"The Criminal" is a terrific piece of literature that is an entire departure from the norm of Jim Thompson"s work. The story is not centered around the ravings of some twisted, one-legged psychopath. Rather, it is told from more than half a dozen points of view, a writing technique that is not uncommon, but rarely done as well as here. What's really great about this book is how deftly Thompson speaks with people's voices. You can really believe you are hearing these people narrate as they talk about the mundane and go off on meaningless tangents. Plotwise, it is a story about a small town, about seemingly friendly neighbors, about juvenile delinquency, about young teenagers, about a seductive young teenager, about jumping to conclusions, about the corruption of the news business, and the empty promises of Justice. ( )

Difficult to believe any author could create so complete, so complex a world in just 115 pages. Excellent novel. ( )

A teenage boy is wrongly arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend, and becomes a pawn as the adults exploit the case for their own ends. As Wikipedia says "There are no good guys in Thompson's literature; most everyone is abusive, opportunistic, or simply biding time until able to be so." A dark and depressing tale, with a jaundiced view of humanity. Good stuff! ( )