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. That night, Cora is desperate; Frank finds her in the kitchen with a knife she says she will use on herself. 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.

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain | Goodreads The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain | Goodreads

More than anything, Cain understands how easily man is corrupted, how easily he can corrupt others, like an infection. Set during the Great Depression, the story reflects a time when young men hit the road with no idea where their next meal would come from and young women were trapped in marriages they could no more walk out on than they could become tramps themselves. Some wear to covers and spine, mainly edges and corners, edges and corners a little creased and worn, surface of covers a little grubby and marked, internally in good condition, pages crisp and clear but yellowing, previous owners name on first page. His wanderings have gotten him into trouble with the law at many of his stops and finally he is looking to start anew, or so he has us believe.

The protagonists end up in and out of trouble with the police as they work to get both Nick out of the way and the cops off their tale.

The Postman Always Rings Twice, First Edition - AbeBooks The Postman Always Rings Twice, First Edition - AbeBooks

To make it look like they too have been injured in the car crash, Frank hits Cora in the face and rips open her blouse then proceeds to have sex with her. Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s: The Postman Always Rings Twice, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? His 1934 crime novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is an ironic and steamy (for its time) story of adultery and murder set in a California roadside restaurant.When mail (post) was delivered, the postman knocked once to let the household know it was there: no reply was needed. A problem that has only one grisly solution–a solution that only creates other problems that no one can ever solve. But it was just a story about some guy who starts sleeping with another man’s wife and then they decide to kill the husband.

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain | Goodreads

Given that the final script sanitized some of the graphic violence and sex of the novel, the filmmakers take steps to make the characters’ actions more rational. When Turner found out that Garfield was cast as the male lead, she responded, "Couldn't they at least hire someone attractive? Entire books and dissertations have been written about Cain’s women – the good, the bad, the rampant sexism, the alleged misogyny – whatever. I read this thinking it was a manual for postal employees that I could use to study for civil service exam. For the seaside love scenes, he took the cast and crew to Laguna Beach, where a fog made shooting impossible for days.Before I even knew anything about this book, or the films that were based on it, I adored that title. In the novel, Cain gives a visceral account of Frank and Cora’s first romantic encounter in which Frank, at Cora's request, bites her lips to the point of blood dripping down her neck. Frank is taken to a hospital in an ambulance that also drops off Nick’s body at a morgue—confirming for Frank that Nick is really dead. While attempting to run away together, Cora concludes that if she divorces Nick, she will end up with nothing; she and Frank will be no further ahead.