James M. Cain remains one of the most familiar names in the history of crime fiction. A number of his books, including Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Mildred Pierce have been made into classic films and each remade after that. Cain was at his most popular in the 1930s and 1940s, but he continued writing right up to his death in October 1977 at the age of 85.
At the time of his death, Cain was working on a novel that recalled themes explored in his earlier successes. While unfinished, this novel existed in multiple undated draft versions with accompanying handwritten notes for decades. And so it stayed until it was tracked down by Charles Ardai, editor and co-founder of Hard Case Crime, a publishing outfit that seems to specialize in resurrecting the larcenous literary dead. (Hard Case has published posthumous novels by such popular writers as Mickey Spillane, Donald Westlake and Lester Dent.)
Ardai must have had a hell of a time puzzle-piecing The Cocktail Waitress (as the finished product is now called) together from the various drafts, fragments and notes, but he also must have had a hell of a good time doing so as well. For a classic mystery fan, having the honor of editing a "lost" James M. Cain novel for publication must have been akin to an English major having the chance to polish a "lost" Shakespeare play.
2 comments:
Now that's a book jacket!
Indeed!
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