Rating: 
Summary: low-life cons; it's a family affair
Review: Jim Thompson, known as the king of 'noir' crime novels, has a style which might not appeal to everyone. His novels consist of characters that have the look, feel and sound of B-movie gangsters. Yet his stories always contains at least one character that is either extraordinarily vile or pathetic (a hapless loser).In The Grifters we are entertained by three rotten individuals: a "nickel-dime" con artist ("grifter"), his equally crooked youthful mother, and his older girlfriend who'll do just about anything for money. It's the interplay between these characters rather than the crime themselves which are most fascinating. In effect each character tries to manipulate the other to his/her pure selfish advantage. Love? You won't find any in this book. Oh, and the ending is really g-o-o-d. Bottom line: sleazy, depressing yet utterly compelling. Amongst Thompson's finer works. (The film adaptation of The Grifters is also highly recommended.)
Rating:
Summary: The Star After Cain and Chandler
Review: Now we Americans recognize the writing of Jim Thompson and deem him a worthy successor to Cain and Chandler. When he first came out though, in the 1950s and 1960s, he was more readily admired by readers abroad. Movies of his work were not made until relatively recently. Grifters are con men and women. In this novel, Thompson has the grifters down cold. The leads are Lily and her son, Roy. They have a very high tension relationship with one another and the the latent sexuality lurking between them is not the least of it. Marching directly into the midst of this deadly duo is Moira, also a con woman, and Roy's present girlfriend. Moira gets the not so bright idea of stealing money from Lily. These are all fascinating characters, very dark and compelling with not much in the way of redeeming features. This is a great novel with the same hard boiled edginess that Cain and Chandler used. This was made into a movie with Angelica Huston as mother Lily, John Cusack as son Roy and Annette Bening as Moira. It couldn't have been cast any better as they were superb with the first rate screenplay. The movie was moved up to present day LA whereas the book was set back in the 1950s. I highly recommend both.
Rating:
Summary: The Star After Cain and Chandler
Review: Now we Americans recognize the writing of Jim Thompson and deem him a worthy successor to Cain and Chandler. When he first came out though, in the 1950s and 1960s, he was more readily admired by readers abroad. Movies of his work were not made until relatively recently. Grifters are con men and women. In this novel, Thompson has the grifters down cold. The leads are Lily and her son, Roy. They have a very high tension relationship with one another and the the latent sexuality lurking between them is not the least of it. Marching directly into the midst of this deadly duo is Moira, also a con woman, and Roy's present girlfriend. Moira gets the not so bright idea of stealing money from Lily. These are all fascinating characters, very dark and compelling with not much in the way of redeeming features. This is a great novel with the same hard boiled edginess that Cain and Chandler used. This was made into a movie with Angelica Huston as mother Lily, John Cusack as son Roy and Annette Bening as Moira. It couldn't have been cast any better as they were superb with the first rate screenplay. The movie was moved up to present day LA whereas the book was set back in the 1950s. I highly recommend both.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Thompson... Written with suspense and style to spare
Review: The Grifters is a noir classic, and a must read for all Thompson fans, or new fans of noir. Crime & Con Men, Greed & Love, and more Greed. The Grifters is as smooth as silk, and his noir style hits all the harder because of it.
Rating:
Summary: The most in-depth study of Characters and Life
Review: The Grifters was the first Jim Thompson book I read. This book made him my favorite author of all times. The characters are alive, with you, next door. Anyone who wants to live on the edge.Lilly and Roy live on the wild side. Jim Thompson sucks you into their world. This was no 400 page novel with lots of filler, it was written with broad knowing strokes. I want to own all of his books. I did read others but this is my all-time favorite. Lilly was a tough strong mom who happened to be a grifter but wanted better for her son Roy, above all they were survivors, at any cost. I must say I find the infrences and hints to incestuous desires non-existing This was only played out in the in the movie. I'll have to read it again. I would love to own a hardcover edition but alas it's out of print. I can't afford a first-edition. But alas who knows what the grift will bring.
Rating:
Summary: The most in-depth study of Characters and Life
Review: The Grifters was the first Jim Thompson book I read. This book made him my favorite author of all times. The characters are alive, with you, next door. Anyone who wants to live on the edge.Lilly and Roy live on the wild side. Jim Thompson sucks you into their world. This was no 400 page novel with lots of filler, it was written with broad knowing strokes. I want to own all of his books. I did read others but this is my all-time favorite. Lilly was a tough strong mom who happened to be a grifter but wanted better for her son Roy, above all they were survivors, at any cost. I must say I find the infrences and hints to incestuous desires non-existing This was only played out in the in the movie. I'll have to read it again. I would love to own a hardcover edition but alas it's out of print. I can't afford a first-edition. But alas who knows what the grift will bring.
Rating: 
Summary: read the book, see the movie, appreciate Westlake
Review: The mystery/crime fiction writer Donald Westlake adapted this book into the screenplay for the movie "The Grifters," which is out on DVD. That DVD will make one appreciate the postive and negative aspects of this story by Thompson, albeit indirectly. The "grift," or the daily habit Roy and his mother have of snatching easy money through dishonest means, is a stand-in for Thompson's own experiences with alcoholism. Roy can't peel himself away from the grift, despite the isolation it causes him and his condemnation of his mother's behavior. Roy's stomach problems and stay in the hospital were derived from Thompson's ulcer problems. Thus, there are strong autobiographical elements in this story, which in my opinion take over the book and crowd out the Moira and Carol characters. Westlake was wise to pare down the Carol subplot, even if it took away from Roy's heartlessness (I found Roy a little more sympathetic in the movie than the book) -- and perhaps some of Thompson's guilty recollections.
What makes this novel so interesting is that it's the rivalry between the two women, Moira and Lilly, that drives the plot, despite the fact that they only meet twice (three times in the movie). Westlake understood this and distributed the scenes among all three of the main characters.
I could see how someone could pick up this as their first Jim Thompson book and conclude that he was overrated; my recommendation is to also watch the DVD and read the real masterpiece "The Killer Inside Me."
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