James M Cain is one of the all time classic crime writers. The 1930's were the hey day of pulp detective/noir fiction, and Cain is one of the best of the era. Double Indemnity is the story of an insurance agent, Huff, who gets seduced into a murder plot by one of his client's wife. They pull off a murder they think is perfect, but the insurance company's main claims agent, Keyes, unravels the crime. As the heat begins to rise on the killers, they of course turn on each other. As Cain writes, "That's all it takes, one drop of fear, to curdle love into hate." Cain writes in Hemingway-esque short, direct sentences, and his dialogue is realistic. The characters are not well developed, but i wouldn't say that is the point of the story. Rather it is an examination of how dark passions and evil crimes can twist a person.