James M. Cain

Author profile

born

in Annapolis, Maryland, The United States

July 01, 1892

died

October 27, 1977

gender

male

genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Literature & Fiction

About this author

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James Mallahan Cain was an American journalist and novelist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labelling, he is usually associated with the hardboiled 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, hebegan working as a journalist for the Baltimore Sun.

He was drafted into the United States Army and spent t...more

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James M. Cain's Books

Average rating: 3.91 · 20,927 ratings · 1,816 reviews · 55 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Postman Always Rings Twice 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 9,818 ratings — published 1934 — 61 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Double Indemnity 4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 6,007 ratings — published 1936 — 35 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mildred Pierce 3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 3,057 ratings — published 1941 — 36 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce and Selected Stories by James M. Cain, Robert Polito (Editor) 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 373 ratings — published 2003 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Cocktail Waitress 3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 avg rating — 323 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Serenade 3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 avg rating — 248 ratings — published 1937 — 13 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Butterfly 3.35 of 5 stars 3.35 avg rating — 161 ratings — published 1947 — 12 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Baby in the Icebox and Other Short Fiction by James M. Cain, Roy Hoopes (Editor) 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 98 ratings — published 1981 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Three by Cain: Serenade/Love's Lovely Counterfeit/The Butterfly by James M. Cain, Jeff Stone (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 avg rating — 82 ratings — published 1989 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Love's Lovely Counterfeit 3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 avg rating — 75 ratings — published 1942 — 8 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by James M. Cain…

Quotes by James M. Cain

“Love, when you get fear in it, it's not love any more. It's hate.”
― James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice

tags: fear, hate, love

44 people liked it

“You have to wait for your mind to catch up with whatever it is it’s working on; then you can write a novel.”
― James M. Cain

tags: advice, mind, novel, writting

19 people liked it

“That's all it takes, one drop of fear to curdle love into hate.”
― James M. Cain

tags: fear, mistakes

11 people liked it

See all James M. Cain's quotes »

Polls

Choose a work of fiction for us to read in January 2013...

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

11 votes, 19.3%

Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham

10 votes, 17.5%

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

9 votes, 15.8%

The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield

6 votes, 10.5%

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow

5 votes, 8.8%

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

4 votes, 7.0%

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady by Anita Loos

4 votes, 7.0%

the dream of the celt by Mario Vargas Llosa

3 votes, 5.3%

Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd

3 votes, 5.3%

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd

2 votes, 3.5%

Half of the Human Race by Anthony Quinn

0 votes, 0.0%

57 total votes

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