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  • The Killer Inside Me

  • By: Jim Thompson
  • Narrated by: Tim Flavin
  • Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (66 ratings)
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The Killer Inside Me cover art

The Killer Inside Me

By: Jim Thompson
Narrated by: Tim Flavin
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Summary

The Killer Inside Me has been a cult classic since its first publication in 1952. Also a major motion picture starring Casey Affleck, directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford is a pillar of the community in his small Texas town, patient and thoughtful. Some people think he's a little slow and boring, but that's the worst they say about him. But then nobody knows about what Lou calls his "sickness". It nearly got him put away when he was younger, but his adopted brother took the rap for that. Now the sickness that has been lying dormant for a while is about to surface again - and the consequences are brutal and devastating.

Tense and suspenseful, The Killer Inside Me is a brilliantly sustained noir crime masterpiece.

©1952 Jim Thompson (P)2015 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"Probably the most chilling and believable first-person story of a criminally warped mind I have ever encountered." (Stanley Kubrick)

"Thompson captured the spirit of his Age, and the spirit of the 20th Century's latter half: emptiness, a feeling of loss in a land of plenty, of unease amid conformity, of alienation." (Stephen King)

What listeners say about The Killer Inside Me

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The Banality of Evil

Told in the first person this is a nasty little tale about a small town killer abusing a position of trust and power. His descent into full on evil and probable madness is skilfully told but it is the mundane way he goes about his sordid murders and his nauseating rationalisations that are the most sickening. Clearly he has been disturbed for many years and at the point we encounter him he is beyond saving. It's writing that is as hard as nails and pitiless with little, if any, redemption so be warned.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant performance

If you could sum up The Killer Inside Me in three words, what would they be?

Psycho-killer quesque c'est!

What did you like best about this story?

Truly literary study of psychopathy. Brilliant performance by Tim Flavin, which caught the glib charm of the psychopath and the cold emptiness underneath.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The death of the Greek boy

Any additional comments?

I had Chandler and Ellroy as the kings of noir, but Thompson is at least as good

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Captivating fiction. Couldn’t put it down. Didn’t listen to any other books during this one. I was engrossed in this story. Would recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fanstastic

Brilliantly performed. Expertly written. A great production. Very dark, perfect example of Noir. Good counterpoint to ‘In a lonely Place’ by Dorothy B Hughes.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed

Loved the story, very different from anything I've read/listened to before, and the narration really brought it to life for me. Excellent characterisation.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

unapologetically chilling and hard noir

What did you like most about The Killer Inside Me?

Well written but slightly out stays its welcome by the end. However that's a minor flaw a great psychological look through the eyes of a stone cold, unemotional character

What does Tim Flavin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The narrator is wonderful at getting that hard-boiled prose spot on

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

there are some pretty glib, grim points of view and turns of phrases and the whole thing is very very very misogynistic. The violence and treatment towards women will probably still upset those offended by things like that so it is not for everyone

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Just did not find it gripping.
No surprises either but I guess it's written thru the eyes of the killer.
Thot threre was a lot of potential with the storyline but hugely disappointing .

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