The Kill-Off [Import] [Paperback]

Jim Thompson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Corgi; 2nd THUS edition (1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055213239X
• ISBN-13: 978-0552132398
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,698,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, June 11, 1999

By 

Douglas J. Bassett (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kill-Off (Paperback)

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Thompson Novel, June 5, 2003

By 

Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Kill-Off (Paperback)

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Character Studies, August 28, 2000

By 

Jim McKenna - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kill-Off (Paperback)

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.