Pop. 1280

By: Jim Thompson

Narrated by: John McLain

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Nick Corey is a terrible sheriff on purpose. He doesn't solve problems, enforce rules or arrest criminals. He knows that nobody in tiny Potts County actually wants to follow the law and he is perfectly content lazing about, eating five meals a day, and sleeping with all the eligible women.

Still, Nick has some very complex problems to deal with. Two local pimps have been sassing him, ruining his already tattered reputation. His girlfriend Rose is being terrorized by her husband. And then, there's his wife and her brother Lenny who won't stop troubling Nick's already stressed mind. Are they a little too close for a brother and a sister?

With an election coming up, Nick needs to fix his problems and fast. Because the one thing Nick does know is that he will do anything to stay sheriff. Because, as it turns out, Sheriff Nick Corey is not nearly as dumb as he seems.

In Pop. 1280, widely regarded as a classic of mid-20th century crime, Thompson offers up one of his best, in a tale of lust, murder, and betrayal in the Deep South that was the basis for the critically acclaimed French film Coup de Torchon.

©2011 Jim Thompson (P)2011 Hachette Audio

very nice surprise

Great Book! May want to turn the narration to 1.25 to 1.4 speed on this one. His drawl is very, very, very slow.

Great!

Pop. 1280 is probably the greatest American crime novel ever, and this audiobook version does it proud.

Camus of Crime Fiction

“a heck of a lot of things are bound to go wrong in a world as big as this one. And if there's an answer to why it's that way - and there ain't always - why, it's probably not just one answer by itself, but thousands of answers.”
― Jim Thompson, Pop. 1280

Small towns can be a drag. Especially when you are the High Sheriff. Especially when you are also a psychopath who is just a tad smarter than you let on. You've got these liberal and soft feelings toward minorities and social ills. You want to find a nice woman and settle down, but with all these women you are sleeping with and all these clowns in town things just can't get right (with either you or the Lord) until a couple of these buggers are dead. I mean don't feel bad about it. Dead isn't that much better than life in a town in Texas (or was it Oklahoma?) with a population hovering around 1280 and some of those 1280 aren't rich or white. People in town might want you to do stuff. No, not really. They keep electing you because that is exactly what they don't want you to do -- stuff. And if they knew the stuff you did, the certainly wouldn't want you to keep on doing it.

Thompson seems to grab the humanity by the nuts and just squeezes the truth out of it. Like Jim had a whole town on the rack and after a bit of pulling the town's ugliness just seems to spill out. Don't think your big towns are any better and don't think your suburban sprawl doesn't contain the rats, the hypocrites, the dark motives and strange bedfellows that seem to exist in the front room of Jim Thompson's brain. Your town is the same, just more so. And if so, think of how many 'high sheriff's' your town has protecting you.

Not for the politically correct-but what a read!

Would you listen to Pop. 1280 again? Why?

Yes. It was part social commentary, part thriller.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pop. 1280?

I don't want to give any spoilers. Let's just say it had to do with a family relationship.

Which character – as performed by John McLain – was your favorite?

The lead character

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely, but unfortunately I had other obligations.

Any additional comments?

I will definitely check out the rest of Jim Thompson's work. He didn't get the acclaim he deserved during his lifetime.

WOW i found by accident

4 those who like Pulp fiction (the movie) and Guy Riche movies etc and maybe bret E. ellis ie American Pyscho etc i guess wow there were spot i was laughing outloud BUt its scary dark! i listen to 100s of books and i went stright thru here

Fantastic

This truly is a great book! The story itself unfolds beautifully as well as the characters. The narration was perfect.

The town sheriff

My first foray into Jim Thompson. This was a great listen, super narration and quite an unusual character as the town sheriff. Now I see how several of Thompson's books have turned into films. It is fun, wild, and offensive as well. Chech this out.

I'm not sure what I expected, but it was not that

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would, depending on the friend. The performance was good and the story was different. The story did lag in parts but, it did entertain. I have listened to worse.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jim Thompson? Why or why not?

Yes I would, this was an audible recommendation. I may read a little more about the author before I give him another listen though.

Was Pop. 1280 worth the listening time?

I think it was. The performance was quality and the story was interesting enough to stick with. It was worth the time.

Nobody writes 'em like Jim Thompson

Would you listen to Pop. 1280 again? Why?

I would. The story, combined with the narration, drew me in and I know I'll listen to it again in the future.

Which character – as performed by John McLain – was your favorite?

McLain nailed the first-person central character. Jim Thompson was a master at getting deep inside the criminal mind while writing in the first person. McLain brought this creepy character to life with a great understated narration.

murders uncalled for

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no

Would you ever listen to anything by Jim Thompson again?

probably not

Could you see Pop. 1280 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no

Any additional comments?

Good story and could have been a lot of fun but when the Sheriff starts killing people it takes a turn for the worse. There's no reason for it. Could have been more entertaining if the old boy had come up with some wild convoluted backwoods kind of humiliation. Murdering the poor old black guy just didn't fit.
John McLain does a great job, I'll look for him again