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The Baby in the Icebox: And Other Short Fiction
A collection of stories, both early and late, that show how Mystery Writers of America Grand Master James M. Cain made his name
There is a hungry tiger loose in the house, and that is not good news for anyone. A jealous husband let the animal out of his cage hoping he would eat his wife alive, but tigers aren’t used to taking orders. This jungle cat will get his meal, and he doesn’t care where it comes from.
“The Baby in the Icebox” begins with a murdered wildcat and ends with a dead human—and what comes in between is some of the most striking prose James M. Cain ever put to paper. It is one of the first stories this master of crime fiction ever wrote, and it shows all the hallmarks of the novels that would later make him famous—namely Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. The tales in this collection are short, but Cain never needed more than a few pages to thrill.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1932
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354 people want to read
About the author
James M. Cain
144 books879 followersJames Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892–October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hard-boiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the "roman noir."
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
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July 16, 2015
3.5 stars
If James M. Cain wrote nothing else but The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce, his reputation as one of the granddaddies of Noir Lit would be secured. This volume collects sketches, dialogues, short stories and a serial, some of which have never been published. How do they measure up with the more famous stuff? As a whole, not very well.
The first third of the book is made up of the aforementioned sketches and dialogues - short pieces and one-act plays. Here Cain’s writing style was taking shape; his ability to write in dialects was evolving. He tried to copy the speech patterns of Eastern Shore rural/small town Marylanders (he lived there for awhile) with mixed results. The problem here is that most of the stuff is middling in quality and not very memorable. These pieces would be of scholarly interest to someone who wanted to see Cain’s writing mature over time.
The collection of short stories is the strongest part of the book. Some even have been anthologized elsewhere. One of Cain’s favorite themes is the murderer who’s wracked by guilt and feels compelled to confess (Hello, Dostoevsky.) Oh, and the title story is not a homage to Jonathon Swift.
There’s even a story here about a kid’s birthday party which is about as far as you can go from noir. It’s like Lou Reed singing a children’s song or Edvard Munch coming up with a connect-the-dots book.
Back in the day, magazines published some stories as serials. Double Indemnity was originally a serial. This is no Double Indemnity. The title, Money and the Woman (The Embezzler) is about as exciting as the story.
One thing that struck me here is that Cain’s dialogue lacks the punch of some other writers of this genre. You don’t find much in the way of snappy patter and quotable passages like you would with Chandler or Ross MacDonald. And beyond some of the short stories there is really nothing to recommend this volume.
If James M. Cain wrote nothing else but The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce, his reputation as one of the granddaddies of Noir Lit would be secured. This volume collects sketches, dialogues, short stories and a serial, some of which have never been published. How do they measure up with the more famous stuff? As a whole, not very well.
The first third of the book is made up of the aforementioned sketches and dialogues - short pieces and one-act plays. Here Cain’s writing style was taking shape; his ability to write in dialects was evolving. He tried to copy the speech patterns of Eastern Shore rural/small town Marylanders (he lived there for awhile) with mixed results. The problem here is that most of the stuff is middling in quality and not very memorable. These pieces would be of scholarly interest to someone who wanted to see Cain’s writing mature over time.
The collection of short stories is the strongest part of the book. Some even have been anthologized elsewhere. One of Cain’s favorite themes is the murderer who’s wracked by guilt and feels compelled to confess (Hello, Dostoevsky.) Oh, and the title story is not a homage to Jonathon Swift.
There’s even a story here about a kid’s birthday party which is about as far as you can go from noir. It’s like Lou Reed singing a children’s song or Edvard Munch coming up with a connect-the-dots book.
Back in the day, magazines published some stories as serials. Double Indemnity was originally a serial. This is no Double Indemnity. The title, Money and the Woman (The Embezzler) is about as exciting as the story.
One thing that struck me here is that Cain’s dialogue lacks the punch of some other writers of this genre. You don’t find much in the way of snappy patter and quotable passages like you would with Chandler or Ross MacDonald. And beyond some of the short stories there is really nothing to recommend this volume.
May 24, 2015
This is a wonderful collection of various pieces by James M. Cain, perhaps best known for Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice . The book is divided into three sections: Sketches and Dialogues,Short Stories, Serial. Fascinating introductions fill out each section; be sure not to skip these if you read this book. They give a glimpse into the development of a writer's mind, something which I find very interesting.
For the Sketches, my favorites were Santa Claus, M.D., in which a man regains his belief in Santa Claus in a most unusual manner. It Breathed, based on a true experience Cain had on the battlefield in WWI was intense and poignant.
In the Short Story section, another WWI experience contributed to The Taking Of Montfaucon and shows us just how frustrating life on the front must have been. The Girl In The Storm is a gem; as is The Baby In The Icebox, my overall favorite, possibly because of the no-nonsense heroine Lura and the way she handled that tiger.
My only regret about reading this book at this point was that it was my fourth or fifth re-read, and the last one was just a year or so ago. I remembered details of the stories after the first few sentences of each one, and I would think Oh, yeah, this is where this, that and the other happens. This is not always a bad thing, because it did make me focus more on the amazing craftsmanship Cain used to tell his tales. As is written in one of the introductions: "...he had developed a style which enabled him to tell a story in about half the space required by the average novelist." Sometimes this is a very good idea, and I was impressed once again by the intensity and atmosphere of Cain's work.
For the Sketches, my favorites were Santa Claus, M.D., in which a man regains his belief in Santa Claus in a most unusual manner. It Breathed, based on a true experience Cain had on the battlefield in WWI was intense and poignant.
In the Short Story section, another WWI experience contributed to The Taking Of Montfaucon and shows us just how frustrating life on the front must have been. The Girl In The Storm is a gem; as is The Baby In The Icebox, my overall favorite, possibly because of the no-nonsense heroine Lura and the way she handled that tiger.
My only regret about reading this book at this point was that it was my fourth or fifth re-read, and the last one was just a year or so ago. I remembered details of the stories after the first few sentences of each one, and I would think Oh, yeah, this is where this, that and the other happens. This is not always a bad thing, because it did make me focus more on the amazing craftsmanship Cain used to tell his tales. As is written in one of the introductions: "...he had developed a style which enabled him to tell a story in about half the space required by the average novelist." Sometimes this is a very good idea, and I was impressed once again by the intensity and atmosphere of Cain's work.
February 2, 2025
4 Stars. One of Cain's most famous stories. From 1932 and set in rural California during the depression. I found it in 'The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction' from 1961. I'd heard of it but knew nothing about the plot, so when I read the first line of the second paragraph, "Because when a guy and his wife begin to play leapfrog with a tiger .. ," I thought the word 'tiger' was a figure of speech for something dangerous. Wrong. The reference is to a real tiger loose in Duke and Lura's home! Extremely dangerous. Wasn't there a song in the 'Wizard of Oz' titled 'Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My?' From the late 1930s. There is no tiger in 'Oz;' where did the idea come from? The couple ran an auto repair shop, filling station and lunchroom and, hoping to 'draw trade,' decided to breed wildcats. One day Duke acquired Rajah to add to this menagerie; he began to think he was an animal trainer. The problem was that their marriage wasn't strong and each also brought home, or went to visit, mammals of the two-legged variety. Then little Roy appeared. Who was the father? And what's this about an icebox (an old-style freezer)? (Ja2025)
February 2, 2025
4 Stars. I've added below a quick review of the 20 entries in this great 1961 collection of early James M. Cain. It includes sketches and dialogues, short stories, and serials. But really, all of them are short stories. There's an excellent introduction by Roy Hoopes - he discusses Cain's development as a writer and places the stories in the context of his later blockbusters such as 'Mildred Pierce.' Less than half are mysteries, my favourites, but they're all worth reading. Each of them features a Cain twist, the surprises in life that make things interesting. Some of his writing takes getting used to; it often focuses on rural American characters and their style of speaking and vocabulary from the 1920s and 30s in the depression. And a few other themes show up, like how people can develop a guilty conscience after a serious crime, and how they handle difficult situations especially where love is involved. He often shows the worst in people, occasionally the best. Six of the 20 have their own GR entries and I review them separately there.
1) 'The Robbery.' 3 Stars. Four pages; we follow the thinking of a man who opens his door to another tenant in his building. His visitor is polite as he meanders toward his reason for the visit. Best to summarize it as: our apartment was broken into and we were robbed. I think you did it!
2) 'Vanishing Act.' 3 Stars. Again four pages. Not a mystery, just a slice of life. Mr. Needles and Mr. Kemper are having a rambling conversation in a community park about a story in the paper on a former soldier who is shrinking as he ages. You'll enjoy the way Cain portrays friendly interactions as the two bounce from one subject to another.
3) 'Dreamland.' 4 Stars. Again four pages. An amusing slice of life. Before the telephone became more economical, there was a period in the 1920s and 30s when people recorded personal messages on a phonograph record and sent it to friends or family. Sometimes singing, sometimes talking. Here a nervous young man attempts to make a date that way. He wants a young woman to go dancing with him at Dreamland.
4) 'Joy Ride.' 4 Stars. Another 4-pager - several early stories must have been written to the original magazine publisher's length requirements. Not as much a mystery or crime story, but there is some of that, as a litany of 'what stupid things we do when we're drunk.' Two sons of a road contractor feel their father is underpaying them and decide to steal his horse and buggy to take a bender in Washington. Things go awry on their drunken return.
5) 'Queen of Love and Beauty.' 3 Stars. I wonder what Cain got paid by the magazine for these 4-page short fictions? Cain opens with "Down in the country .." just as he did with the previous item. The unwitting lead is Burt Lucas; he'd been drummed out of town a few years ago for stealing a car and wrecking it. Now he's back and has entered a local horse-riding tournament which features the winners' right to choose the belle of the ball, so to speak. What should the community do if he wins?
6) 'Santa Claus, M.D.' 5 Stars. A wonderful short story, again just 4 pages - these really are a more recent phenomenon called flash fiction (short stories of 1,000 words or less). Mr. Hartman is the new principal of a school in a rural small town, and he too appears to be more modern than the 1920s. A science teacher, he began to teach the upper grades "all about how the animals had little ones." In rural America, the kids already knew that but, when he told the Christmas assembly that there wasn't a Santa Claus, all hell broke loose. He got fired but then quickly re-hired! Why you ask?
7) 'Gold Letters, Hand-Painted.' 5 Stars. Again, an amusing 4-page story about one of the ways boys became men in 1920s, small town America. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. A young man, Robert B. Plummer Jr., travelled to the big city of Wilmington, Delaware and got himself a blue and gold shaving mug with his own name hand-painted on it. And then put it on the shelf at the local barber shop. Everyone had to see it. But for Bob, things didn't go as planned.
8) 'It Breathed.' 4 Stars. Another 4-pager. With supernatural aspects - rare for Cain. It's a war story from near the end of WW1 when the American Expeditionary Force was in Europe. A group of four men are serving as lookouts but one of them, Foley, has fallen ill with flu. That negatively impacts the length of off-shift rest time for the others. Katz complains and adds that he can't stand lookout after midnight. He says, "You know this whole thing is alive .. and it breathes." The narrator is baffled as to what his partner is talking about. The tale reminded me of an Agatha Christie horror story (yes, she did some good ones!).
9) 'The Hero.' 3 Stars. A 16-pager. We are flies on the wall at a confidential meeting of the commissioners of a small community [the elected council]. A volunteer firefighter has died at a fire. The town has two fire brigades - the Water Witches and Semper Fidelis ['always faithful']. But instead of dousing the fire, Scotty Aker of the second had started a water fight with the first. That's when a heavy section of burning timber fell and killed him. Is Scotty a hero who deserves a pension? Do they have the money anyway? The committee knows that whatever decision they make, one of the brigades will be upset. It's politics and they even try to throw blame on the local Rotary Club! Eventually they reach a decision; can you guess it? [Note: other fraternal organizations mentioned include the Odd Fellows, The Junior League / Order, and the Heptasophs ('seven wise people'). Second note #2: in Cain's inimitable way, the conversations ramble all over the place. At one point, a commissioner tries to justify the lynching of a 'n....r.' Of it's time but so upsetting. I took a star off.]
10) 'Theological Interlude.' 5 Stars. Read it and laugh. An indictment, I think intentional but it's difficult to understand what Cain was really saying below the surface, if anything, of religious practices in the 1920s in rural and poor America. It's 14 pages. Hal and Laura Nation, with her brother Mr. Barlow, are discussing their 16-year-old daughter Eva's near death experience. She caught typhoid fever [today there are excellent vaccines and antibiotics] and 'died.' Her heart appears to have stopped and she claimed to have been in heaven. The three debate this as well as Eva's more recent running off with a married preacher. Hell and ghosts are in there too. To the latter Mrs. Nation says, "I ain't never said I believed in ghosts." They conclude that Eva had to have been in heaven. Mr. Nation closes with, "Stands to reason." I roared. [Note: there's a smaller reference to lynching. No deduction this time but it amazes me how people could be so nonchalant about such a terrible crime against an individual and humanity too. But I am 99% sure Cain was describing rural whites as he found them.]
11) 'Pastorale.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
12) 'The Taking of Montfaucon.' 3 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
13) 'The Baby in the Icebox.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
14) 'The Birthday Party. 4 Stars. There's an adage that boys as they enter their teenage years are often not as mature as girls. Burwell Hope fits the bill. He's been invited to Marjorie Lucas' birthday party; she's a classmate but he says she has "The face that only a mother could love." Don't we sometimes say such cruel things. And the other guys going are "sissies." He does enjoy swimming and, to avoid Red the ice cream truck guy to whom he owes a dime, he goes to the local pond where to his amazement Marjorie turns up! She's a great diver and he begins to enjoy her company. Before you get too invested in this boy meets girl story, should I remind you that Cain loves sudden twists?
15) 'Dead Man.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
16) 'Brush Fire.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
17) 'Coal Black.' 5 Stars. A romance in a coal mine! With a touch of terror thrown in. Lonnie is a 19-year-old coal miner; he likes his job. One day he's down in the mine and there's a real surprise - a young woman appears! She had been hiding in one of the cars and the train suddenly moved and took her deep below. Now she can't find her way out. Scared, she begs for his help. But Lonnie informs her, and us, that a woman in a coal mine means bad luck. The other miners are a afraid that her presence portends a cave-in. Lonnie says she shouldn't be seen by them. Some think the mine is already haunted. Will the two of them make it out?
18) 'The Girl in the Storm.' 4 Stars. Another tough situation which could lead to romance. But it's a different twist from Cain this time. Jack Schwab has been riding the rails in the depression and wakes up in Hidalgo, California - in the middle of a terrible flood and rain storm. He barely escapes from drowning and finds refuge in a half-finished home. Then he sees a car on the near-by road stall in the flood waters and he rescues the driver. Glory be, it's a young woman, Flora Hilton, who has dry matches for a fire. Soon they find food. Both of them are sure to survive but ..
19) 'Joy Ride to Glory.' 5 Stars. A crime story. With very tense moments and another surprise. Fear is one of Cain's specialties. The question comes down to, 'Is Red Conley dead, or is he alive?' Red is in jail for a month or so for stealing 6 tires and today he's unloading meat and supplies for the prison along with a lifer named Bugs Calenso. That's when a guard slips up and the two of them escape as stowaways in the delivery truck. Red didn't really want to escape but Bugs holds him at gun point while committing a string of gruesome killings. Does Red survive all of this? It's 11 pages of suspense.
20) 'Money and the Woman / (AKA) The Embezzler.' X Stars (still reading). See my single story review elsewhere on GR. (Ja2025)
1) 'The Robbery.' 3 Stars. Four pages; we follow the thinking of a man who opens his door to another tenant in his building. His visitor is polite as he meanders toward his reason for the visit. Best to summarize it as: our apartment was broken into and we were robbed. I think you did it!
2) 'Vanishing Act.' 3 Stars. Again four pages. Not a mystery, just a slice of life. Mr. Needles and Mr. Kemper are having a rambling conversation in a community park about a story in the paper on a former soldier who is shrinking as he ages. You'll enjoy the way Cain portrays friendly interactions as the two bounce from one subject to another.
3) 'Dreamland.' 4 Stars. Again four pages. An amusing slice of life. Before the telephone became more economical, there was a period in the 1920s and 30s when people recorded personal messages on a phonograph record and sent it to friends or family. Sometimes singing, sometimes talking. Here a nervous young man attempts to make a date that way. He wants a young woman to go dancing with him at Dreamland.
4) 'Joy Ride.' 4 Stars. Another 4-pager - several early stories must have been written to the original magazine publisher's length requirements. Not as much a mystery or crime story, but there is some of that, as a litany of 'what stupid things we do when we're drunk.' Two sons of a road contractor feel their father is underpaying them and decide to steal his horse and buggy to take a bender in Washington. Things go awry on their drunken return.
5) 'Queen of Love and Beauty.' 3 Stars. I wonder what Cain got paid by the magazine for these 4-page short fictions? Cain opens with "Down in the country .." just as he did with the previous item. The unwitting lead is Burt Lucas; he'd been drummed out of town a few years ago for stealing a car and wrecking it. Now he's back and has entered a local horse-riding tournament which features the winners' right to choose the belle of the ball, so to speak. What should the community do if he wins?
6) 'Santa Claus, M.D.' 5 Stars. A wonderful short story, again just 4 pages - these really are a more recent phenomenon called flash fiction (short stories of 1,000 words or less). Mr. Hartman is the new principal of a school in a rural small town, and he too appears to be more modern than the 1920s. A science teacher, he began to teach the upper grades "all about how the animals had little ones." In rural America, the kids already knew that but, when he told the Christmas assembly that there wasn't a Santa Claus, all hell broke loose. He got fired but then quickly re-hired! Why you ask?
7) 'Gold Letters, Hand-Painted.' 5 Stars. Again, an amusing 4-page story about one of the ways boys became men in 1920s, small town America. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. A young man, Robert B. Plummer Jr., travelled to the big city of Wilmington, Delaware and got himself a blue and gold shaving mug with his own name hand-painted on it. And then put it on the shelf at the local barber shop. Everyone had to see it. But for Bob, things didn't go as planned.
8) 'It Breathed.' 4 Stars. Another 4-pager. With supernatural aspects - rare for Cain. It's a war story from near the end of WW1 when the American Expeditionary Force was in Europe. A group of four men are serving as lookouts but one of them, Foley, has fallen ill with flu. That negatively impacts the length of off-shift rest time for the others. Katz complains and adds that he can't stand lookout after midnight. He says, "You know this whole thing is alive .. and it breathes." The narrator is baffled as to what his partner is talking about. The tale reminded me of an Agatha Christie horror story (yes, she did some good ones!).
9) 'The Hero.' 3 Stars. A 16-pager. We are flies on the wall at a confidential meeting of the commissioners of a small community [the elected council]. A volunteer firefighter has died at a fire. The town has two fire brigades - the Water Witches and Semper Fidelis ['always faithful']. But instead of dousing the fire, Scotty Aker of the second had started a water fight with the first. That's when a heavy section of burning timber fell and killed him. Is Scotty a hero who deserves a pension? Do they have the money anyway? The committee knows that whatever decision they make, one of the brigades will be upset. It's politics and they even try to throw blame on the local Rotary Club! Eventually they reach a decision; can you guess it? [Note: other fraternal organizations mentioned include the Odd Fellows, The Junior League / Order, and the Heptasophs ('seven wise people'). Second note #2: in Cain's inimitable way, the conversations ramble all over the place. At one point, a commissioner tries to justify the lynching of a 'n....r.' Of it's time but so upsetting. I took a star off.]
10) 'Theological Interlude.' 5 Stars. Read it and laugh. An indictment, I think intentional but it's difficult to understand what Cain was really saying below the surface, if anything, of religious practices in the 1920s in rural and poor America. It's 14 pages. Hal and Laura Nation, with her brother Mr. Barlow, are discussing their 16-year-old daughter Eva's near death experience. She caught typhoid fever [today there are excellent vaccines and antibiotics] and 'died.' Her heart appears to have stopped and she claimed to have been in heaven. The three debate this as well as Eva's more recent running off with a married preacher. Hell and ghosts are in there too. To the latter Mrs. Nation says, "I ain't never said I believed in ghosts." They conclude that Eva had to have been in heaven. Mr. Nation closes with, "Stands to reason." I roared. [Note: there's a smaller reference to lynching. No deduction this time but it amazes me how people could be so nonchalant about such a terrible crime against an individual and humanity too. But I am 99% sure Cain was describing rural whites as he found them.]
11) 'Pastorale.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
12) 'The Taking of Montfaucon.' 3 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
13) 'The Baby in the Icebox.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
14) 'The Birthday Party. 4 Stars. There's an adage that boys as they enter their teenage years are often not as mature as girls. Burwell Hope fits the bill. He's been invited to Marjorie Lucas' birthday party; she's a classmate but he says she has "The face that only a mother could love." Don't we sometimes say such cruel things. And the other guys going are "sissies." He does enjoy swimming and, to avoid Red the ice cream truck guy to whom he owes a dime, he goes to the local pond where to his amazement Marjorie turns up! She's a great diver and he begins to enjoy her company. Before you get too invested in this boy meets girl story, should I remind you that Cain loves sudden twists?
15) 'Dead Man.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
16) 'Brush Fire.' 4 Stars. See my single story review elsewhere on GR.
17) 'Coal Black.' 5 Stars. A romance in a coal mine! With a touch of terror thrown in. Lonnie is a 19-year-old coal miner; he likes his job. One day he's down in the mine and there's a real surprise - a young woman appears! She had been hiding in one of the cars and the train suddenly moved and took her deep below. Now she can't find her way out. Scared, she begs for his help. But Lonnie informs her, and us, that a woman in a coal mine means bad luck. The other miners are a afraid that her presence portends a cave-in. Lonnie says she shouldn't be seen by them. Some think the mine is already haunted. Will the two of them make it out?
18) 'The Girl in the Storm.' 4 Stars. Another tough situation which could lead to romance. But it's a different twist from Cain this time. Jack Schwab has been riding the rails in the depression and wakes up in Hidalgo, California - in the middle of a terrible flood and rain storm. He barely escapes from drowning and finds refuge in a half-finished home. Then he sees a car on the near-by road stall in the flood waters and he rescues the driver. Glory be, it's a young woman, Flora Hilton, who has dry matches for a fire. Soon they find food. Both of them are sure to survive but ..
19) 'Joy Ride to Glory.' 5 Stars. A crime story. With very tense moments and another surprise. Fear is one of Cain's specialties. The question comes down to, 'Is Red Conley dead, or is he alive?' Red is in jail for a month or so for stealing 6 tires and today he's unloading meat and supplies for the prison along with a lifer named Bugs Calenso. That's when a guard slips up and the two of them escape as stowaways in the delivery truck. Red didn't really want to escape but Bugs holds him at gun point while committing a string of gruesome killings. Does Red survive all of this? It's 11 pages of suspense.
20) 'Money and the Woman / (AKA) The Embezzler.' X Stars (still reading). See my single story review elsewhere on GR. (Ja2025)
August 6, 2013
I am in awe of James M. Cain. I have read Mildred Pierce, but I don’t think I have read his other very famous novels. Seen the movies, yes, but as those of you have read and seen Mildred Pierce (the original with Joan Crawford) the two have very little to do with the other. Both terrific, but quite different.
What has happened to short stories? I am old enough to remember when magazines (wait – you mean I’m old enough to remember magazines!) printed short stories in each issue. By the time I came along they were romance stories in the women’s magazines my mother subscribed to; in the 1920’s through the 1940’s, The Saturday Evening Post, Liberty, The American Mercury, The Bookman, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and dozens of pulp magazines published short stories by the very best of contemporary authors. (This is being written on the day we learned that the Washington Post has been sold to Amazon – what’s next? The New York Times??)
Maybe we associate short stories with those anthologies we had in school; maybe we just don’t think short stories are cool. They should be popular now. They are perfectly suited for mobile consumption. The iPhone and iPad and other tablets are with their owners all the time, and a story on these devices can be read on a treadmill, in a bank line, on an airplane, wherever the user has a few minutes and wants to be transported to the magical place stories can create. Poe’s definition of the short story remains as true today as when he wrote it: “a story is a thing that can be read in one sitting.” If he were writing today he might rephrase it: “…in one hour on the tread mill.”
Roy Hoopes, the writer of the introduction to this collection of short stories and one novella states that Cain was essentially a writer of short fiction. The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity are really novellas, according to Hoopes. Cain himself wrote, “In one respect … it [the short story] is greatly superior to the novel, or at any rate, the American novel.”
Cain was from Maryland and most of his early work was placed in the East. He wasn’t successful in selling this fiction and, as a result, taught school, worked as a newspaper reporter, and served in France during WWI. The characters in these stories were “homely characters” who spoke in “ain’ts, brungs, and fittens.” He was good friends with H. L. Mencken, who is regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the first half of the twentieth century.
A very controversial figure, Mencken commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, pseudo-experts, and the temperance movement. He was skeptical of economic theories and particularly critical of anti-intellectualism, bigotry, populism, fundamentalist Christianity, creationism, organized religion, and the existence of God.
An outspoken admirer of German philosopher Nietzsche, he was not a proponent of representative democracy, which he believed was a system in which inferior men dominated their superiors. During and after World War I, he was sympathetic to the Germans, and was distrustful of British propaganda. However, he also referred to Adolf Hitler and his followers as "ignorant thugs." Mencken, through his wide criticism of actions taken by government, has had a strong impact on the libertarian movement.
Cain followed Mencken’s lead in the essays he wrote for Mencken’s publications. He also started writing successful short fiction. He decided to go to Hollywood where he got a job writing screenplays. He gradually found the West, especially California, appealing. One of the principal forms of recreation in the 1930’s was taking car drives. He and his family took hundreds of trips to the canyons, valleys, beaches, and all the other California attractions. He decided that California was the natural background for his writings.
His two greatest influences on his literary style were Ike Newton and Ring Lardner. Ike Newton was a bricklayer who had laid a walk on the campus of Washington College while he talked to twelve-year-old James Cain for hours. Cain later used Ike’s speech to create the dialogue in his stories. One of the most recognizable traits of much of Ring Lardner's writing, both in his columns and in his fiction, is the use of the American slang vernacular.
Several of the short stories were truly haunting, making a remarkable impression on me. Many of the stories followed Cain’s basic theme – two people who conspire in committing a crime, but mistrust lead to betrayal. “The Baby in the Icebox” was reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice in that the setting is a gas station, one of the characters is a drifter, and the husband is a jerk. “The Girl in the Storm” is melancholy and ironic. “The Birthday Party” was a poignant coming-of-age tale. Not all the stories have unhappy endings; in fact, the novella Money and the Woman (The Embezzler) went about 180◦ away from the way I thought it was going.
This was an excellent collection of first-rate short stories. Please bring back the short story; after reading this book, I am very nostalgic for the genre.
What has happened to short stories? I am old enough to remember when magazines (wait – you mean I’m old enough to remember magazines!) printed short stories in each issue. By the time I came along they were romance stories in the women’s magazines my mother subscribed to; in the 1920’s through the 1940’s, The Saturday Evening Post, Liberty, The American Mercury, The Bookman, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and dozens of pulp magazines published short stories by the very best of contemporary authors. (This is being written on the day we learned that the Washington Post has been sold to Amazon – what’s next? The New York Times??)
Maybe we associate short stories with those anthologies we had in school; maybe we just don’t think short stories are cool. They should be popular now. They are perfectly suited for mobile consumption. The iPhone and iPad and other tablets are with their owners all the time, and a story on these devices can be read on a treadmill, in a bank line, on an airplane, wherever the user has a few minutes and wants to be transported to the magical place stories can create. Poe’s definition of the short story remains as true today as when he wrote it: “a story is a thing that can be read in one sitting.” If he were writing today he might rephrase it: “…in one hour on the tread mill.”
Roy Hoopes, the writer of the introduction to this collection of short stories and one novella states that Cain was essentially a writer of short fiction. The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity are really novellas, according to Hoopes. Cain himself wrote, “In one respect … it [the short story] is greatly superior to the novel, or at any rate, the American novel.”
Cain was from Maryland and most of his early work was placed in the East. He wasn’t successful in selling this fiction and, as a result, taught school, worked as a newspaper reporter, and served in France during WWI. The characters in these stories were “homely characters” who spoke in “ain’ts, brungs, and fittens.” He was good friends with H. L. Mencken, who is regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the first half of the twentieth century.
A very controversial figure, Mencken commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, pseudo-experts, and the temperance movement. He was skeptical of economic theories and particularly critical of anti-intellectualism, bigotry, populism, fundamentalist Christianity, creationism, organized religion, and the existence of God.
An outspoken admirer of German philosopher Nietzsche, he was not a proponent of representative democracy, which he believed was a system in which inferior men dominated their superiors. During and after World War I, he was sympathetic to the Germans, and was distrustful of British propaganda. However, he also referred to Adolf Hitler and his followers as "ignorant thugs." Mencken, through his wide criticism of actions taken by government, has had a strong impact on the libertarian movement.
Cain followed Mencken’s lead in the essays he wrote for Mencken’s publications. He also started writing successful short fiction. He decided to go to Hollywood where he got a job writing screenplays. He gradually found the West, especially California, appealing. One of the principal forms of recreation in the 1930’s was taking car drives. He and his family took hundreds of trips to the canyons, valleys, beaches, and all the other California attractions. He decided that California was the natural background for his writings.
His two greatest influences on his literary style were Ike Newton and Ring Lardner. Ike Newton was a bricklayer who had laid a walk on the campus of Washington College while he talked to twelve-year-old James Cain for hours. Cain later used Ike’s speech to create the dialogue in his stories. One of the most recognizable traits of much of Ring Lardner's writing, both in his columns and in his fiction, is the use of the American slang vernacular.
Several of the short stories were truly haunting, making a remarkable impression on me. Many of the stories followed Cain’s basic theme – two people who conspire in committing a crime, but mistrust lead to betrayal. “The Baby in the Icebox” was reminiscent of The Postman Always Rings Twice in that the setting is a gas station, one of the characters is a drifter, and the husband is a jerk. “The Girl in the Storm” is melancholy and ironic. “The Birthday Party” was a poignant coming-of-age tale. Not all the stories have unhappy endings; in fact, the novella Money and the Woman (The Embezzler) went about 180◦ away from the way I thought it was going.
This was an excellent collection of first-rate short stories. Please bring back the short story; after reading this book, I am very nostalgic for the genre.
June 5, 2013
James M. Cain, hardboiled writer most famous for THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, MILDRED PIERCE, and DOUBLE INDEMNITY, never thought of himself as a gifted writer of long fiction. He thought short works were his forte. Here, selected from pieces written largely (but not exclusively) during the early days of his career, are several examples of just how fine a short fiction writer he was. The earliest works are extremely brief, often just sketches or dramatic essays. As his confidence as a writer increases, though, (coincidental with his transplantation from East Coaster to West Coaster), Cain really comes into his own. Crime, violence, and the hardbitten life of drifters and grifters are wonderfully revealed and explored in these pieces written with the brassy ring of truth. For the most part, these are wonderful pieces of writing.
May 29, 2015
Read this sometime in the 1980's.
Contents:
• “The Baby in the Icebox,” The American Mercury, January 1933.
• “The Birthday Party,” Ladies Home Journal, May 1936.
• “Brush Fire,” Liberty Magazine, December 5, 1936
• “Coal Black,” Liberty Magazine, April 3, 1937.
• “Dead Man,” The American Mercury, March 1936.
• “The Girl in the Storm,” Liberty Magazine, January 6, 1940.
• “Joy Ride to Glory.”
• “Pastorale,” The American Mercury, March 1928.
• “The Taking of Montfaucon,” The American Mercury, June 1929.
= NOTE: The British edition (Robert Hale, hc, 1982) adds one story:
• The Embezzler. Avon, 1944.
Contents:
• “The Baby in the Icebox,” The American Mercury, January 1933.
• “The Birthday Party,” Ladies Home Journal, May 1936.
• “Brush Fire,” Liberty Magazine, December 5, 1936
• “Coal Black,” Liberty Magazine, April 3, 1937.
• “Dead Man,” The American Mercury, March 1936.
• “The Girl in the Storm,” Liberty Magazine, January 6, 1940.
• “Joy Ride to Glory.”
• “Pastorale,” The American Mercury, March 1928.
• “The Taking of Montfaucon,” The American Mercury, June 1929.
= NOTE: The British edition (Robert Hale, hc, 1982) adds one story:
• The Embezzler. Avon, 1944.
May 29, 2015
I can’t think of many – OK, I can’t think of any – books that show the growth of a writer. Sure, you can get some early stuff and some later stuff, but these materials are rarely in one book. And if you’re a fan of James M Cain as I am – and I am guessing you are since you are reading this – then you’ll want to grab this book – you’ll get informative introductions that are just long enough to be interesting, some early material that is actually lots of fun and intriguing, and a couple of handfuls of short stories and a short novel as well – who could ask for anything more?
September 21, 2013
I received an electronic advanced reading copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley.
The name James M. Cain never registered on my radar, although I was already familiar with some of his work: "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and what is often considered the epitome of film noir, "Double Indemnity". Upon opening this I expected more of the same, but was surprised to see a greater variety and depth the Cain's writing and fiction plots/genres. Several days after finishing this and I wish I had more of his work at hand to read, both the original stories that birthed those classic noir films and his other less known output.
This particular collection is an excellent primer on the scope of Cain's writing, being split into three sections of form: dialogues, short stories, and one serial novella. Each section is preceded by an introduction to Cain's use of the form, and a general introduction opens the entire collection. These introductory essays are skimmable if you are really just interested in the meat of the fiction, but they are useful in grounding you in why Cain wrote each style of fiction, the merits he viewed in each, and how they were received by critics and fans.
Throughout all the forms Cain has two clear strengths. First is creating a clear, compelling conflict or plot, regardless if large-scale like a crime in a film noir, or a simple, brief confrontation in a doorway. Second is his strength in writing dialogue and regional dialects, particularly of working class people. This shines most obviously in the brief dialogues that open this collection, but even within the short stories they dominate, stretching a bit longer, and broken up from time to time with narration describing the setting or actions. Yet, even these narrations, rendered in the first person, are strongly reminiscent of spoken word, a dialogue between the working class narrator, and the reader, who can easily imagine themselves as an unnamed character in the story, listening to a yarn in a diner over a coffee, or bar over beer.
In these dialogues and short stories the genre of crime or transgression appears from time to time, but many also do not approach anything as grandiose, focusing instead on small aspects of human emotion or psychology in a pure manner. These are Cain's most literary moments, and the ones (based on the introductions) that he was most proud in writing. What is interesting is that Cain did not set out to write honest, emotional dialogue-laden fiction per se. That is simply the only writing he was able to create that appeared authentic and sincere. He had to become the character and 'act', writing as if he were not Cain at all, but an imagined personality, role playing. The result are stories and dialogues that don't come across as fictions necessarily, but honest, imperfect recollections, most wonderfully perhaps in the story that gives the collection its name.
The collection ends with a serial novella, a style that Cain did not have any artistic appreciation for, but simply used to pay the bills, much like a serious actor doing some light, mindless blockbuster. But Cain can't help inject some artistry into the serial, shaping a genre that would translate into the film noir and eventually the French new wave. His serials turned out immensely popular, both with general readers and critics. The serial included was made once into a film that wasn't particularly successful, which I haven't seen, but it does lack the spice and sordidness of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" or the precision and tautness of "Double Indemnity". Nonetheless it is a nice conclusion to the collection, bringing it round to the style of story Cain became most noted for popularly.
Although I am interested in reading more of Cain's work, I appreciated the length this collection kept. By the end of the dialogues and starting the still dialogue-laden short stories, that style was beginning to wear on me, much as Cain found it did when trying to use it to such a degree in his novels. By making this a mixture of styles but allowing none to overstay their welcome, this collection found a great pace. The publisher is releasing a lot of Cain's old work in ebook format, so once I obtain an actual reader I'll be checking out some more titles that pique interest.
The name James M. Cain never registered on my radar, although I was already familiar with some of his work: "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and what is often considered the epitome of film noir, "Double Indemnity". Upon opening this I expected more of the same, but was surprised to see a greater variety and depth the Cain's writing and fiction plots/genres. Several days after finishing this and I wish I had more of his work at hand to read, both the original stories that birthed those classic noir films and his other less known output.
This particular collection is an excellent primer on the scope of Cain's writing, being split into three sections of form: dialogues, short stories, and one serial novella. Each section is preceded by an introduction to Cain's use of the form, and a general introduction opens the entire collection. These introductory essays are skimmable if you are really just interested in the meat of the fiction, but they are useful in grounding you in why Cain wrote each style of fiction, the merits he viewed in each, and how they were received by critics and fans.
Throughout all the forms Cain has two clear strengths. First is creating a clear, compelling conflict or plot, regardless if large-scale like a crime in a film noir, or a simple, brief confrontation in a doorway. Second is his strength in writing dialogue and regional dialects, particularly of working class people. This shines most obviously in the brief dialogues that open this collection, but even within the short stories they dominate, stretching a bit longer, and broken up from time to time with narration describing the setting or actions. Yet, even these narrations, rendered in the first person, are strongly reminiscent of spoken word, a dialogue between the working class narrator, and the reader, who can easily imagine themselves as an unnamed character in the story, listening to a yarn in a diner over a coffee, or bar over beer.
In these dialogues and short stories the genre of crime or transgression appears from time to time, but many also do not approach anything as grandiose, focusing instead on small aspects of human emotion or psychology in a pure manner. These are Cain's most literary moments, and the ones (based on the introductions) that he was most proud in writing. What is interesting is that Cain did not set out to write honest, emotional dialogue-laden fiction per se. That is simply the only writing he was able to create that appeared authentic and sincere. He had to become the character and 'act', writing as if he were not Cain at all, but an imagined personality, role playing. The result are stories and dialogues that don't come across as fictions necessarily, but honest, imperfect recollections, most wonderfully perhaps in the story that gives the collection its name.
The collection ends with a serial novella, a style that Cain did not have any artistic appreciation for, but simply used to pay the bills, much like a serious actor doing some light, mindless blockbuster. But Cain can't help inject some artistry into the serial, shaping a genre that would translate into the film noir and eventually the French new wave. His serials turned out immensely popular, both with general readers and critics. The serial included was made once into a film that wasn't particularly successful, which I haven't seen, but it does lack the spice and sordidness of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" or the precision and tautness of "Double Indemnity". Nonetheless it is a nice conclusion to the collection, bringing it round to the style of story Cain became most noted for popularly.
Although I am interested in reading more of Cain's work, I appreciated the length this collection kept. By the end of the dialogues and starting the still dialogue-laden short stories, that style was beginning to wear on me, much as Cain found it did when trying to use it to such a degree in his novels. By making this a mixture of styles but allowing none to overstay their welcome, this collection found a great pace. The publisher is releasing a lot of Cain's old work in ebook format, so once I obtain an actual reader I'll be checking out some more titles that pique interest.
December 15, 2015
Crime "Noir" Fiction - short stories
Thanks to Good Reader Debbie for mentioning this book. An unforgettable, hair raising title -- I HAD to read it, and quickly!
In the 1930's and 1940's, James M. Cain wrote "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Double Indemnity", "Serenade" and "Mildred Pierce". I hadn't realized those superb classic movies were originally penned by this author.
The stories are OK, a selection from throughout his career. My favorite was "Money and the Woman" (The Embezzler). This winner has the psychological suspense of "Postman" and "Double Indemnity" (which I've watched 6-8 times).
Going now to Listopia to see if Good Reads has a Best Title Ever, and if so, vote for this book!
Thanks to Good Reader Debbie for mentioning this book. An unforgettable, hair raising title -- I HAD to read it, and quickly!
In the 1930's and 1940's, James M. Cain wrote "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Double Indemnity", "Serenade" and "Mildred Pierce". I hadn't realized those superb classic movies were originally penned by this author.
The stories are OK, a selection from throughout his career. My favorite was "Money and the Woman" (The Embezzler). This winner has the psychological suspense of "Postman" and "Double Indemnity" (which I've watched 6-8 times).
Going now to Listopia to see if Good Reads has a Best Title Ever, and if so, vote for this book!
February 8, 2019
James M. Cain represents an interesting variation in the world of hard-boiled short fiction. Instead of creating whodunits, he concentrated how people get themselves into jams and are overwhelmed by circumstances. His The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction is a collection of men and women who get into fixes. There are no detectives to provide a moral on the action; rather we get a picture of not too bright Americans who wind up in hells of their own making. The best story by far is the title story of this collection.
March 23, 2019
Artigiano dentro
Serie di racconti la cui efficacia risiede nel malessere generato dalle angolazioni con le quali Cain riprende le sue storie, i suoi personaggi, così distanti dalle leziosità accademiche, essenziali, loro e le loro azioni, atte a mostrare gente alle prese con i problemi della gente, meno fortunati di alcuni ma più interessanti di altri.
Cain, prezioso artigiano.
Serie di racconti la cui efficacia risiede nel malessere generato dalle angolazioni con le quali Cain riprende le sue storie, i suoi personaggi, così distanti dalle leziosità accademiche, essenziali, loro e le loro azioni, atte a mostrare gente alle prese con i problemi della gente, meno fortunati di alcuni ma più interessanti di altri.
Cain, prezioso artigiano.
January 17, 2021
Una raccolta di racconti che raccontano un'America amara, travolta da difficoltà economiche e diffidenza sociale, nella quale l'aggressività è il linguaggio più usato. Altri tempi, ma che paiono terribilmente attuali.
November 13, 2008
James M. Cain fans should be thrilled to catch his shorter works like "Joy Ride", "The Girl In The Storm", and the terrific "Money And The Woman aka The Embezzler". There's some real gems here!
February 26, 2019
Valuable for the insights provided by Cain's own words regarding why he made the choices he did regarding style and the forms he chose for his works. Provides a lot of interesting detail regarding his career in Hollywood.
The stories "Pastorale" and "The Baby in the Icebox" prefigure themes and characters Cain would later develop more fully in THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and DOUBLE IDEMNITY. I think Cain was a bit of a cipher to his contemporaries and other than the two previously mentioned works and MILDRED PIERCE, he remains somewhat mysterious today in regards to his place in American literature.
This collection includes "Sketches and Dialogues" (magazine and newspaper pieces) as well as short stories and the novella "Money and the Woman" (apa "The Embezzler"). They reveal Cain's range as a writer and although they are not all gems, his work is always interesting (non-formulaic and distinct from work to work). This collection and the accompanying commentary will be useful to anyone attempting to understand the man and his work.
The stories "Pastorale" and "The Baby in the Icebox" prefigure themes and characters Cain would later develop more fully in THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and DOUBLE IDEMNITY. I think Cain was a bit of a cipher to his contemporaries and other than the two previously mentioned works and MILDRED PIERCE, he remains somewhat mysterious today in regards to his place in American literature.
This collection includes "Sketches and Dialogues" (magazine and newspaper pieces) as well as short stories and the novella "Money and the Woman" (apa "The Embezzler"). They reveal Cain's range as a writer and although they are not all gems, his work is always interesting (non-formulaic and distinct from work to work). This collection and the accompanying commentary will be useful to anyone attempting to understand the man and his work.
September 25, 2019
Almost gave it two stars. It's a compendium of Cain's short stories, which includes far more than his Noir works. The inclusion of his early works about life in the rural mid-Atlantic area weigh the anthology down a bit, as it's clear Cain was finding his way. The reliance on rural dialects may have worked then, but it gets tedious at times. As his biographer notes, his real popularity picked up when he started focusing on the darker side of living in California, particularly with settings in rural California or with homeless protagonists trying to get by with or without the CCC. In this case, the quality of the stories do as well. He starts to rely less on straight dialogue and works more on description and action.
The title story is not as gruesome as it sounds, but could be considered the type of story that put Cain on the map among Noir writers.
Based on what I've read, I would probably not rank him as high as Hammett, Chandler, or Woolrich/Irish.
The title story is not as gruesome as it sounds, but could be considered the type of story that put Cain on the map among Noir writers.
Based on what I've read, I would probably not rank him as high as Hammett, Chandler, or Woolrich/Irish.
July 11, 2017
This is a collection of short works of James M. Cain. He is the author of the stories on which the films noir "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Double Indemnity", and "Mildred Pierce" are based. The small biography of him in the prologue was interesting, but I didn't find the stories to be so. They start with a number of dialogs, which are four page conversations. It seemed like a writer's exercise to practice writing in various local vernaculars. After that was a number of short stories, generally about twenty pages in length. I didn't find the first two very interesting, so I gave up.
September 7, 2018
I had read some of Cain's fiction before but had never read his dialogue pieces before. I found them to be interesting but was definitely more drawn to the longer works. Will be looking for more to read soon.
October 14, 2020
There were just too many mistakes. How did the baby not freeze? How did the baby breathe? How did the cheat not overheat during the fire and cook the baby? I just couldn’t get past the holes in the plot.
November 3, 2023
3.5
J’ai lu ces nouvelles pendant la période Halloween et j’ai bien fait : j’ai bien aimé le côté “thread horreur” comme on peut en voir sur youtube. La narration est simple et s’adresse au lecteur d’une façon assez complice / familière. J’ai préféré la première et dernière nouvelle.
J’ai lu ces nouvelles pendant la période Halloween et j’ai bien fait : j’ai bien aimé le côté “thread horreur” comme on peut en voir sur youtube. La narration est simple et s’adresse au lecteur d’une façon assez complice / familière. J’ai préféré la première et dernière nouvelle.
November 27, 2019
Un piccolo gioiello dell’hardboiled americana
April 3, 2022
Pretty disappointing selection, I only found The Baby in the Icebox and The Embezzler were worth reading.
September 4, 2023
The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction by James M. Cain is a book I totally picked up for it's title and that cover when I spotted it at a used book sale. I didn't quite realize going in just how short some of the pieces of short fiction were going to be. While this was decent, it was mostly just overwhelming considering how much I liked other novels from this author.
February 1, 2010
Collected short and not-so-short pieces with informative introductions by Roy Hoopes. These stories, while grounded in their time and place, are concurrently timeless and universal expositions on humanity and the human condition.
A passage of particular note in "The Taking of Montfaucon" is one of the most moving descriptions of the battlefield experience I've ever read.
"The first [dead man:] we seen was in a trench, kind of laying up against the side,what was on a slant. And he was sighting down his gun just like he was getting ready to pull the trigger, and when you come to him you opened your mouth to beg his pardon for bothering him. And then you didn't."
A passage of particular note in "The Taking of Montfaucon" is one of the most moving descriptions of the battlefield experience I've ever read.
"The first [dead man:] we seen was in a trench, kind of laying up against the side,what was on a slant. And he was sighting down his gun just like he was getting ready to pull the trigger, and when you come to him you opened your mouth to beg his pardon for bothering him. And then you didn't."
February 2, 2013
This is a book of short stories. I bought the hardcover. Never having read any of Cain's short stories it was a pleasure for me. Most were written before he wrote his first novel, "The Postman Always Rings Twice." The stories are not as impressive as his better known novels. I gave this book 4 stars because they're written clearly, clear and simple, which makes for a lesson in writing for writers.
September 14, 2013
His novels and serials, the Embezzler included in this anthology, are amazing. His shorter fiction leaves me feeling unfulfilled. I would highly recommend any of his novels, or at least the most famous ones, such as Postman, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, etc. The titular story in this anthology was made into a movie as well, but the story is farfectched and borders on ridiculous. Stick with his longer works and you wont be disappointed.
June 1, 2011
This book of short fiction (short stories, dialogues and a novella) was ok but disappointing to me as Cain is one of my favorite authors. Like "Sinful Woman" which I read and reviewed recently, it can't hold a candle to Cain's classics. I don't consider this book noir which may be one reason that I was disappointed.
September 27, 2010
Some short stories, even shorter sketches, and one serialized novella. Many are in the first person, the narrator being an uneducated hick, you should pardon the expression. The assortment gives you an indication of life during the Depression and soon after.
December 8, 2011
Nice review of the art of writing. Do people even write this kind of stuff today?
Want to read
July 28, 2011On page 68
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