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The Kill-Off (1957)

by Jim Thompson(Favorite Author)

3.69 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0316404004 (ISBN13: 9780316404006)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Mulholland Books

review 1: THE KILL-OFF. (1957). Jim Thompson. ***.I keep bumping into books by Thompson that I haven’t read, so it’s time to get organized and make a clean sweep. This title was new to me. Aside from the premises of the plot, it’s not among Thompson’s best work. It is set in the small town of Manduwoc (with the improbable population of 1,280). You are reminded of “Our Town” with sinister overtones. We meet Luane Devore. Luane is about sixty-years old and has been secreting herself in her bedroom for quite some time now. She claims to be sick, but her doctor tells her she is perfectly well. Her husband, Ralph, is about forty and takes care of everything around the house and survives on a series of part-time jobs from the townspeople. Luane has one source of en... moretertainment: She loves being on the phone and gossiping. Most of her gossip is of the malicious kind, and she has made a series of enemies around town. She now believes that someone is out to kill her. There’s a long list of potential killers: Starting off with her husband Ralph. Ralph was tricked into marrying her and has resented her ever since. In addition to working as almost a slave, she manages to keep him from having any money. He’s stuck. Then there is Dr. Ashton. She knows a thing or two about him and his son Bobby. It seems that the good doctor has a housekeeper, Hettie, who also serves as his girlfriend/wife. Rumor has it that Bobby is their son. No problem – except that Hattie is black. Also in the run-off is Henry Clay Williams, the town lawyer, and his sister, Lily. The list goes on and on. The trick to this plot is that we know up front that Luane is going to be killed by one of the folks she is slandering, but we have to figure out which one will be the guilty culprit. It’s a little like “Murder on the Orient Express,” but the writing doesn’t come near to that quality. The dialog is stilted and confusing, and the characterizations are all of a kind. This is not a must-read from Thompson.
review 2: Extraordinaria novela negra en la que se describe, en primera persona, un protagonista por capítulo, las circunstancias en las que se vive el futuro asesinato de una vecina de un pequeño pueblo. Asesinato que se hace realidad en la última parte. Así los capítulos son una mezcla de declaración policial de los sospechosos y diario íntimo. Todo ello en un ambiente opresivo, oscuro y cerrado.Todos tienen motivos para el asesinato, pero sólo uno se confiesa autor de él, aunque duda de que haya sido él el que haya rematado la faena.El desfile de personajes e historias está narrado de forma sublime, y sólo un precipitado y algo confuso final (por qué mata Pavlov a su hija y a su novio, y por qué Bobby se confiesa autor del crimen de Luane?) consigue cerrar un libro redondo.Muy recomendable. less

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