The Kill-Off (Paperback)

by Jim Thompson (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (Jun 1 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375700358
ISBN-13: 978-0375700354
Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14.2 x 1.6 cm
Shipping Weight: 282 g

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #712,268 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Library Journal

Thompson throws readers a curve in these two titles. Written in his signature tough-guy style, The Kill-Off (1957) is about a murder before it actually happens as protagonist Luane Devore is waiting to be knocked off by any number of likely assassins from among her friends and relatives. Published posthumously in 1985, The Rip-Off has a comedic tilt as Britt Rainstar's life is turned upside down after meeting the luscious Manuela Aloe. Thompson is always a fun ride.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"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." -- The Washington Post

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

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Front Cover | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Thompson Novel, Jun 6 2003

By	Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews

THE KILL-OFF is somewhat of a departure from the typical Thompson crime noir novel. The plot centers on a number of characters a small resort town. Luanne Devore is the town gossip and has alienated/angered most of her neighbors. She becomes convinced that someone is going to murder her. Will she be murdered? And if so, who will do it? Each chapter is told from the view point of a different character, and the story-telling style varies accordingly. As a result, some of the chapters are better written and more interesting than others. The book packs in a remarkable number of well-developed characters and side stories. Although the story of Luanne is central, I found myself caught up in the other stories as well. Unfortunately, the ending seems a bit rushed, and the resolution is not entirely satisfactory.

I've read about 16 Thompson novels, and THE KILL-OFF is one of the most enjoyable I've read. It's not as carefully crafted and plotted as his best works, but I still really liked it a great deal. Highly recommended.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Character Studies, Aug 29 2000

By	Jim McKenna (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

Thompson tries to get inside the heads of around a dozen characters here; for the most part he does so very convincingly. It is, however, hard to tell a story from twelve different points of view, so the plot kind of gets lost in the shuffle. Since plot was never Thompson's strong suit, this really isn't too much of a loss. By the end of the book, you'll have almost forgotten the mystery, but you'll remember some of the characters for a long time.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, Jun 11 1999

By	Doug Bassett "http://abandonedbooks.blogspot.... (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sort of Thompson's version of the Peyton Place/small town soap opera stories that were popular in his day. Which means, of course, that it's pretty twisted. The book's structure is intriguing -- it's told in a series of monologues by the characters, most all of which reveal themselves to be petty, weak, malicious, self-deluding, or insane. (The monologue of the docotor's boy, a psychopath, is a highlight.) The plot ultimately seems a little beside the point, and things end rather abruptly, but that's par for the course for Thompson. Not his top rank work, but certainly belongs in the second tier.

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