By Jim Thompson
1946
320 pgs.
Published by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Jim Thompson is one of the few authors left over from the original independent publisher Black Lizard that survived the transfer to Vintage Crime--he's an odd fit with the current bunch. Although he's certainly as talented as the other authors published by the (mostly) reprint line, Thompson is certainly not as straight-forward a crime writer in the way that Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Henning Mankell or Ruth Rendall are, and his literary ambitions are far milder than Patricia Highsmith; yet all of these authors are graced with the telltale Black Lizard logo that guarantees a higher sell-through rate than the hideous competitors at Soho Crime. Then again, considering Jim's voluminous output (besides his 40 odd books, his screen output has been filmed by Kubrick, Frears and Don Siegel) it's probably apt to say that he's comparable with just about any writer--just not all at once.
Heed The Thunder was his second novel, and it's apparent that Jim had begun shaken off any of the autobiographical aspirations that were so obvious from his first. Unlike Now and On Earth, there are no writer characters here, no distinct moral goals for any of his characters, and, as would become one of Jim's most brilliant talents, a growing depravity in his work. When Jim wrote about a family this time, it was about a loose collection of selfish sociopaths and the lengths they will go to protect their own pleasures. Although the book is confusing at times, (Jim tries on too many hats here, and not all of them fit well) and would have benefited from one of those family trees that graces Marquez 100 Years of Solitude it's an excellent read from one of the authors who is still talked about far more than he is read.
-Tucker Stone, 2007
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