Roy Dillon makes a living as a small-time grifter in Los Angeles, running short cons on bars and shop owners. His mother Lilly, a hardened bettor who works for a mobster, returns after years away, and tries to push Roy out of the profession or into her way of thinking. His girlfriends Moira and Carol each have their own schemes, and each of the three is playing others while pretending to care. After a punch to the stomach lands him in a hospital, Roy has to choose who to trust.
Jim Thompson wrote crime fiction from the perspective of people who deceive themselves as much as their marks. Noir fans will find a bleak, fast book where love and money are interchangeable, and the Stephen Frears film adaptation is a good companion.
Balanced in tone; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1963
- Language
- EN
