Double Indemnity

By James M. Cain

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME •  James M. Cain, virtuoso of the roman noir, gives us a tautly narrated and excruciatingly suspenseful story in Double Indemnity, an X-ray view of guilt, of duplicity, and of the kind of obsessive, loveless love that devastates everything it touches.

Walter Huff was an insurance salesman with an unfailing instinct for clients who might be in trouble, and his instinct led him to Phyllis Nirdlinger. Phyllis wanted to buy an accident policy on her husband. Then she wanted her husband to have an accident. Walter wanted Phyllis. To get her, he would arrange the perfect murder and betray everything he had ever lived for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9780307778420

James M. Cain

James M. Cain (1892–1977) was one of the most important authors in the history of crime fiction. Born in Maryland, he became a journalist after giving up on a childhood dream of singing opera. After two decades writing for newspapers in Baltimore, New York, and the army—and a brief stint as the managing editor of the New Yorker—Cain moved to Hollywood in the early 1930s. While writing for the movies, he turned to fiction, penning the novella The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934). This tightly wound tale of passion, murder, and greed became one of the most controversial bestsellers of its day, and remains one of the foremost examples of American noir writing. It set the tone for Cain’s next few novels, including Serenade (1937), Mildred Pierce (1941), Double Indemnity (1943), and The Butterfly (1947). Several of his books became equally successful noir films, particularly the classic 1940s adaptations of Mildred Pierce and Double Indemnity. Cain moved back to Maryland in 1948. Though he wrote prolifically until his death, Cain remains most famous for his early work.     

Reviews for Double Indemnity

[nog_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[margaretfield · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

so different from the movie; just as good but darker, stranger. More about humanity than about an affair between a man and a woman

[hagelstein_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A tightly plotted classic of crime fiction. A too smart for his own good insurance salesman plots with a murderous wife to kill her husband for insurance money, but he's outwitted even as he's tutoring her in what he believes will be the perfect scam.

[sianpr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A cracking hard-boiled noir.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very short and very quick read. Walter Neff, an insurance salesman, and Phyllis Nardlinger, a femme fatale housewife, plan the perfect murder of Phyllis' husband where they will collect double indemnity from a recently purchased insurance policy. The book is tightly written with a first person narrative by Walter Neff. The murder plans are intricately plotted and cleverly inventive. Will they get away with the murder after they begin to mistrust one another? I suggest you read this noir classic and find out. It is a page-turner with lots of twists and hard to put down. A definite masterpiece!

[akissner-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[jameshold-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

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.

[bensdad00 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent companion to Postman.

[wdwilson3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Intricate murder plots. Double crosses. Pathological killer. Romance. All in 115 pages. A terrific period piece.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can’t believe I’ve never read this one before. One murder leads to the next as this mystery unfolds. I saw the movie years ago, but as is always the case, the book is better. A wife decides to kill her husband for the insurance money and seduces the insurance agent in to helping her. Toss in a train, crutches, and a suspicious step daughter and you’ve got a good story. A must read for fans of classic noir.

[bjkelley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, I haven't read this book since the 1970's and did not remember how great it was. Cain led to Chandler led to many others, but I see now, that Cain is the true master. On a side note the movie was terrible.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Digital audiobook performed by James NaughtonWalter 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 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.

[sheila1957 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[daftboy1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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

[idiotgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a pretty creepy story. Want to watch the movie again. Bill Wilder.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[bridgey_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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. 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.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 1944 Billy Wilder directed film Double Indemnity has long been one of my favorite movies so I was quite excited to finally be reading the original story by James M. Cain. This hard-boiled classic tells the story of Walter Huff, an insurance salesman, and Phyllis Nirdlinger, a woman with a desire to rid herself of her husband. Water is obsessively drawn to Phyllis and before too long finds himself planning a perfect murder, one that will rid them of the unnecessary husband and also bring them a large payoff on the accident insurance policy that includes a double indemnity clause.This dark tale of obsession, guilt, suspicion and retribution is taunt and full of suspense. The intricate plot moves the story along, and the author wastes no words with his straight forward delivery. My only complaint is with the ending which I found rather convoluted and drawn out. This is one case where I believe the film version with it’s classic ending provided by Wilder and Raymond Chandler far exceeds the book. Double Indemnity was well worth the read, but I would encourage everyone to see the film which is a masterpiece.

[page.fault · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[johngrant1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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, 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 . . .?

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful crime noir novel & the ending is even better than the classic movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurrey!

[lilywren · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[tjwilson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is brutal, short and completely ingestible in one sitting. I can’t the plot twists achieved through the smallest amount of writing. Wonderful.

[scperryz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Noir perfection. Every word, character, and moment in this book are right.

[gbill_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.”

[391_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 to spiral completely out of control. It was an absolute rush!

[g026r · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[gaskella_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[datrappert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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....