Why would someone intervene with a parole board to have someone he doesn’t know released into his hands, hand him a no-show job. Can such altruism for criminals really exist? Well of course not? This is the world of Jim Thompson and here he is in deep paranoia territory. What are the angles in this small town? Well there is a font of corruption: corrupt politicians, corrupt bureaucracy, corrupt lobbyists, corrupt police, corrupt husbands and wives. Set-ups. There is no such thing as honest graft. The takeaway is that Small Town USA is a morality free zone.