The Killer Inside Me
by Jim Thompson
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
Fans of noir and dark satire
Scary book with which to start my reviews, yes, but here goes.
This has been considered an "underground classic" since its publication in 1952 and I can see why. I read that Stanley Kubrick had an adaptation of this written by Thompson in his files. (Thompson wrote early Kubrick films THE KILLING and PATHS OF GLORY as well) This also is no real surprise as the book reads like a film by Kubrick, Hitchcock, or current filmmakers like Fincher. I read this in about two days, but mostly ...more
This has been considered an "underground classic" since its publication in 1952 and I can see why. I read that Stanley Kubrick had an adaptation of this written by Thompson in his files. (Thompson wrote early Kubrick films THE KILLING and PATHS OF GLORY as well) This also is no real surprise as the book reads like a film by Kubrick, Hitchcock, or current filmmakers like Fincher. I read this in about two days, but mostly ...more
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This book was in the crime section of the bookstore not the fiction/literature section. This almost turned me off, but Jim Thompson wrote 2 Kubrick screenplays so I thought he must be cool.
The books main character, a sheriff named Lou is supposed to be one of the most chilling characters out there. Maybe in 1952 but I’ve read more chilling characters in some of the harmless slacker fiction I read. Maybe if the author would have gone into Lou being raped as a child – then a few years lat...more
The books main character, a sheriff named Lou is supposed to be one of the most chilling characters out there. Maybe in 1952 but I’ve read more chilling characters in some of the harmless slacker fiction I read. Maybe if the author would have gone into Lou being raped as a child – then a few years lat...more
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Read in January, 1997
recommends it for:
crime and horror fans, lovers of great writing
Jim Thompson worked on oil rigs in his youth. It's filthy, dangerous, deeply hair-raising work, all to get at something that's as precious as it is polluted. Reading his novels is surprisingly similar. His whiskey-soaked misogyny will make your skin crawl, but his ability to plumb the darkest corners of the human soul, with both skill and sympathy, is unmatched in literature.
This is the best Thompson book I've read by far, and one of the b...more
This is the best Thompson book I've read by far, and one of the b...more
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Read in January, 1987
recommended to Daniel by:
Bill Boichelrecommends it for: Everyone
One of my all-time favorites, a book I used to read to pick me up when I was feeling angry, depressed or homicidal. It gave me enormous comfort and pleasure, and I marvel even today at just how compact and perfect it is. A devastating portrait of duality and the true nature of evil, not to mention inordinately funny; Lou Ford's dialog is as corny and grating as possible, and still true and familiar.
I learned from this book that in fiction - or any other narrative - it is not necessary to iden...more
I learned from this book that in fiction - or any other narrative - it is not necessary to iden...more
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Read in April, 2002
You can smell this book. It's sweat, desperation, liquor, failure and misogyny. This is my favorite Jim Thompson book, it's an ugly book to say you enjoy, but I do and I don't feel good saying it. Like other art forms in the fifties, this book is enamored with psychology. Which reaches it's pinnacle in the final pages. Thompson reveals both personalities of the protagonist in alternating lines of the text. It is a deft understanding of a split personality for a pulpy crime novel. It's a g...more
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Read in August, 2007
I was first introduced to Jim Thompson by a friend in France who had a fondness for American noir. Thompson often finds himself writing from the perspective of the damned and the lawless, writing with a surprising humanity that doesn't glory in crime or simple human failure. Instead he gives us gripping glimpses into pathology, and while some of the psychology behind this story is open to debate-- this first person story of a murderer is all the scarier for how reasonable all the killing can see...more
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Read in January, 2004
Jim Thompson is the dark of god of downtrodden, drunken crime novelists. Many people consider this his best novel. I don't agree. I think he tells this story--affable good ol' boy sheriff is actually a psycho killer--better in Pop 1280. This book is, however, more of a examination of the mind of a certifiable "serial killer." If that is what you are looking for, this book pretty much set the standard that all serial killer novels have to compete against.
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Kelly by:
Nate
This book was a trip. It is written in first person from the point of view of Lou, a deputy sheriff in a little town in Texas. He has "the sickness" which is really his desire to kill people, which he has kept at bay for the last fifteen years. However, now he's getting caught up in some small town politics, and he's getting himself in a bit of trouble.
This is a super quick read, and for some reason, you get to liking Lou, sickness and all.
This is a super quick read, and for some reason, you get to liking Lou, sickness and all.
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Read in January, 2008
Good noir. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Thompson uses end of chapter surprises well. I not usually a suck-in-my-breath-in-surprise sort of guy, but this got me. It's always a risk in 50's noir to that the dialogue is going to get cheesy; this book generally avoids that well.
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Read in April, 1999
This is one of my favorite books of all time, and not just because it's mentioned in a Dead Milkmen song. The narrator is truly one of the most demented psychopaths I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The author is right there inside his head, and it makes for a very tense, sickening ride.
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Read in September, 1990
Meet Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford. On the surface he seems like a slightly dim-witted country-fried law enforcement officer. But inside he is a calculating psychopathic killer.
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Read in September, 2007
This is a disturbing book. I've never read anything quite like it. It make you hurt, and yet yearn for the protagonist's redemption. It make you uncomfortable, but it makes you think, and you can't ask for anything more from a binding and a sheaf of typed page.
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Read in November, 2007
LA lent me this book and recommended that I read it. I'm not sure why -- although I'm sure that she had her reasons. Anyway, the book was OK, and an easy read, although I didn't really feel that I got any deep insights into the mind of the serial killer narrator.
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
someone who is curious what its like to be a bit deranged but know you can kick ass if you need to
This was the first Jim Thompson book I read, and it made me a devoted fan. It seems so right to be in the mind of someone so bad - you just can't help but love the guy. You totally relate to his bad/bad-ass thinking. Very gritty, very real, very satisfying.
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Read in June, 2007
Thompson’s loquacious, seemingly dull-witted, rural Texas deputy is one of the genre’s supreme sociopaths, a brilliantly crafted first-person narrator balancing sheer brutality and aw-shucks amiability like no other.
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Read in May, 2008
My first foray into Jim Thompson and it was a good one.
Things to look beyond: the rampant misogyny. It's going to be tough for some to get beyond, but books don't seem to be written like this anymore...
Things to look beyond: the rampant misogyny. It's going to be tough for some to get beyond, but books don't seem to be written like this anymore...
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Read in January, 1999
My personal copy of this title has gone missing, and I am unsure as to which Thompson book I read first. This book definitely packs a punch. Strongly recommended (either this or Pop. 1280) for the uninitiated.
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I wanted to check out another book of his, A Hell of a Woman, because it's set in Lincoln (and the movie adaptation is set in Paris); but the library didn't have it. So I opted for the famous one.
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Do not under any circumstance read a review of this book until you have actually read the book itself! Fantastic story-telling, unforgettable read. Hard boiled 50s crime at it's very very best.
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Read in August, 2007
This was my first Jim Thompson, I was hooked in by the fact he wrote a couple Kubrick screenplays. A fast, enjoyable read. I wonder if at the time it was considered shocking or just pulpy.
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