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The Killer Inside Me
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
15 posts | 37 read | 37 to read
Everyone in the small town of Central City, Texas loves Lou Ford. A deputy sheriff, Lou's known to the small-time criminals, the real-estate entrepreneurs, and all of his coworkers--the low-lifes, the big-timers, and everyone in-between--as the nicest guy around. He may not be the brightest or the most interesting man in town, but nevertheless, he's the kind of officer you're happy to have keeping your streets safe. The sort of man you might even wish your daughter would end up with someday.But behind the platitudes and glad-handing lurks a monster the likes of which few have seen. An urge that has already claimed multiple lives, and cost Lou his brother Mike, a self-sacrificing construction worker fell to his death on the job in what was anything but an accident. A murder that Lou is determined to avenge--and if innocent people have to die in the process, well, that's perfectly all right with him. In THE KILLER INSIDE ME, Thompson goes where few novelists have dared to go, giving us a pitch-black glimpse into the mind of the American Serial Killer years before Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy, and Brett Easton Ellis's American Psycho, in the novel that will forever be known as the master performance of one of the greatest crime novelists of all time.
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AlizaApp
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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Omg what an amazing package of goodies!! Thank you so much @quietjenn for this excellent book selection (which I can‘t wait to read) and these treats (which I have already started eating)! The candle smells great and am loving all the socks, especially the adorable little grim reapers. Happy Halloween! #hhs #hhs2023 @wanderinglynn 🎃🖤🎃

wanderinglynn Fantastic! 🎃🖤👻🧡 13mo
quietjenn Hooray! I'm so glad that you like it 💀 13mo
23 likes2 comments
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cant_i'm_booked
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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Pickpick

My first book by Thompson, dubbed by a critic as the “Dimestore Dostoyevsky.” And very fitting too: this paperback reads like a Central Texan “Crime and Punishment” where deputy sheriff Lou Ford is our killer, and an incredibly psychopathic one at that. As narrator, Ford lets us wade through the swamp of his dark psyche as he struggles to keep up innocent appearances in his small hometown, recently the scene of several coldblooded murders…

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The_Book_Ninja
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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I was shocked to find this book was written in the 50s with its brutal descriptions of women being murdered that I never imagined would be published back then. Lou Ford is a kind of proto-Dexter: a psychopath with a job in law enforcement as cover. Ford,however,doesn‘t have the warped morality of Dexter. He‘s not a fantasist like Patrick Bateman or a suave, debonair killer like Hannibal either. He‘s a nasty piece of work in a really good thriller.

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Daisey
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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This is a light pick in that I think it was good for what it was, but I don‘t personally enjoy being in the thoughts of a serial killer. It actually wasn‘t quite as gory as I was expecting, but it was disturbing in the way he plotted and had basically no remorse for his actions. As I‘ve been reading Ulysses with such varied text structure, this quote did catch my attention & make me chuckle.

#1001books #quote
#Reading1001 #TBRTakedown June 2022

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GatheringBooks
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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KellyHunsakerReads
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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Daisey Curious to hear what you think! This one is on my randomized list for this year. 5y
BarbaraBB I had been looking forward to this one and it did deliver! 5y
16 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MStew
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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In The Killer Inside Me, Thompson goes where few novelists have dared to go, giving us a pitch-black glimpse into the mind of the American Serial Killer years before Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy, and Brett Easton Ellis's American Psycho, in the novel that will forever be known as the master performance of one of the greatest crime novelists of all time.

Another book that made the top 50 scariest books of all time!

#horror

99 likes6 stack adds
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UglyOldBat
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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38 likes1 stack add
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Sweettartlaura
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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Pickpick

4.5 🌟

This was one hell of a book. Unbelievably readable, I swallowed it down in less than 3 hours.
Lou Ford is the prototype for the American Psychopath. Thompson earns his place in the American canon with this one. Even without the intro by King, it‘s clear that this is a writer‘s book. The number of books it‘s inspired - and the number that have ripped it off - is infinite:
somewhere right now, someone is trying to re-write this book.

myers85 The book that introduced me to the wonderful dark world of Jim Thompson. Classic. 6y
Sweettartlaura Absolutely @myers85 - I‘m excited to read more by him. 6y
myers85 If you haven't already read them I'd recommend Pop 1280 (quite similar and very good) and Savage Night. 6y
41 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Sweettartlaura
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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What?!?! Another classic with a foreword by King?!?! Whoo hoo!!!
#13inThree

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prowlix
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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So this is happening as my next audio! Nothing like being in the head of 1950s Texas sociopath to kick off my spooky October reads.

My reading has been a bit slow lately - I decided to take a job at another hospital and been feeling really guilty about leaving. But my support has been great and I think I'm finally getting excited to start a new life chapter! And hopefully more Litsy posts 😉

Bklover Congratulations on your new job! 7y
prowlix @Bklover thanks! 7y
batsy Best wishes for the new job! 7y
21 likes3 comments
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Grim_Reader
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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Panpan

This was an ok read. But he was the most boring serial killer I've ever encountered. There wasn't much reason for his behaviour, I didn't feel that he gained anything or did it because he enjoyed it. Not much detail in the way he killed them, and he was kind of sloppy considering he thought he was so clever &had it all planned out. If you're a fan of Psycho &American Psycho I'd give this a miss. #dull 2/5 #review #bookish #bookwork #serialkiller

[DELETED] 3803335244 Off my TBR 😏 7y
Grim_Reader Good call @ForeverNerdy 😂 7y
7 likes2 comments
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mauveandrosysky
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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Pickpick

The Killer Inside Me is a first-person account of a depraved sociopath. This is another one of those books that has lost some of its shock factor over the years (it was written in the 50s), yet it remains pretty disturbing and entertaining. The plot is sort of confusing at times, but Lou's internal monologue is genuinely interesting and amusing in a depraved and darkly comic way.

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myers85
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
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Lent this book to a colleague today. The first Jim Thompson book I read, it introduced me to his gritty world of characters and dark humour. I strongly recommend this book and this author.

mauveandrosysky Oh this has been on my list forever. Bumping it up! 8y
myers85 @mauveandrosysky it's a short read but certainly a memorable one! 8y
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Lindsay3
The Killer Inside Me | Jim Thompson
Pickpick

This book is interesting, considering it was written in 1952. I can't imagine that it's sexual content was popular at the time. The humour in the book revs up its creep factor.