Customer Reviews

The Golden Gizmo

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This isn't a necessary Thompson read, but it is enjoyable, especially parts concerning the dog. Those expecting something warped will be disappointed, but it's decent for those of us who plan on reading everything Thompson has written.

The Golden Gizmo is a tall tale which meanders aimlessly, ultimately winding up nowhere. Written with sufficient surrealism to easily accomodate a supporting character that happens to be a talking dog, there just isn't anything here to engage the reader's interest.

The main character, Todd Kent, is an early incarnation of Roy Dillon, the young L.A. con artist Thompson so masterfully brought to life in The Grifters. But that's where any similarity between the two novels begins and ends.

The Golden Gizmo is a real clunker. Sometimes even great writers like Jim Thompson will step up to the plate and strike out. Not recommended.

I'm a big Thompson fan; THE GOLDEN GIZMO is the 12th of his books I've read. Unfortunately, it may be my least favorite so far. The story is about Toddy Kent, a typical Thompson grifter who is working as a door-to-door gold buyer (does anyone really do this job?). He's semi-legit now because he's working for an honest gold buyer. However, in a typical Thompson ploy, he accidentally gets into trouble by knocking on the wrong door while trying to buy gold. In this house, Toddy encounters a chinless man, a Hispanic woman, and a talking dog. Yes, the dog talks. I like some surreal writing, but the device of having the dog talk wasn't really used to much benefit here and really just undermined the action for me. Toddy becomes entangled in various problems related to the chinless man and corrupt gold sellers. The plot hinges on far too many coincidences for my taste, and it really was just too confusing. Almost every other chapter ends with someone else clobbering Toddy or pulling a gun on him. All of Thompson's skills as a crime noir writer seemed to have deserted him with this book, much like Toddy's golden gizmo. If you're a fan of Thompson, THE GOLDEN GIZMO is a passable read. Otherwise, I suggest Thompson classics like THE GRIFTERS or THE GETAWAY.

This is one weird book.

Toddy Kent is a scam artist who is working door to door buying gold from unsuspecting people, the point being that he buys it low and then sells high. He is fortunate to have the fat and jolly gold buyer who helps him in his scams by buying the gold off him. Toddy's wife is a real handful to be around and no matter how much he tries, she gets into trouble.

One day Toddy knocks on the door of a strange house and the adventure starts.

Murder, betrayal, crime and at points lunacy abound in this book by the 1950's crime writer Jim Thompson.

At times it is not easy to understand and dialogue is very much not Thompson's forte but creating a story of interest and of something totally different is what made Thompson a cult favourite amongst readers.

How is the book? If you bear in mind the dodgy dialogue and sometimes confused ramblings, it is quite a good novel. Only 185 pages long so it is a quick read.

Like most of Jim Thompson's novels, the story turns on a series of criminal events. Toddy Kent is a man with the "golden gizmo" -- a psychic sense that can lead him to riches just as readily as to disaster. This book is textured with curiosities -- Teddy is married to a woman who drives him mad; a gold buyer for a reputable dealer, he stumbles into a steady supply of the highest grade gold and finds himself pursued by a ruthless, chinless man, a beautiful young woman, and a blood-thirsty dog that can talk and sings hymns. Most other writers would see the story fall around their ears, but Thompson deftly, gleefully pulls it off!

This is almost a decent novel. If it didn't come from the author of that masterpiece, "The Grifters," I might have given it an extra star or two.

What's really painful is that there's a lot of good stuff here. The characters, as always, are fascinating. And only Jim Thompson could make a talking dog a convincing player in a noir thriller! But his cleverness here only serves to highlight his childish plot gimmicks. When you find out what happened to The Missing Body, you'll want to scream in frustration.