Thieves Fall Out

ON THE EVE OF REVOLUTION, EGYPT IS A TINDERBOX. WILL ONE AMERICAN LIGHT THE SPARK THAT SETS IT ABLAZE? Gore Vidal was one of America's greatest and most controversial writers. The author of twenty-three novels, five plays, three memoirs, numerous screenplays and short stories, and well over two hundred essays, he received the National Book Award in 1993. In 1953, Vidal had already begun writing the works that would launch him to the top ranks of American authors and intellectuals. But in the wake of criticism for the scandalous content of his third novel, "The City and the Pillar," Vidal turned to writing crime fiction under pseudonyms: three books as "Edgar Box" and one as "Cameron Kay." The Edgar Box novels were subsequently republished under his real name. The Cameron Kay never was. Lost for more than 60 years and overflowing with political and sexual intrigue, "Thieves Fall Out" provides a delicious glimpse into the mind of Gore Vidal in his formative years. By turns mischievous and deadly serious, Vidal tells the story of a man caught up in events bigger than he is, a down-on-his-luck American hired to smuggle an ancient relic out of Cairo at a time when revolution is brewing and heads are about to roll. One part "Casablanca "and one part torn-from-the-headlines tabloid reportage, this novel also offers a startling glimpse of Egypt in turmoil -- written over half a century ago, but as current as the news streaming from the streets of Cairo today.