and polish. Highly recommended.
Helpful
 Report
Mike Moses
5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters and fast moving
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
Love the characters, their all smart with no dumb moves, especially Wu, have now read entire series wish more, now moving on to others by Ross Thomas
Helpful
 Report
Mary
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing read
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
The Mac McCorkle series was very engaging. It is authentic to the era and feels authentic to the clandestine services culture. Fast pacing, great characters, and fun plot.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Steve Veale
5.0 out of 5 stars The inimitable Author Ross Thomas.
Reviewed in Canada on November 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
The inimitable author Ross Thomas continues his series of Mac and Padillo. A very underrated writer. Sad that his works are out of print. And why hasn't Hollywood discovered him? (Well, they tried with "St. Ives" with Charles Bronson in the mid-70's, but it was just a quick rip-off.)This is a very literate and intelligent thriller. I have been attempting to collect all of his works and this was the final novel. My thanks to Seller 'Vanderbilt Canada' for their excellent service.
Report
Genießer
5.0 out of 5 stars Tight script on tight situations
Reviewed in Germany on December 18, 2012
Verified Purchase
The Backup Men: Mac McCorkle Series, Book 3  Although this book was written long ago and its author is dead, it reads as though it were "today's catch" as they say in the type of restaurant McCorkle owns. It is as fresh in plot and style as you can wish, with greed as the main motivation of its protagonists. A perfect read on your tablet on a longish train journey.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report