Having learnt the grifting trade some years back, Roy now operates in Los Angeles, the one place where it’s possible to work an extended stint without becoming too conspicuous. He’s young, smart, self-sufficient and wily, a seasoned professional with an air of respectability about him. (At the time, the typical upper limit for a short con was $1,000, while anything above this threshold was considered a ‘big con’.) A fairly unassuming guy at first sight, Roy is the kind of man who makes friends easily. The story revolves around Roy Dillon, a ‘short-con’ grifter (or con artist) living in Los Angeles. With this in mind, I turned to another leading proponent of this genre, the American writer Jim Thompson and his 1963 novel, The Grifters. I never seem to tire of these stories and their insights into the darker side of human nature. Cain’s Double Indemnity or, more recently, Simenon’s The Widow (both of which I would highly recommend). Every now and again I find myself in need of a noir fix, preferably the vintage variety – something like James M.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |