Rip-Off by Jim Thompson tops the list as the pulpiest pulp fiction novel ever written. You want rock 'em sock 'em action? You want crisp dialogue that crackles and pops? Here you go in spades, baby.
Jim Thompson hits his main character Britton Rainstar with so many problems, dilemmas, challenges and conflicts, it's as if the author wanted to push the boundaries of crime noir to the point of goofiness, just to see how much he could get away with.
Listening to the audio book, I had the distinct feeling Jim Thompson shoved the Rip-Off manuscript in his bottom drawer and intended it to stay there. Thompson died in 1967 and Rip-Off didn't see the light of publication until 1989, twenty-two years after Jim's death. Did someone controlling the Thompson estate want to cash in on another Jim Thompson novel? I wouldn't be shocked - the lure of money can be so tempting.
I wonder if Jim Thompson laughed out loud while working on Rip-Off. Many the time I myself laughed at all the silliness. However, In a backhanded way, I'm glad I did listen - Jim Thompson's bleak nihilism rumbles forth and the tale does pack wads of kooky, fast-paced, pulpy punch.
Will Brit Rainstar survive the snarling attack dog at the side of his bed, or three different women who appear to be out to kill him, or the skeleton in his backyard chasing him with a gun? Take a break from more serious reading to rip-off this Jim Thompson black sheep.
American crime novelist Jim Thompson, 1906-1977
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