Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York : Vintage Books, 1978, ©1943.
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:Tautly narrated and excruciatingly suspenseful, Double Indemnity gives us an X-ray view of guilt, of duplicity, and of the kind of obsessive, loveless love that devastates everything it touches. First published in 1936, this novel reaffirmed James M. Cain as a virtuoso of the roman noir.
User reviews
LibraryThing member margaretfield
so different from the movie; just as good but darker, stranger. More about humanity than about an affair between a man and a woman
LibraryThing member nog
Pretty good until the ending, which is rather unllikely; Wilder's film's ending is much better. I prefer Chandler or Hammett and their styles to this.
LibraryThing member Bridgey
A few weeks ago I came in late from the pub, turned on the TV and sat through a brilliant old black and white film called Double Indemnity. The next morning the film had left such an impression I decided to read up on its background, found out that is was adapted from a novel and the rest as they
I had heard of 'noir', but was never really sure of what it stood for or encapsulated. However, after reading Double Indemnity I have a much better understanding. The book is written in a way I have never encountered before. The sentences are sharp, direct and to the point. Cain wastes no words. I think this is one of the only novels I have read where I have not found any extra padding. The author says all that he needs to say and nothing more, and this shows by the novel covering barely 130 pages. The only other Author I am familiar with that even comes close to this is Cormac McCarthy. You feel every word, sentence, comma and full stop was placed there for a reason. If I had to describe the novel I would say it is like McCarthy but with little descriptive prose and less flamboyancy with the language. I know many people may disagree with this comparison, but as I was working my way through the pages I kept thinking how similar they are in the way they ensure every single word adds something to the readers experience.
The plot of the novel is pretty much straightforward, an insurance salesman meets the wife of a businessman and together then conjure up a scheme whereby they can sell and then claim on his life insurance. A plan is hatched that they both consider foolproof, but as the novel progresses small mistakes begin to unravel into larger issues and the pressure mounts. Other individuals are drawn into the circle such as the businessman's daughter and the insurance mans methodical boss. The characters behave differently to how I would have imagined and I am unsure whether this is because the novel has dated slightly (rather like Neville Shute's works) or if this is a reflection of the Noir period. But what I do know is that from the first page I was gripped. Very often I will read a book and think to myself 'does that sound realistic?, and if the answer is no, a certain amount of enjoyment is taken away. Strangely this was not the case here, I just kept wanting to read further and further, especially when the characters past history slowly became apparent. For example, from the first meeting of Phyllis Nirdlinger and Walter Huff they start to bounce off each other and the bones of the scam start to fall into place. Would this really happen that quickly with no trust built between the two?
Despite the lack of length I feel this book will remain with me for a long time, and like all good novels a number of questions will need to be answered such as what would I be prepared to do for a large amount of cash? Would I be able to be manipulated by a femme fatale? Could I be a Walter Huff, always on the lookout for the ideal opportunity to make a quick buck?
Fans of the film will find a very different ending to the one they are accustomed to. A number of reviewers have marked the novel down in their reviews because of this. I may be in the minority but I preferred the ending Cain chose. It has a slightly disturbed ring to it, but I feel it fits more closely with the characters state of mind.
I would recommend this read to anyone regardless of what genre of fiction they would usually indulge. As mentioned, the length is fairly short so why not take a chance? I did, and am glad I did so.
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say, is history.I had heard of 'noir', but was never really sure of what it stood for or encapsulated. However, after reading Double Indemnity I have a much better understanding. The book is written in a way I have never encountered before. The sentences are sharp, direct and to the point. Cain wastes no words. I think this is one of the only novels I have read where I have not found any extra padding. The author says all that he needs to say and nothing more, and this shows by the novel covering barely 130 pages. The only other Author I am familiar with that even comes close to this is Cormac McCarthy. You feel every word, sentence, comma and full stop was placed there for a reason. If I had to describe the novel I would say it is like McCarthy but with little descriptive prose and less flamboyancy with the language. I know many people may disagree with this comparison, but as I was working my way through the pages I kept thinking how similar they are in the way they ensure every single word adds something to the readers experience.
The plot of the novel is pretty much straightforward, an insurance salesman meets the wife of a businessman and together then conjure up a scheme whereby they can sell and then claim on his life insurance. A plan is hatched that they both consider foolproof, but as the novel progresses small mistakes begin to unravel into larger issues and the pressure mounts. Other individuals are drawn into the circle such as the businessman's daughter and the insurance mans methodical boss. The characters behave differently to how I would have imagined and I am unsure whether this is because the novel has dated slightly (rather like Neville Shute's works) or if this is a reflection of the Noir period. But what I do know is that from the first page I was gripped. Very often I will read a book and think to myself 'does that sound realistic?, and if the answer is no, a certain amount of enjoyment is taken away. Strangely this was not the case here, I just kept wanting to read further and further, especially when the characters past history slowly became apparent. For example, from the first meeting of Phyllis Nirdlinger and Walter Huff they start to bounce off each other and the bones of the scam start to fall into place. Would this really happen that quickly with no trust built between the two?
Despite the lack of length I feel this book will remain with me for a long time, and like all good novels a number of questions will need to be answered such as what would I be prepared to do for a large amount of cash? Would I be able to be manipulated by a femme fatale? Could I be a Walter Huff, always on the lookout for the ideal opportunity to make a quick buck?
Fans of the film will find a very different ending to the one they are accustomed to. A number of reviewers have marked the novel down in their reviews because of this. I may be in the minority but I preferred the ending Cain chose. It has a slightly disturbed ring to it, but I feel it fits more closely with the characters state of mind.
I would recommend this read to anyone regardless of what genre of fiction they would usually indulge. As mentioned, the length is fairly short so why not take a chance? I did, and am glad I did so.
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LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Although this is a small book (128 p.) and a quick read, don't underestimate this little gem. It is perfectly written and packs an unexpected punch at the end. Highly recommended for anyone who likes noir fiction. And don't expect the movie ... Hollywood couldn't have possibly done it the way the
A basic summary of the plot: Walter Huff is an insurance investigator who is able to smell a scam a mile away. But sadly, Walter isn't thinking with his brain when he meets Phyllis Nirdlinger, the wife of a customer. She wants to know about accident insurance; he knows without anyone even saying anything why she wants it. Walter is convinced that with his knowledge of the industry and how it works come paying out claims time that the two of them could plot the perfect murder and insurance scam. But the story's not over yet. During a period of time when the two have to cool their heels and avoid each other, Walter has time to sit back and think about things and realizes that there's more to the story here and that he must take some action before his company puts two and two together.
That's the bare bones outline (I don't want to spoil the story). The book's ending is vastly different than that of the movie -- and I think more poetically just (if not a little strange).
Cain's characterizations are well drawn and the writing is superb. A must for any fan of noir.
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author intended. A basic summary of the plot: Walter Huff is an insurance investigator who is able to smell a scam a mile away. But sadly, Walter isn't thinking with his brain when he meets Phyllis Nirdlinger, the wife of a customer. She wants to know about accident insurance; he knows without anyone even saying anything why she wants it. Walter is convinced that with his knowledge of the industry and how it works come paying out claims time that the two of them could plot the perfect murder and insurance scam. But the story's not over yet. During a period of time when the two have to cool their heels and avoid each other, Walter has time to sit back and think about things and realizes that there's more to the story here and that he must take some action before his company puts two and two together.
That's the bare bones outline (I don't want to spoil the story). The book's ending is vastly different than that of the movie -- and I think more poetically just (if not a little strange).
Cain's characterizations are well drawn and the writing is superb. A must for any fan of noir.
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LibraryThing member jhevelin
Short, brilliant gem. It's a taut study in double-cross and murder, but Cain brings a lot of subtlety to the characters, and there's much more here than just a crime story. And I like the glimpses of 1930s Los Angeles.
LibraryThing member datrappert
Short and to the point, well-written. Interestingly, the ending is different from the movie - darker in fact. The movie also changes the main character's last name from Huff to Neff. Apparently Huff was considered a little silly....
LibraryThing member gaskella
I love the classic crime noir novels of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, but somehow never got round to read any by James M Cain. I wanted a short novel to fill in a couple of hours and with these 136 pages, I found a perfect choice. Luckily, I’ve never seen the film, which was an Oscar
Double Indemnity is a term from the insurance world – in this case, a life policy that will pay double if the insured person dies falling off a train. Walter Huff is an insurance agent, trying to get his customer Mr Nirdlinger to renew his car insurance. When his wife Phyllis opens the door Huff is instantly smitten.
"…but she was walking around the room, and I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. Under those blue pajamas was a shape to set a man nuts, and how good was I going to sound when I started explaining the high ethics of the insurance business I didn’t exactly know how.
But all of a sudden she looked at me, and I felt a chill creep straight up my back and into the roots of my hair.
‘Do you handle accident insurance?' "
Huff sees a way out of slogging his guts out all day selling insurance, and together they start to plan the perfect crime using all of Huff’s expertise and Phyllis’ feminine wiles.
‘Walter, this is the awful part. I know this is terrible. I tell myself it’s terrible. But to me, it doesn’t seem terrible. It seems as though I’m doing something – that’s really best for him, if he only knew it. Do you understand me, Walter?’
‘No.’
‘Nobody could.’
‘But we’re going to do it.’
‘Yes, we’re going to do it.’
‘Straight down the line.’
‘Straight down the line.’
Phyllis is Nirdlinger’s second wife, and Huff hadn’t reckoned on bumping into her step-daughter Lola who wants a car-loan for her boyfriend. His heart has begun to harden against Phyllis with the murder plans, but when Lola opens up to him about her hopes for the future, he feels protective of her and softens a little. The murderous couple also hadn’t reckoned on the investigative skills of Barton Keyes, the company’s claims investigator, and he will reel them in – you can’t doubt it.
It’s a classic combo – the evil femme fatale and the weak man. You do have to suspend your disbelief momentarily, in that he agrees so instantly to help do the dirty deed, but allow yourself to be hooked and you won’t put the book down, it’s superb. The dialogue is snappy, the whole story is told by Huff and has a doomed quality about it – you can picture him going through the wringer. I loved this book; Cain also wrote The Postman Always Rings Twice, and I shall be looking out for that as well as the film.
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nominated Billy Wilder classic starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G Robinson, and co-scripted by Raymond Chandler.Double Indemnity is a term from the insurance world – in this case, a life policy that will pay double if the insured person dies falling off a train. Walter Huff is an insurance agent, trying to get his customer Mr Nirdlinger to renew his car insurance. When his wife Phyllis opens the door Huff is instantly smitten.
"…but she was walking around the room, and I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. Under those blue pajamas was a shape to set a man nuts, and how good was I going to sound when I started explaining the high ethics of the insurance business I didn’t exactly know how.
But all of a sudden she looked at me, and I felt a chill creep straight up my back and into the roots of my hair.
‘Do you handle accident insurance?' "
Huff sees a way out of slogging his guts out all day selling insurance, and together they start to plan the perfect crime using all of Huff’s expertise and Phyllis’ feminine wiles.
‘Walter, this is the awful part. I know this is terrible. I tell myself it’s terrible. But to me, it doesn’t seem terrible. It seems as though I’m doing something – that’s really best for him, if he only knew it. Do you understand me, Walter?’
‘No.’
‘Nobody could.’
‘But we’re going to do it.’
‘Yes, we’re going to do it.’
‘Straight down the line.’
‘Straight down the line.’
Phyllis is Nirdlinger’s second wife, and Huff hadn’t reckoned on bumping into her step-daughter Lola who wants a car-loan for her boyfriend. His heart has begun to harden against Phyllis with the murder plans, but when Lola opens up to him about her hopes for the future, he feels protective of her and softens a little. The murderous couple also hadn’t reckoned on the investigative skills of Barton Keyes, the company’s claims investigator, and he will reel them in – you can’t doubt it.
It’s a classic combo – the evil femme fatale and the weak man. You do have to suspend your disbelief momentarily, in that he agrees so instantly to help do the dirty deed, but allow yourself to be hooked and you won’t put the book down, it’s superb. The dialogue is snappy, the whole story is told by Huff and has a doomed quality about it – you can picture him going through the wringer. I loved this book; Cain also wrote The Postman Always Rings Twice, and I shall be looking out for that as well as the film.
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LibraryThing member g026r
Let's get this out of the way: the movie, by Billy Wilder, of Double Indemnity is a thing of wonder. The book however has all my usual complaints about Cain (primarily dialog-based) plus there's the ending, which is just dreadful. The usual cultural issues of the time are also present, though it's
As is, it merely reenforces my opinion that Cain is my least favourite of the classic crime novelists. I'll take Hammet, Chandler or hell, even Thompson over Cain any day of the week.
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infinitely less offensive than Serenade was.As is, it merely reenforces my opinion that Cain is my least favourite of the classic crime novelists. I'll take Hammet, Chandler or hell, even Thompson over Cain any day of the week.
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LibraryThing member the_terrible_trivium
Cain does a rewrite of The Postman Always Rings Twice, this time on a train. Maybe only half as good, but that's still a whole heaping lot of good.
LibraryThing member gbill
A lean, smart thriller about an insurance man who plots the perfect crime for the love of a woman and for a double payoff, “double indemnity”, from his own insurance company. The 1936 novel was not only the basis for the 1944 film noir classic directed by Billy Wilder, but as you read you’ll
Quotes:
On insurance:
“It’s the biggest gambling wheel in the world. It don’t look like it, but it is, from the way they figure the percentage on the oo to the look on their face when they cash your chips. You bet that your house will burn down, they bet it won’t, that’s all. What fools you is that you didn’t want your house to burn down when you made the bet, and so you forget it’s a bet. That don’t fool them. To them a bet is a bet, and a hedge bet don’t look any different than any other bet. But there comes a time, maybe, when you do want your house to burn down, when the money is worth more than the house. And right there is where the trouble starts. They know there’s just so many people out there that are out to crook that wheel, and that’s when they get tough. They’ve got their spotters out there, they know every crooked trick there is, and if you want to beat them you had better be good.”
On May-December love:
“I thought about Lola, how sweet she was, and the awful thing I had done to her. I began subtracting her age from my age. She was nineteen, I’m thirty-four. That made a difference of fifteen years. Then I got to thinking that if she was nearly twenty, that would make a difference of only fourteen years. All of a sudden I sat up and turned on the light. I knew what that meant.
I was in love with her.”
On love, and crimes of passion:
“I lay there staring into the dark. Every now and then I would have a chill or something and start to tremble. Then that passed and I lay there, like a dope. Then I started to think. I tried not to, but it would creep up on me. I knew then what I had done. I had killed a man. I had killed a man to get a woman. I had put myself in her power, so there was one person in the world that could point a finger at me, and I would have to die. I had done all that for her, and I never wanted to see her again as long as I lived.
That’s all it takes, one drop of fear, to curdle love into hate.”
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see that the characters and plot twists clearly influenced Hollywood suspense movies to the present day. Very enjoyable, and readable in one sitting.Quotes:
On insurance:
“It’s the biggest gambling wheel in the world. It don’t look like it, but it is, from the way they figure the percentage on the oo to the look on their face when they cash your chips. You bet that your house will burn down, they bet it won’t, that’s all. What fools you is that you didn’t want your house to burn down when you made the bet, and so you forget it’s a bet. That don’t fool them. To them a bet is a bet, and a hedge bet don’t look any different than any other bet. But there comes a time, maybe, when you do want your house to burn down, when the money is worth more than the house. And right there is where the trouble starts. They know there’s just so many people out there that are out to crook that wheel, and that’s when they get tough. They’ve got their spotters out there, they know every crooked trick there is, and if you want to beat them you had better be good.”
On May-December love:
“I thought about Lola, how sweet she was, and the awful thing I had done to her. I began subtracting her age from my age. She was nineteen, I’m thirty-four. That made a difference of fifteen years. Then I got to thinking that if she was nearly twenty, that would make a difference of only fourteen years. All of a sudden I sat up and turned on the light. I knew what that meant.
I was in love with her.”
On love, and crimes of passion:
“I lay there staring into the dark. Every now and then I would have a chill or something and start to tremble. Then that passed and I lay there, like a dope. Then I started to think. I tried not to, but it would creep up on me. I knew then what I had done. I had killed a man. I had killed a man to get a woman. I had put myself in her power, so there was one person in the world that could point a finger at me, and I would have to die. I had done all that for her, and I never wanted to see her again as long as I lived.
That’s all it takes, one drop of fear, to curdle love into hate.”
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LibraryThing member scperryz
Noir perfection. Every word, character, and moment in this book are right.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Wonderful crime noir novel & the ending is even better than the classic movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurrey!
LibraryThing member JohnGrant1
Yes, believe it or not but I'd never read this -- even though I've owned it for many years, bringing it across with me from the UK a decade ago: it still has its Oxfam Bookshop "30p" sticker on the front. The story is known to all from the great Barbara Stanwyck movie . . . except that it isn't,
Now, where have I shelved my almost equally vintage copy of Mildred Pierce . . .?
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not really. The story in the novel is quite a lot more complex, both plotwise and emotionally; and I was startled to find myself wishing very much that Billy Wilder/Raymond Chandler had bloody well stuck to it, because it's actually far more satisfying. (I must try to get hold of the 1973 tv-movie remake to see what they did with it.) If, like me until just a few weeks ago, you've always been meaning to read the book but never gotten around to it, hearken to my strong recommendation. Now, where have I shelved my almost equally vintage copy of Mildred Pierce . . .?
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LibraryThing member page.fault
There's "noir," as in, "it's-actually-hardboiled-but-that-requires-three-syllables-to-say," and then there's real "noir" as in, "this-world-is-so-dark-that-the-only-thing-that-stops-this-from-being-a-dystopia-is-that-it-supposedly-takes-place-in-the-real-world." James M. Cain was a master of the
Walter Huff, a hardworking and practical insurance man, stops by an acquaintance's house and receives a proposition from the man's wife: help her murder her husband.
I know that I'm supposed to be horrified by the sociopathic femme fatale who cynically uses her sexuality to enthrall the hapless insurance man. From the first moment he sees her, Huff is entranced by her appearance, and every description is an accusation. The way he tells the story, her clothing, her eyes, her mouth, her curves are to blame for the relationship, not Huff. She was "asking for it." Yet if you examine the actual events, Huff is the one who initiates a relationship; when he kisses her, she freezes and then capitulates. Maybe our oh-so-wicked femme fatale was thinking about it, but despite Huff's surety, she still wavers: "Please, Walter, don't let me do this. It's simply insane." Huff is the one who brings up murder. Huff is the one who actually states that they need to go through with it. Huff is the one who suggests double indemnity. hover for spoiler So maybe Phyllis is as diabolical as Huff paints her. But how is he any better?
Cain's characters do not live in a world of greys; they have strayed far past the threshold between good and evil. It is a book firmly rooted in its time, where Huff's Filipino "houseboy" is not even given the dignity of a name and is repeatedly referred to as "the Filipino." My fascination stems from horror; the way the characters can casually and matter-of-factly speak of such atrocities is both repulsive and riveting. As Huff says, "There comes a time in any murder when the only thing that can see you through is audacity." It is this audacity, the thrill of the heist, the "prestige," as Christopher Priest would say, that makes this book difficult to put down. It is also hard to turn away from the inevitability of the tragedy. As Huff says, "That's all it takes: one drop of fear to curdle love into hate."
It turns out that 100 pages can be very depressing indeed.
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second variety. His terse, simplistic structure, vivid imagery, distinctive male gaze, and liberal use of femme fatales all had tremendous influence on the genre, especially on other landmark authors such as Raymond Chandler. Cain is probably my favorite out of the "dark noir" subgenre--probably because his books are only about 100 pages. How depressed can you possibly get from only 100 pages? You'd be surprised.Walter Huff, a hardworking and practical insurance man, stops by an acquaintance's house and receives a proposition from the man's wife: help her murder her husband.
I know that I'm supposed to be horrified by the sociopathic femme fatale who cynically uses her sexuality to enthrall the hapless insurance man. From the first moment he sees her, Huff is entranced by her appearance, and every description is an accusation. The way he tells the story, her clothing, her eyes, her mouth, her curves are to blame for the relationship, not Huff. She was "asking for it." Yet if you examine the actual events, Huff is the one who initiates a relationship; when he kisses her, she freezes and then capitulates. Maybe our oh-so-wicked femme fatale was thinking about it, but despite Huff's surety, she still wavers: "Please, Walter, don't let me do this. It's simply insane." Huff is the one who brings up murder. Huff is the one who actually states that they need to go through with it. Huff is the one who suggests double indemnity. hover for spoiler So maybe Phyllis is as diabolical as Huff paints her. But how is he any better?
Cain's characters do not live in a world of greys; they have strayed far past the threshold between good and evil. It is a book firmly rooted in its time, where Huff's Filipino "houseboy" is not even given the dignity of a name and is repeatedly referred to as "the Filipino." My fascination stems from horror; the way the characters can casually and matter-of-factly speak of such atrocities is both repulsive and riveting. As Huff says, "There comes a time in any murder when the only thing that can see you through is audacity." It is this audacity, the thrill of the heist, the "prestige," as Christopher Priest would say, that makes this book difficult to put down. It is also hard to turn away from the inevitability of the tragedy. As Huff says, "That's all it takes: one drop of fear to curdle love into hate."
It turns out that 100 pages can be very depressing indeed.
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LibraryThing member lilywren
OK, having read the countless reviews for Double Indemnity I’m left in no doubt that this is considered as one of the greatest books from the American noir, hard boiled genre. In many quarters it is considered a classic with James M.Cain as the master of noir. I really don’t want to argue with
According to Wiki, Double Indemnity is a novella which was initially written as an eight part serial for Liberty Magazine. Our narrator and main protagonist, Walter Huff, is an insurance salesman who has been doing the job longer than he cares to remember. One day he sets out to visit a customer in order to sell an insurance renewal. The customer isn’t at home, Huff has a chance meeting with the wife and, as is befitting for this era and style, when a man meets a woman, trouble is not far behind. From this initial meeting, the couple go on to develop a relationship which enables them to hatch and carry out an insurance scam centering around the murder of the husband.
Ah, if only he’d have been at home…..
“Three days later she called and left word I was to come at three-thirty. She let me in herself. She didn’t have the blue pajamas this time. She had on a white sailor suit, with a blouse that pulled tight over her hips, and white shoes and stockings. I wasn’t the only one that knew about that shape. She knew about it herself, plenty.” (p.10)
Huff narrates the tale in the ‘classic’ noir style which I did enjoy. The delivery consists of short, sharp phrases and sentences which bring to mind the classic noir films. It’s very much dialogue driven rather than descriptive.
I can’t deny that Double Indemnity is a great little book and definitely one of its time. It’s snappy, stylish and the 30s/40s black and white film style oozes from the pages. It’s strong on story telling and, in the usual noir style, has its corrupted and corruptible characters – unlikeable people with no redeeming features and no shades of grey. If you’re a fan of the slick, sharp, dialogue driven crime fiction tale then Double Indemnity is the one for you.
I did enjoy it but the book just didn’t hit that 'wow' button for me.
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the majority, however, having finished the book, I do seem to be at odds. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it. I loved the story especially the staccato style narration which had me thinking of Spillane’s Mike Hammer every 3 minutes. I also liked the fact that it’s a short, snappy story which took me an afternoon to read. I just haven’t been left with that ‘wow’ four or five star ‘classic’ feeling. This annoys me, not least of all because I can’t explain why.According to Wiki, Double Indemnity is a novella which was initially written as an eight part serial for Liberty Magazine. Our narrator and main protagonist, Walter Huff, is an insurance salesman who has been doing the job longer than he cares to remember. One day he sets out to visit a customer in order to sell an insurance renewal. The customer isn’t at home, Huff has a chance meeting with the wife and, as is befitting for this era and style, when a man meets a woman, trouble is not far behind. From this initial meeting, the couple go on to develop a relationship which enables them to hatch and carry out an insurance scam centering around the murder of the husband.
Ah, if only he’d have been at home…..
“Three days later she called and left word I was to come at three-thirty. She let me in herself. She didn’t have the blue pajamas this time. She had on a white sailor suit, with a blouse that pulled tight over her hips, and white shoes and stockings. I wasn’t the only one that knew about that shape. She knew about it herself, plenty.” (p.10)
Huff narrates the tale in the ‘classic’ noir style which I did enjoy. The delivery consists of short, sharp phrases and sentences which bring to mind the classic noir films. It’s very much dialogue driven rather than descriptive.
I can’t deny that Double Indemnity is a great little book and definitely one of its time. It’s snappy, stylish and the 30s/40s black and white film style oozes from the pages. It’s strong on story telling and, in the usual noir style, has its corrupted and corruptible characters – unlikeable people with no redeeming features and no shades of grey. If you’re a fan of the slick, sharp, dialogue driven crime fiction tale then Double Indemnity is the one for you.
I did enjoy it but the book just didn’t hit that 'wow' button for me.
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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This book isn't a straight out mystery as originally thought. It definitely noir, but a book about murder and insurance. A bored insurance salesman get involved with bored housewife who wants a more glamorous life. The writing is short, to the point. The insurance salesman is thinly characterized.
The story is set in the 30's. Which is an odd time period. Women are kept more as pets... insurance salesmen go door to door. But, it is also quite modern. The scheme that is developed is quite intricate. The caution put into the plan to mislead investigators is a sign of the world of forensic science.
Still on the whole, its a good book, well written, and well developed. But its a bit too dry, its hard to care about the lead characters.
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Its not that he's cardboard... just that all unnecessary details are left out. Same goes with the housewife. There isn't much to her, although we find out her history as the story goes on.The story is set in the 30's. Which is an odd time period. Women are kept more as pets... insurance salesmen go door to door. But, it is also quite modern. The scheme that is developed is quite intricate. The caution put into the plan to mislead investigators is a sign of the world of forensic science.
Still on the whole, its a good book, well written, and well developed. But its a bit too dry, its hard to care about the lead characters.
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LibraryThing member 391
I loved Double Indemnity. I was even awestruck by the ending, though I can see why some find it hokey. I haven't seen the movie, so every plot twist was utterly thrilling for me - I never expected what turned up, and I was pulled along by a queer mixture of adrenaline and disbelief as things began
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to spiral completely out of control. It was an absolute rush! Show Less
LibraryThing member akissner
When I was reading Double Indemnity, I kept thinking that James Cain worked in the insurance business at some point, and this book was his fantasy about how to pull off the perfect insurance fraud scheme. The book did not do much for me. I much prefer Hammett or Chandler.
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
One can't feel much remorse for the fate of a James Cain character. They are sad and pitiable, but they are also reprehensible. Another good short novel -- the action ends in a poetic, tragic irony that truly appeals to the reader. A fine book.
LibraryThing member idiotgirl
It's a pretty creepy story. Want to watch the movie again. Bill Wilder.
LibraryThing member Sheila1957
The book the movie with Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson is based upon. I liked Keyes. He called it like it was but he could not prove it. I cannot say I liked the book better than the movie. There are changes in the movie but the story line is similar. The endings are
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different but both are plausible endings. I'm glad I read it. It is one of the few books of which I do not hate the movie. Show Less
LibraryThing member Daftboy1
Easy to read book.
Insurance salesman falls for a woman commit a crime but who is playing who.
Short simple book wrote in the 1930s LA
Insurance salesman falls for a woman commit a crime but who is playing who.
Short simple book wrote in the 1930s LA
LibraryThing member jameshold
The movie is SOOOOO much better than the book. The book was all right ... but Cain had to spoil it with an absolutely STUPID ending.
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Digital audiobook performed by James Naughton
Walter Huff is an insurance agent who heads out to a Spanish mansion in the hills above Los Angeles to renew – and hopefully upgrade – an automobile policy for Mr Nirdlinger. The client is not at home, and Mrs Nirdlinger asks Huff to return the next
Cain is a master of the roman noir. His writing is every bit as seductive as the temptress at the heart of his story. You just know this is going to end badly but you cannot tear yourself away, you just HAVE to continue. His short declarative sentences and first-person narrative give an immediacy to his writing, and make the novel difficult to put down. And just when you think you’ve already gone over the cliff …. You find that Cain has one or two more surprises in store for you. The ending of this one is nothing short of chilling.
James Naughton does a superb job voicing the audiobook. His clipped delivery is perfect for Cain’s writing style.
Walter Huff is an insurance agent who heads out to a Spanish mansion in the hills above Los Angeles to renew – and hopefully upgrade – an automobile policy for Mr Nirdlinger. The client is not at home, and Mrs Nirdlinger asks Huff to return the next
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night, but before he leaves she also asks about accident insurance. Huff knows the woman is trouble – with a capital T – but he lets himself get reeled in and before you know it …Cain is a master of the roman noir. His writing is every bit as seductive as the temptress at the heart of his story. You just know this is going to end badly but you cannot tear yourself away, you just HAVE to continue. His short declarative sentences and first-person narrative give an immediacy to his writing, and make the novel difficult to put down. And just when you think you’ve already gone over the cliff …. You find that Cain has one or two more surprises in store for you. The ending of this one is nothing short of chilling.
James Naughton does a superb job voicing the audiobook. His clipped delivery is perfect for Cain’s writing style.
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LibraryThing member sianpr
A cracking hard-boiled noir.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1936
Physical description
125 p.; 5.7 inches
ISBN
0394725816 / 9780394725819
Local notes
OCLC = 931
Google Books
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