Jim Thompson, born James Myers Thompson, was an eminent American writer known for his hardboiled crime fiction novels. Born in Anadarko, Oklahoma, on September 27, 1906, Thompson embarked on a prolific writing career, penning over thirty novels majorly as original paperback publications by pulp fiction houses from the late 1940s through the mid-1950s. Despite achieving some positive critical acclaim, notably from Anthony Boucher in the New York Times, Thompson remained largely unrecognized during his lifetime.

It was only posthumously, particularly in the late 1980s, that Thompson's literary stature gained significant recognition. This came about when several of his novels were re-published in the Black Lizard series of rediscovered crime fiction. Thompson's legacy in the realm of noir fiction is now well established, marking him as a pivotal figure within the genre.