Pop. 1280

Pop. 1280 is a crime novel by Jim Thompson published in 1964.Set in the fictional town of Pottsville during the early 20th century, the novel follows Nick Corey, a seemingly dim-witted sheriff whose pleasant exterior hides a scheming, psychopathic personality. He holds a deeply cynical view of his town and views his place there as enforcing the law as little as possible. Through the course of the novel Nick commits a series of increasingly egregious crimes against deserving and innocent people alike and expertly manipulates those around him to avoid accountability and realize his desires. The book's critical reception has been largely positive. NPR's Stephen Marche described it as Thompson's "true masterpiece, a preposterously upsetting, ridiculously hilarious layer cake of nastiness, a romp through a world of nearly infinite deceit." Charlie Higson noted that "The book manages to switch between hilarious and horrific in a startling manner."