A review by chalicotherex
The Golden Gizmo by Jim Thompson

1.0

Hobos, nazis, bale bondsmen, back alleys in Tijuana, door-to-door gold buyers, a talking dog. It gets convoluted fast. The protagonist is a former hobo, and it seems like most of the book is Thompson displaying his hobo knowledge, but he's not proud of it. (Thompson was himself a hobo before finding work with the WPA during the depression). It's weird because hobo knowledge is always weirdly specific (there's a debate on whether or not you can drug black coffee, a bit on how to cheat at dice if you shoot from a cup, and one of the burglars uses the improvised chicken claw weapon), and also old-timey (a lot of the plot relies on the ins and outs of smuggling gold bullion during the gold standard years).