Jim Thompson was one of the masters of the noir novel. The author of outstanding books such as The Grifters, The Getaway and Pop 1280 (if not the twin to THE KILLER INSIDE ME then its very close relation), Thompson created some of the bleakest, most desperate stories that are just as compelling as they are dark.

As the title of the book suggests, this is a novel told in the first person by a killer. What the title doesn’t give away is the shocking brutality of the murders or of the incredibly effective way in which the story is told.

Lou Ford is a deputy sheriff in the small town of Central City, a town in which he has grown up and a town in which he has earned the respect and admiration of a lot of people. But Lou has a secret dark side; a sickness that not only allows him to kill without compunction but actually compels him to. He has a second secret and although on the surface it’s not as sinister as the first, it’s just as integral to the story: Lou Ford is an extremely clever man. He hides behind an easygoing, somewhat corny facade, convincing everyone that he is a harmless man. But we are made well aware right from the opening chapter the true nature of Lou Ford and know him to delight in the discomfort of others, whether it’s physically or psychologically.

The murder investigation that takes place as a result of Lou’s brutality is really kept to the periphery of the story. As part of Lou’s world we’ve got a fair idea that it’s taking place, but we (like Lou) really have no idea how much progress is being made or what the investigators suspicions are. This uncertainty created a profound feeling of uneasiness, passed on to me through Lou as we are left wondering what is going to bring Lou undone.

Striking at people that way is almost as good as the other, the real way.

Lou Ford not only liked to hurt people physically but he also got a kick out of their psychological discomfort and would feed them corny cliches until they were shuffling their feet with embarrassment. It was just another part of his antisocial make-up that was deftly conveyed by Thompson. While maintaining a good ole boy exterior for the town, Lou is an amiable deputy who is known for his ability to control violent prisoners peacefully. His girlfriend, Amy, comes from one of the most respectable families in town and hopes to one day marry her man. But we, the readers are on the inside. We’re privy to Lou’s thoughts and feelings – and it’s a frightening point of view.

I knew what would happen if I didn’t get out, and I couldn’t let it happen. I might kill her. It might bring the sickness back.

Lou’s “sickness” amounts to a willingness to use deadly force whenever he is faced with a problem. Combined with an intellect that is underestimated by the vast majority of the townsfolk of Central City, he convinces himself that he has fooled everyone. This confidence leads to more murders, but it also leads to the belief that no-one has the first clue as to his violent nature. There is an investigation going on into the murders in Central City, but because we are inside Lou Ford’s mind we aren’t made privy to the progress that is being made. What we get, though, are Lou’s thoughts and conclusions as he reads the reactions of the people he comes into contact with. It’s a fascinating analysis of the thought processes of a killer bent on survival.

I wiped my gloves on her body; it was her blood and it belonged there.

Possibly more startling than the sudden violence with which Lou dispatches his victims is the detached, almost bored manner he adopts once he has finished. Scenes of Lou staring off into space or casually commenting on the sandwich he is eating while sharing the kitchen with the person he has just savagely beaten to death is shocking in its dichotomy.

Something that amazes me now that I’ve finished the book is the analysis of my feelings while I was reading and the revelation that although I knew that Lou Ford was a sociopathic murderer who would almost certainly kill again, I found myself hoping he would evade capture - that the alibis and evidence he had manufactured would be sufficient for him to go free. This is testament to the way Jim Thompson was able to put us into Ford’s mind, helping us understand Lou’s reasoning and enabling us to be sympathetic toward him. Looking back, this seems incredible to me knowing what an evil character he is.

This is a story of a sadistic, brutal killer told in a straightforward manner begging no apologies and making no excuses. With an ending that is hinted at halfway through the book (as if Lou could sense what was coming) it’s inevitable, yet it still carries substantial shock value. This story is pure noir taking us for a tour of the darkest recesses of the mind leading us to a cataclysmic conclusion.


Recommended: Yes

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