Who's On First: A Blackford Oakes Novel
William F. Buckley Jr.
Abbott: "I'm telling you. Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third."
Costello: "Well, all I'm trying to find out is what's the guy's name on first base."
Abbott: "Oh, no, no. What's on second base."
Costello: "I'm not asking you who's on second."
Abbott: "Who's on first."
We've all heard the old Abbott and Costello routine, but only master novelist William F. Buckley Jr. could ever have imagined in it the setup for a gripping spy thriller. It's 1956, and the United States is locked in a do-or-die space race with the Russians. Who will get there first? Once more, it's up to super-secret agent Blackford Oakes to see that the good guys win. His assignment is to kidnap two Russian missile scientists who can help put the Americans out front for good. To succeed, he must dodge a lethal combination of murderous KGB agents and vengeful Hungarian freedom fighters — fresh from the bloody streets of Budapest — who mistake Oakes for their enemy.
Who's On First was originally published in hardcover in 1980. Gobbled up by readers who had savored Buckley's earlier Blackford Oakes thrillers, the novel also attracted plenty of attention from reviewers. "Timeless" — The Boston Globe. "A cracking good plot" — The Washington Post. "Fast-moving...there is thrust and counterthrust...Mr. Buckley is an observer with a keen wit and a cold eye" — The New York Times
 | WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY JR. was the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, writer of a syndicated newspaper column, founder of National Review, former longtime host of Public Television's "Firing Line," and a much-sought-after lecturer. The last volume in the Blackford Oakes series, Last Call for Blackford Oakes, was published in the spring of 2005. |
$10.95, Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-88895-228-8 (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-88895-228-5 (Paperback)
Paperback Currently Available
