adam_mcphee 's review for:

The Grifters by Jim Thompson

5.0

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Brilliant, except for that last chapter. I kind of think Thompson has a problem finding endings for his books, though he often gets around it by having things devolve into a nightmare. The slightly lower stakes of this book preclude that kind of ending here, I guess. I'd have rather it ended a chapter earlier, with

Spoiler

Roy stranded in Tucson with the truth dawning on him that his mother is alive, and already back in L.A. to clear the cash out of his apartment. I guess it's plausible that they arrived back in L.A. at roughly the same time, him by plane and her by car with a head start, but it struck me as too coincidental.