The Grifters by Jim Thompson

DATE FINISHED: May 2nd, 2012

RATED: ****

SYNOPSIS:  Like his mother before him, Roy Dillon is a grifter, living off the short con. But one day, one of his standard tricks nearly kills him, and he is forced to re-evaluate. Conveniently, he is offered a straight job as a sales manager; but his lady friend discovers his gift for the grift and offers him a deal of her own. Roy is ready to play a new game, but will the women in his life allow him to make up new rules?

THOUGHTS:   This is pulp fiction? It’s a quick read, yes, but there’s more to it than you might expect.  

What I’ve read so far in 2012

As I have been neglecting this blog, lately, I am adding this post as a ‘filler’, with the intention of updating throughout the year (unless I get back into the swing of things), so I still have a record of what I have read.

JANUARY

The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – 3/5 
Not many thoughts about this, really.  Innocuous fare, not as clever as I had hoped from the jacket blurb.

Mystery Man by Colin Bateman –  3.5/5  (extended review added retrospectively, March 29th)
Very funny in parts, but not quite as good as I remembered Chapter & Verse to be (or Turbulent Priests).

Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks by Christopher Brookmyre –  3/5   (extended review added retrospectively, March 29th)
I was looking for something Bateman-ish in style/tone, so it took me a while to adjust to the fact that this was not.  A little too much self-reference to previous adventures (which did not whet my appetite for them).  Might try another in the future, but as this was the storyline which most appealed to me, currently undecided on that.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt –  3/5 
A very easy-going narrative & short chapters made the novel easy to get into, but became very same-y all too soon.  Has a fantastic cover design, though!

Paper Moon by Joe David Brown – 3/5 
Enjoyed the first part a lot more than the latter, with the descriptions of the scams pulled by father & daughter.  Was disappointed by the Pollyanna-ish turn as the book progressed (something I assume I would have been prepared for if I had first seen the film…).

FEBRUARY