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| The Golden Gizmo | 
 enlarge | Author: Jim Thompson
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $10.00
Buy New: $5.43
You Save: $4.57 (46%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $2.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  (5 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1119354
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.6
ISBN: 0375700323
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780375700323
ASIN: 0375700323
Publication Date: May 26, 1998
Release Date: May 26, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Toddy Kent was born with a talent for finding easy money, but Toddy's gift has the habit of deserting him when he needs it most. When he discovers a seemingly limitless ( and illicit) source of pure gold, Toddy's wife suddenly is murdered and he himself is on the run from a sinister man with no chin and a singing Doberman.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Skip this one. August 21, 2004
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Golden Gizmo is a tall tale which meanders aimlessly, ultimately winding up nowhere. Written with sufficient surrealism to easily accomodate a supporting character that happens to be a talking dog, there just isn't anything here to engage the reader's interest.
The main character, Todd Kent, is an early incarnation of Roy Dillon, the young L.A. con artist Thompson so masterfully brought to life in The Grifters. But that's where any similarity between the two novels begins and ends.
The Golden Gizmo is a real clunker. Sometimes even great writers like Jim Thompson will step up to the plate and strike out. Not recommended.
Bizarre and confusing August 23, 2002
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm a big Thompson fan; THE GOLDEN GIZMO is the 12th of his books I've read. Unfortunately, it may be my least favorite so far. The story is about Toddy Kent, a typical Thompson grifter who is working as a door-to-door gold buyer (does anyone really do this job?). He's semi-legit now because he's working for an honest gold buyer. However, in a typical Thompson ploy, he accidentally gets into trouble by knocking on the wrong door while trying to buy gold. In this house, Toddy encounters a chinless man, a Hispanic woman, and a talking dog. Yes, the dog talks. I like some surreal writing, but the device of having the dog talk wasn't really used to much benefit here and really just undermined the action for me. Toddy becomes entangled in various problems related to the chinless man and corrupt gold sellers. The plot hinges on far too many coincidences for my taste, and it really was just too confusing. Almost every other chapter ends with someone else clobbering Toddy or pulling a gun on him. All of Thompson's skills as a crime noir writer seemed to have deserted him with this book, much like Toddy's golden gizmo. If you're a fan of Thompson, THE GOLDEN GIZMO is a passable read. Otherwise, I suggest Thompson classics like THE GRIFTERS or THE GETAWAY.
Mission Improbable April 30, 2000
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is almost a decent novel. If it didn't come from the author of that masterpiece, "The Grifters," I might have given it an extra star or two. What's really painful is that there's a lot of good stuff here. The characters, as always, are fascinating. And only Jim Thompson could make a talking dog a convincing player in a noir thriller! But his cleverness here only serves to highlight his childish plot gimmicks. When you find out what happened to The Missing Body, you'll want to scream in frustration.
 What happens to the confidence man who tries to go straight? March 4, 2000
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Like most of Jim Thompson's novels, the story turns on a series of criminal events. Toddy Kent is a man with the "golden gizmo" -- a psychic sense that can lead him to riches just as readily as to disaster. This book is textured with curiosities -- Teddy is married to a woman who drives him mad; a gold buyer for a reputable dealer, he stumbles into a steady supply of the highest grade gold and finds himself pursued by a ruthless, chinless man, a beautiful young woman, and a blood-thirsty dog that can talk and sings hymns. Most other writers would see the story fall around their ears, but Thompson deftly, gleefully pulls it off!
Nice little comedy from Thompson July 11, 1999
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This isn't a necessary Thompson read, but it is enjoyable, especially parts concerning the dog. Those expecting something warped will be disappointed, but it's decent for those of us who plan on reading everything Thompson has written.
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