A review by dr_dick
The Grifters by Jim Thompson

dark tense fast-paced

5.0

this is how's it's done.  contemporary crime/thriller/suspense/mystery novelists would do well and study their craft at the feet of the masters.  and Thompson is a master.  great story, amazing characters, and a sparse storytelling style that lends itself to the genre.  also the prose is smart as a whip.