James Cain

An amoral young tramp. A beautiful, sullen woman with an inconvenient husband. A problem that has only one, grisly solution — a solution that only creates other problems that no one can ever solve.

First published in 1934 and banned in Boston for its explosive mixture of violence and eroticism, The Postman Always Rings Twice is a classic of the roman noir. It established James M. Cain as a major novelist with an unsparing

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A salesman, a would-be divorcée, and an insurance policy turn toxic in Reno
Vegas is a city of lovers, but in Reno, the business is divorce. Six weeks in Reno can erase the darkest marriages, and the only question is how to pass the time—craps or roulette? Jane Delavan is a roulette woman, a stately beauty from back East who's too classy for the motel where she's shacked up. She's come for a divorce, but her husband has other...

Frank Chambers (John Garfield) is a drifter who lands at a roadside gas station owned by jolly old Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway) and his young, blonde wife Cora (Lana Turner). In a matter of minutes, Frank and Cora fall in love, and plot to murder Nick. Eventually wedding bells ring, the body count rises, and the gavel slams-of course, nothing ever goes as planned. Part of what makes the film noir is watching the characters react, as their plans are...

An insurance salesman and an unhappy wife conspire to murder her husband and collect his insurance policy.