The Grifters by
Jim Thompson
pbk out October 03
(Orion)
at £6.99
Another of the Orion 'Crime Masterworks' reprints, this being of an
American novel from 1963. As with some others of this series, it is hard to
see why this particular book was chosen out of the thousands of classics
available, as its crime content is minimal. It is the story of a small-time con-
man, Roy Dillon, and mostly concerns his relationship with his mother and
his mistress, who are very similar persons. As with the majority of American
novels, California is the scene, which opens with Roy getting a blow in the
stomach from an aggrieved con-victim, which puts him in danger of his life.
His mother, whom he has not seen for years, comes to his rescue and utterly at
variance with her behaviour when he was a child, gets him medical care and
later, a pretty nurse to look after him. He seduces her, then oddly, she
vanishes from the book.
I found it difficult to read, the prose being rather prickly, containing many
unintelligible words from the American underworld of the middle of the
(now) last century… what's a punchboard, a tat, a smack, a peri-mutuel or a
take-out? Compared to the beautifully smooth prose of Robert Parker or
Evan Hunter, this felt a rather bumpy ride. In spite of the jacket plaudits
extolling Jim Thompson as the best thing since sliced bread, I finished the
book wondering why it had been written, other than being a long essay in
character study. With American authors already cornering seventy percent of
the retail crime book market in this country, it would be nice to see
Masterworks publishing more British classics.
(
Bernard Knight
ex Home Office Pathologist and author of the highly acclaimed Crowner John series)
The Grifters by
Jim Thompson
