Very fine article, Charlie.

I agree that Cogan ranks third. Among Higgins' other good ones were "The Rat on Fire," "Kennedy for the Defense," and "The Patriot Game." Sadly, most of the rest of his novels fell far short of the first three. He got incredibly self-indulgent with his use of dialog--often substituting endless dialog for action and even plot. Then again, who could match:

"He's listed at Arliss--'night expediter.' But just try finding him there. He works less than Santa Claus."

...or,

"Is that a girl? Or two guys in a girl suit?"
...or,
"You c**tlapper! The worst thing I ever had in my mouth was a cigar."