Jim Thompson - 1280 main

Nick Corey is a terrible sheriff, but he is on purpose. It doesn't solve problems, it doesn't follow the rules, it doesn't arrest criminals. He knows there's no one in tiny Potts County who wants to follow the law, and he's perfectly fine with lazing around, eating five meals a day, and sleeping with every available woman.

But Nick is faced with some very complicated difficulties. Two local pimps started and ruined his already battered reputation. Her friend, Rose, is kept in terror by her husband. Then there's his wife and her brother, who won't let him rest, even though he's still suffering all the time. Are they perhaps a little too close to each other compared to being brothers?

With the sheriff's election coming up, Nick needs to solve his problems, and fast. Because he knows one thing for sure: he'll do anything to stay sheriff. And Nick Corey is not at all as dumb as he seems.

1280 people is considered a classic of the mid-20th century. Jim Thompson is at his best in his story of lust, murder and betrayal, set in the American South. The novel served as the basis for the acclaimed 1981 French film The Cleaning.