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| Plot Summary of The Killer Inside Me |
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"THE KILLER INSIDE ME is a book written by Jim Thompson in 1952. The book is primarily a journey through a killer's mind trying to justify his actions.
Central City, Texas. Lou Ford is a sheriff's deputy who wouldn't hurt a fly. He likes to tell dull philosophical clichés and is appreciated by his boss and the town's population. But Lou is totally psychotic, refraining from an urge to hit and kill women who remind him of his nurse, his father's mistress. He already has killed a little girl but his half-brother Mike went to prison in his place. One day, he's asked by the sheriff to visit Joyce Lakeland, a prostitute, who soon falls in love with Lou and his sexual violence. Together they plan to leave town after having swindled Chester Conway, a rich businessman whose son Elmer has become sexually involved with Joyce. But Lou, exasperated by Joyce's love, kills her and Elmer in cold blood. As nothing can connect him to the murder, Lou observes with cynicism the Sheriff's efforts to find the murderer. Meanwhile, Lou's girlfriend, Lucille, wants him to marry her, Johnnie Papas, Lou's friend, is arrested and suspected of being the murderer and a pipe-line worker who saw Lou near Joyce's house is blackmailing him. Will Lou's mind be able to cope with these unexpected events ?
A masterpiece."
Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Killer Inside Me |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Crime & Police story
Yes
Story of
- criminals killing each other
- victim falls in love with criminal
Outside culture (society)
- American Texas
If story of urban/rural...
- Small town life
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- mentally ill
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- wealthy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- dumb Rednecks, like Gomer Pyle
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- explicit references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- use of artificial tools
- actual description of hetero sex
- rape/molest (yeech!)
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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