Of Murder Which That Evil Spun

One of the side benefits of my new job is that my office is one block away from the two best used bookshops in Philly: Big Jar Books, and The Book Trader. (Both are on South 2nd, between Arch and Market, if you're in the area.) So while my co-workers sneak away for smoke breaks, I steal away for quick book breaks.

Hey, it's better than the Crack Pipe and Massage Parlor break, right?

(Right?)

Anyway, last week, I made an incredible score: a copy of Jim Thompson's THE KILL-OFF, Lion Library edition (LL142) for $3. Granted, the paperback is in bad shape. The spine looks like someone got bored halfway through the story and started nibbling on the book itself. And apparently that same someone scribbled "Blackwood, N.J." on the back cover.

But who cares? It's a piece of Thompson history. And Lions are hard to come by. Encased in a little plastic sleeve, it's already afforded me hours of drool-worthy entertainment. Try to get that kind of satisfaction out of a massage parlor with only three bucks.

Besides, the back cover copy is worth the price alone. Check out this little noir prose poem:

Like a shroud
the evil wound itself
about the tiny New England town
that year--
unleashing long-buried secrets
and distorted passions--
laying bare the violence
at its decadent core...

And here
with merciless realism
Jim Thompson unravels the web
of murder which that evil spun--
and strips to nakedness
the deadly potential
of the human spirit...

Yeah, there's that awkward "of murder which that evil spun" line. Otherwise... can't you hear it? The sound of bongo drums, thumping soft in the smoky night?

Dig it.

DetecToday, Gone Tomorrow

Talk about a lame update. I mean, really... trying to get away with nothing more than a link to a chat transcript? Who do I think I'm fooling here?

I ought to be ashamed for presenting little more than this, from yesterday's DetecToday chat.

My head hangs low.

If anyone needs me, I'll be in the garage.