Product Description

The place is a frontier boom town where the graft gets collected more regularly than the trash. The hero is Bugs McKenna, slow-witted, hot-tempered man with manslaughter in his past and much worse in his immediate future. The much worse begins the moment McKenna gets promoted from ex-con to hotel detective without bothering to ask why. Because in Wild Town nobody does you any favors--and the price of advancement is always a little higher than what you can afford.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1410716 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01-04
• Released on: 1993-01-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From the Inside Flap
The place is a frontier boom town where the graft gets collected more regularly than the trash. The hero is Bugs McKenna, slow-witted, hot-tempered man with manslaughter in his past and much worse in his immediate future. The much worse begins the moment McKenna gets promoted from ex-con to hotel detective without bothering to ask why. Because in Wild Town nobody does you any favors--and the price of advancement is always a little higher than what you can afford.

About the Author
(1906 - 1977) James Meyers Thompson was born in Anadarko, Oklahoma. He began writing fiction at a very young age, selling his first story to True Detective when he was only fourteen. Thompson eventually wrote twenty-nine novels, all but three of which were published as paperback originals. Thompson also wrote two screenplays (for the Stanley Kubrick films "The Killing" and "Paths of Glory"). An outstanding crime writer, the world of his fiction is rife with violence and corruption. In examining the underbelly of human experience and American society in particular, Thompson's work at its best is both philosophical and experimental. Several of his novels have been filmed by American and French directors, resulting in classic noir including The Killer Inside Me (1952), After Dark My Sweet (1955), and The Grifters (1963).

Customer Reviews

More enjoyable than the rating might indicate
I was torn in rating this book. I am not especially familiar with the genre, so I am not sure how it compares with other novels of its type. However, it was quite entertaining and an extremely quick read, and overall I liked it - I simply couldn't see rating it any higher, in terms of the writing itself.

So, the negatives first. It seems as if it were written in a hurry. Some parts are polished enough, others seem quite raw. There are some inconsistencies (though only one that really bothered me), and a "dirty trick" or two used to keep you from catching on to the plot twists too quickly.

I can't really give a plot synopsis without throwing in spoilers, as the story takes twists and turns at every chapter. The main characters, of course, are not what they seem at first (and you expect this from the beginning). But they are also aware that their circumstances are not what they seem, and in their respective ways are trapped by their own cunning and distrust.

This book really shines in its character development, most of all. The reader sees each character from many different angles, gets to recognize their hidden strengths and flaws, and while they are very different the reader can sympathize with (if not like) almost all of them. This provides no rest, however; the plot twists relentlessly, and each character is all too human and seems fully capable of betrayal for their own reasons.

Tolstoy it's not. But this novel is suspenseful, never boring, and will hold your attention for the day or two it takes to finish it.

Web of deception.
The unlikely protagonist of Wild Town answers to the name Bugs McKenna. An ex-cop and an ex-con, Bugs cannot stay out of trouble because of his hair trigger temper and his inability to cut the other guy any slack. Another major character is Lou Ford, the sinister lawman introduced by Thompson in his 1952 classic work, The Killer Inside Me. As pointed out by Robert Polito in the definitive Thompson biography entitled Savage Art, Wild Town is neither a sequel nor a prequel to The Killer Inside Me. It's best to think of the two books as presenting the Lou Ford character in alternate universes.

Bugs drifts into West Texas' Ragtown and soon meets up with deputy sheriff Ford, who strongly suggests he accept the job of house detective at the Hanlon Hotel. The owner of the hotel is Mike Hanlon, a wealthy oilman who became paraplegic in an industrial accident.

Wild Town is a relatively short book, yet there are a number of intriguing subplots. And Thompson wastes no time in introducing them.

-All is not well between Mike Hanlon and his wife, giving Bugs
and the reader reason to believe murder is in the air.
-Bugs find himself attracted to school marm Amy Standish who just
happens to be Lou Ford's fiancee.
-The Hanlon's auditor is an embezzler and its general manager is
a world class alcoholic.
-Bugs becomes a recipient of an anonymous blackmail threat.

All of this and more plays out under the watchful eye of the omniscient Lou Ford.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of Wild Town is the very engaging dialogue. Especially the fake hayseed utterances of Ford as he dominates and intimidates one and all. Another strong feature of Wild Town is its depiction of hotel life. You'd be hard pressed to find an author more capable than Jim Thompson when it comes to describing the inner workings of hotels.

What keeps this from being a really great novel, at least for me, is the tendency for many of the characters to do things which are....well, out of character. Of course, that particular criticism is a bit unfair. I suspect it was Thompson's intention to have these characters act in unforseeable ways so as to purposely keep the reader completely off balance.

I would rank Wild Town high among Thompson's second tier novels. As you read this entertaining book, remember to expect the unexpected.

One of his most normal books
Jim Thompson continues to hurt the boundaries of noir fiction. IN this book a man is hired to protect an oil baron in his hotel from somebody. That somebody changes throughout the book leavign you guessing until the final chapter. Of course like any good mystery writer Jim Thompson gives away the person in the first few pages of meeting that person but convinces you that he was only giving you a red herring. The book is normal for Jim THompson since the main character isn't completely psychotic, nor narrating and when the final chapter comes the whole narrative is neatly wrapped up without ambiguity, still it is an enjoyable read and worth recommending