The Cocktail Waitress by James M. Cain

James M. Cain is one of the gods of pulp mysteries, standing alongside Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. His The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity are classics. So, when a never-before published manuscript (hinted at during late in life interviews and biographies) surfaces, it’s a big thing. And I guess, for that reason alone, The Cocktail Waitress is worth the read.

However (and I may be the only one who says this), if you’re looking for a pulp mystery on the level of Cain’s classics, this book isn’t it. Actually, Michael Connelly, in his NY Times Book Review, I think says the same thing.

Joan Medford kicks her drunk husband out of the house one night and he crashes a borrowed car on a culvert, leaving her a penniless widow, hated by her sister-in-law and unable to look after her three year old son, Tad.  The police are suspicious, thinking she might have helped the process. Mentioning to one of the investigating police officers that she desperately needs a job, he suggests the local bar/restaurant, The Garden of Roses. On his recommendation she gets the job as a cocktail waitress and she meets the old, but well-to-do, Earl K. White III, who immediately falls in love with her. She also meets, the young and handsome Tom, with whom there’s a tremendous physical attraction.

What does Joan do? White may be the answer to her financial worries and the means to get Tad back from her sister-in-law (who has been caring for him since Joan doesn’t have the means). But Tom, certainly, will meet her physical needs.

Older man–>younger woman—>younger man is a typical James M. Cain plot, done much better in The Postman Always Rings Twice. I’m not saying there aren’t some great passages and surprises along the way, including the ending (which, while, in my opinion sort of follows, is, again in my opinion, uncalled for). But…

I’ve been inundating myself in mystery stories from The Black Mask and I’ll be honest. There are better stories than The Cocktail Waitress, but again, any pulp/James M. Cain fan will be compelled to read The Cocktail Waitress. It won’t be the death of you, but it certainly won’t keep you riveted.

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Double Indemnity by James. M. Cain

Double Indemnity is quite the story. Again, in 80 pages, James M. Cain conveyed all he needed to in order to tell a chilling tale of murder and betrayal. It’s the same old story, murder for insurance, but it’s not the same old story in the way that it’s told. It’s the perfect murder, but it isn’t that perfect.

What I’ve come to realize, however, is that not only does Cain know how to tell a tale, he also knows how to create an ending that the readers won’t figure out. In both The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, I never in a million years would have conceived of his endings. Totally creative, totally fitting, totally satisfying, totally chilling. There is a reason why these novelettes are considered classics.

Now for the movie, which I intend to watch. I know I’ve seen it but don’t remember it. Since I remembered Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck played the leads, I wasn’t really picturing anyone else in the parts. What startled me was the Barbara Stanwyck’s character in the book is Phyllis Nirdlinger and in the movie is Phyllis Dietrichson. Tell me what director thought that Dietrichson was a better name than Nirdlinger. MacMurray’s character is Walter Huff in the book and Walter Neff in the movie. I’m sure there’s a story behind these and several other name changes, but for the life of me, I can’t imagine what it would be.

I’m pretty sure I have an old edition like this of The Postman Always Rings Twice floating around my apartment somewhere. I’ll soon be on the search to find it.

To sum up, if you want to know what a real mystery is like, short, sweet and to the point, I whole-heartedly suggest James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity.

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The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

I am truly amazed at what an author can do in 87 pages. The Postman Always Rings Twice has suspense, raw emotion, murder, sex. Cain didn’t have to write 200 pages to get his story told…87 was perfect.

And believe it or not, Lana Turner and John Garfield look exactly like I pictured Cora and Frank to look. Whoever cast the original movie…bravo.

Can’t wait to watch the movie. If you’re a mystery fan or a fan of great writing, read The Postman Always Rings Twice. Have to wait to read Double Indemnity until I finish a middle grade/YA book…Wonder by R. J. Palacio. I have it on good authority that it’s a great read.

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Preserving My Books

There may be some of you out there who do this, but I’m guessing not too many. I recently acquired this 1988 edition of James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Jeopardy. But it’s too nice to read and I really want to read it. It’s got gold edging on the pages. It’s got gold around the front and back covers and it’s got the mock up of newspapers on each side. It appears that the binding hasn’t been cracked.  What’s a reader to do?

I went to my trusty public library and got out this copy, which includes a third novel, Mildred Pierce. Since it’s from the library, you know it’s been read…it looks well read. And I’m reading this copy, so as to preserve my original copy.

I’ll go so far as to say I’ve purchased a book in shrink wrap and haven’t opened it. It was the catalog to Ralph Lauren’s collection of antique cars at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I saw the collection at the museum. I skimmed through the catalog while in the gift shop and bought a pristine one which I haven’t opened (in about 10 years, give or take a few).

I know…weird.  What can I tell you? I plan to do that same thing with my 1899 edition of Thoreau’s Cape Cod. It’s in beautiful condition, so why spoil it? Since I plan to read it on Cape Cod, it’s likely that sand will get on the pages. Why mess up my copy?

So that’s my quirk. What’s yours?

Ed

P.S. So far, The Postman Always Rings Twice is quite good. Guess I’ll have to see the movie…the original, not any remakes. Enjoy

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