THE DANMAN CAN

Pitch perfect nihilistic neo-noir. A tragic tale of betrayal and survival. Bleak, disturbing, and uncomfortable. A misunderstood and underappreciated film and an excellent and largely faithful  Thompson   adaptation . Jim Thompson Film Adaptations Ranked

South Of Heaven  (1967) was one the last few books written by Jim Thompson  during his lifetime (he wrote three more novels before he died in 1977). The story of a young man in Texas (a staple of Thompson's work), his grueling job working on a pipeline, his elusive best friend, the prostitute he falls in love with, and the unsavory characters he wants to bring to justice, South Of Heaven   has a bit more of a poetic nature than a good deal of Thompson's usual fare (the lead character even writes poetry)—it feels like a Cormac McCarthy novel at times (right down to the title).

Jim Thompson 's The Alcoholics (1953) is a short novel about a clinic called "El Healtho" in Los Angeles. At the heart of the book is Dr. Peter Murphy, who desperately wants to keep his clinic open—despite not having the money to—because he truly cares about curing his patients and he also doesn't want to be a failure. The characters that make up El Healtho are diverse and amusing (and this is one of Thompson's funniest novels) but I would definitely classify this book as one of Thompson's lesser works. Of course, lesser works by Jim Thompson are still very entertaining.

Clinton Brown, the protagonist of Jim Thompson 's novel The Nothing Man  (1953), is a neurotic, internally-struggling, violent male narrator to rival his character Lou Ford (of The Killer Inside Me (1952) and Wild Town (1957)). As with Killer , it's hard to relate to our lead, as he commits one shocking act after another, but we the readers can't turn away, instead turning the next page to find out which direction Clinton will careen next.

On the surface,  Texas By The Tail (1965) isn't as pulpy, hard-boiled or as deeply rooted in crime as the bulk of Jim Thompson 's novels, but it nonetheless involves grifting, a femme fatale of sorts, extortion, and tough guys. Tail   is an entertaining yarn with that Thompson touch and yet somehow more "lighthearted" than his usual fare.

Jim Thompson 's The Transgressors (1961) is interesting based solely on the fact that its main character, Tom Lord, appears to be a variation of Lou Ford, a character who appeared in both Thompson 's  The Killer Inside Me   (1952) and Wild Town  (1957). Besides the similar name, Lord is also a deputy sheriff and also had a father who was a doctor (just like Ford). Not only that, but Lord's initial love interest is one Joyce Lakewood, quite a similar name to the similarly trampy Joyce Lakeland from Killer . Transgressors doesn't get into the head of its protagonist in the way that Killer  did (Lord is not sadistic like Ford either), and it's not as good a novel, but it's a reliably pulpy yarn from America's "Dimestore Dostoevsky".

In Jim Thompson 's Wild Town  (1957) deputy sheriff Lou Ford, the protagonist of Thompson 's 1952 novel The Killer Inside Me  (still my favorite of his works), returns, though this time around his character is "a mirror image of the one in Killer Inside Me . In Wild Town Lou Ford is also a sheriff, he also plays the fool, and he is also smarter and more capable than anyone else in the small town although he keeps it well hidden. He also prefers, and is usually able, to manipulate events rather than directly intervene. However, whereas in Killer Lou Ford manipulates events to further his own greed and lust, in Wild Town he manipulates events to bring about justice, to help people, and even to play matchmaker."[1] If you love your crime pulpy, look no further. This one has many of the trademarks—a hotel, a dopey strongarm, femme fatales, an invalid old man, homicide, stolen money, twisting plot dynamics and steamy affairs. 1.  ^Wikipedia

Jim Thompson 's  The Golden Gizmo  (1954) is full of the unsavory guys characters and goings-on you'd expect from his brand of grim pulpy novels.

In  Jim Thompson 's Heed The Thunder  (aka Sins Of The Father ) (1946), his second novel, he still hadn't settled into his well-known pulpy style. Instead this book focuses on the deeds and misdeeds of a prairie family in the early 20th century. A breezy read, much like a lot of his work, but with nicely developed characters and the occasional pondering, poetic touch.

Jim Thompson 's first novel is a strong semi-autobiographical debut, devoid of his later signature hard-boiled crime style but very engaging nonetheless.  Now And On Earth  (1942) follows the life of the main character and he struggles to break free from working in an airplane manufacturing plant to do what he really wants to do full-time - write, all while trying to cope with his demanding family at home.

Roughneck (1954) is a partially autobiographical, partially fictionalized account of Thompson 's life before becoming a successful writer, making for a bit of a departure from his usual pulp/crime style.

My least favorite Thompson book that I've read so far (of 9), but one really interesting feature of this short little novel is that each chapter is written from the perspective of a different character. The story is standard Thompson stuff - a character is accused of murder and the investigation that follows.

Nothing More Than Murder (1949) is one of Thompson 's earliest novels and easily the weakest one I've read of his yet, but still a good solid hard-boiled crime thriller.