Roy DIllon seems too handsome and well-mannered to be a professional con man. Lilly Dillon looks too young--and loves Roy a little too intensely--to be taken for his mother. Moira Langtry is getting too old to keep on living off the kindness of male strangers. And Carol Roberg seems too innocent to be acquainted with suffering.
The Grifters
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"If Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Cornell Woolrich could have joined together in some ungodly union and produced a literary offspring, Jim Thompson would be it." --Washington Post
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"If Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Cornell Woolrich could have joined together in some ungodly union and produced a literary offspring, Jim Thompson would be it." --Washington Post
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Most helpful customer reviews
By Michael G.
Format:Paperback
Be forewarned. This novel is not for the faint of heart. If you are easily offended, do not read The Grifters. In this classic example of pulp fiction, Jim Thompson takes us on a cruel and hideous journey through a few weeks in the life of Roy Dillon, a practitioner of the short con working in Los Angeles. Thompson's writing is raw and unflinching. No holds are barred, no topic is taboo. He has created a fascinating portrayal of society's criminal netherworld in a way that is thoroughly engaging even as it dares you not to avert your eyes. Reading The Grifters is a powerful, visceral experience that stays with you.
By Westley
Format:Paperback
I saw the movie version of the Grifters when it was released in 1990 and really loved it. I finally got around to reading the novel and was very impressed. The book is a very quick read, but manages to pack in a great deal of enjoyable material. The book chronicles the story of Roy Dillon, who is a second generation grifter. His mother is Lilly Dillon, who works for the mob, and one of the most ferocious women ever created for fiction. Roy works the short-con, cheating businessmen and people in bars. He meets Moira Langtry, who has a history of pulling long-term con jobs with an ex-boyfriend. She tries to convince Roy that they should team up, with disastrous results. The book is gritty, with vivid characters and a terrific ending. I've read quite a few Thompson novels and this is the best. In fact, it may be one of the best pulp novels ever written.
By Paul Miller
Format:Paperback
Grift is money made dishonestly as in a swindle or a confidence game. The grifters in this novel by Thompson are Lilly and Roy Dillon and Moira Langtry. Lilly and Roy are mother and son and haven't seen each other for seven years as the book opens. Moira is Roy's girlfriend, a prostitute, and a former grifter. Roy has a steady sales job and he makes the grift on the side. Lilly does her grifting for the mob, betting down the odds on long shots at the horse races so her boss won't take too big of a fall should one of those long shots come in.
This novel has beautiful description, great characterization, and even some subtle jabs at consumerism and the corrupting aspects of the modern world. Moira and her former grifter partner Cole laugh at and make fun of advertisements. Moira in a bar after ordering a sidecar feels "that the times were out of joint with themselves, and that the most emphasis was put on the least worthwhile pursuits". "She can no longer hear it. It was lost, the music which each person had inside himself, and which put him in step with things as they should be". Dillon is the name Thompson used on his Communist party Identification card. Many artists at the time were interested in Communism because of their concern for social justice for the poor and didn't know much about the larger Communist world. There is an Oedipal atmosphere that develops in Roy's love hate relationship with Lilly. This novel builds at a slow crescendo pace and the ending is a shocker.
This novel has beautiful description, great characterization, and even some subtle jabs at consumerism and the corrupting aspects of the modern world. Moira and her former grifter partner Cole laugh at and make fun of advertisements. Moira in a bar after ordering a sidecar feels "that the times were out of joint with themselves, and that the most emphasis was put on the least worthwhile pursuits". "She can no longer hear it. It was lost, the music which each person had inside himself, and which put him in step with things as they should be". Dillon is the name Thompson used on his Communist party Identification card. Many artists at the time were interested in Communism because of their concern for social justice for the poor and didn't know much about the larger Communist world. There is an Oedipal atmosphere that develops in Roy's love hate relationship with Lilly. This novel builds at a slow crescendo pace and the ending is a shocker.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most in-depth study of Characters and Life
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. Read more
Published on Jan 3 2002 by Renee
5.0 out of 5 stars
low-life cons; it's a family affair
Jim Thompson, known as the king of 'noir' crime novels, has a style which might not appeal to everyone. Read more
Published on Jan 2 2002 by lazza
3.0 out of 5 stars
Average Noir
I'm slightly disappointed by this Jim Thompson effort. After reading many reviews on most of his books, I expected much more from his writing. Read more
Published on Nov 7 2001 by Jeffrey Leach
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Star After Cain and Chandler
Now we Americans recognize the writing of Jim Thompson and deem him a worthy successor to Cain and Chandler. Read more
Published on Jan 28 2001 by carol irvin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dancing With the Devil
"The Grifters" is another of Jim Thompson's electric
charged dances with the devil. It is so hard and so brutally bleak that
it undercuts what passes for... Read more
charged dances with the devil. It is so hard and so brutally bleak that
it undercuts what passes for... Read more
Published on Nov 13 2000 by Barry Eysman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Thompson... Written with suspense and style to spare
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. Read more
Published on Oct 21 1999 by Nick A. Rini
1.0 out of 5 stars
Overrated and boring - a crime for Thompson
For some reason, The Grifters is not as interesting to me as it is a lot of people. I can't really put my finger on it, but the novel is quite boring, which is unusual for... Read more
Published on July 10 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard-boiled Poetry
Jim Thompson hits new heights with this fabulous character study of three outcast grifters. Less action and more introspection than you would usually expect from Thompson. Read more
Published on July 16 1998 by Bill Mueller
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