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Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
38 posts | 51 read | 51 to read
Tautly narrated and excruciatingly suspenseful, Double Indemnity gives us an X-ray view of guilt, of duplicity, and of the kind of obsessive, loveless love that devastates everything it touches. First published in 1935, this novel reaffirmed James M. Cain as a virtuoso of the roman noir.
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Suelizbeth
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Holy smokes! This book hit me hard! I‘ve never seen the movie and I‘m glad because it just can‘t be as good as this book. It‘s shocking what people will do for money. I certainly wasn‘t expecting that ending, either. Oh boy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

tournevis I did not know the movie was from a book. The movie was a very middle of the road 1990s police-court action movie like there were 12012 made at the time, with Ashley Judd, I think? Mostly meh. 3mo
rabbitprincess @tournevis The 1990s one was a remake. The original movie was from 1944 and starred Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. I haven‘t seen the 1990s one but can safely assert that the 1944 movie is better 😂 3mo
tournevis @rabbitprincess I did not know that. Will investigate. 3mo
Suelizbeth Honestly though, read the book. I knew who was in the 1944 movie and have seen snippets just not the whole thing. From what I saw I‘m sure it‘s great film noir. The book is certainly noir as are the author‘s other books-turned-movies. 3mo
35 likes4 comments
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Centique
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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This is a short, fast moving piece of noir crime fiction from 1943. Its deliciously dark, a man and a woman join to commit a crime - possibly the perfect crime. Will they be caught? Can they trust each other?
This is a great single afternoon read - you wont get hugely involved with the characters - but enjoy the plot and the style.

LeahBergen I read this years ago and should pick it up again! 6mo
Suzze And probably the best noir film ever! 6mo
Centique @Suzze i havent seen the film yet but i want to! 6mo
Suzze @Centique I took a film noir class and this was by far my favorite. 6mo
CarolynM I haven‘t seen the film but I saw it as a play a few years ago. Cracking story😃 6mo
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Blueberry
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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4⭐
This was different than other noir I have read.

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Creadnorthey
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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A book so small yet epic in it's noir implimentation of justice. This is definitely a book of it‘s time- truly great if you can forgive the hard boiled treatment of women.

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Minervasbutler
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Here's another story of a pair of lovers who conspire to knock off an inconvenient husband. This one rattles along faster than that fateful train, told largely through terse dialogue as the couple first reveal their feelings to each other and then hatch their nefarious plot. The insurance agent colleague of the narrator-protagonist is a brilliant twist on the omniscient detective trope.

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JenlovesJT47
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Continuing my James M. Cain kick, I grabbed this 3-hour #audiobook for my weekend reading. I saw the classic movie years ago and decided to grab this first before a rewatch. It‘s short and very compelling. The narrator has a super sexy voice that is just perfect for the noirish vibe. I couldn‘t remember exactly what happened in the movie, but I think the book is better. It usually is. If you enjoy pulp fiction/noir, I‘d highly recommend this. 5⭐️

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AvidReader25
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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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 into 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.

Deblovestoread I did not know it was a book. On my way to check it out! 3y
PaperbackPirate I have had this book forever! I need to read it, thank you for the push! 3y
AvidReader25 @Kdgordon88 Eight Perfect Murders talked about it a lot, so I had to check it out. 3y
AvidReader25 @PaperbackPirate It‘s a quick read! 3y
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Larkken
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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I needed a quick fix and found this audiobook, featuring one of the 8 perfect murders included in a recent release - a pretty good little noir! I didn't realize I have also seen the movie, but that's OK sometimes. Anyone have any strong feelings if the #bookormovie are better?

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MatchlessMarie
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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That‘s all it takes, one drop of fear, to curdle love into hate.

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erzascarletbookgasm
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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James M. Cain once said in an interview “If your writing doesn‘t keep you up at night, it won‘t keep anyone else up either.” Written in 1943, the book is an archetype of #hardboiledcrime novels, where lust, greed, & murder are the downfall of a man. The story of an insurance salesman lured into a fraud scheme, it‘s dark & suspenseful, & the writing/dialogue is razor sharp..kept me glued to the pages. It‘s mean and brilliant. 👍

#jennyis30

mabell What a terrific review!! (And I know this would 100% not be for me 🤣) 4y
BarbaraBB I really want to read this one too. Great review! 4y
rabbitprincess Hahaha I love that Murder Mystery Monthly logo! Also loved Double Indemnity! Definitely my favourite Cain. 4y
batsy Nice review! Definitely have to read this 💀 4y
LeahBergen I read this years ago and thought it was great. 👍🏻 4y
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Gezemice
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Great, classic noir, with a twisty plot, sparse writing, thrilling pace, with some moral dillemas, and guilt thrown in, with the obligatory manly man, femme fatale and clever investigator. Two people plan the perfect murder - then things get complicated. Loved it. A great quick listen on audio from Hoopla. I started and could not stop! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cathythoughts I would have seen the movie years ago ✨✨✨✨✨you just can‘t beat those old movies 4y
Gezemice @Cathythoughts I haven‘t seen the movie butI think I really should! 4y
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LiteraryinPA
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Another book down in the project to read the 8 books referenced in Eight Perfect Murders! This one is only a novella so it was super short. All the back and forths about devising the murder plot and then all the fallout afterwards really kept my attention. And in my head I was narrating with a hard-boiled noir voice. 😋

Desha Oh my gosh I just finished Eight Perfect Murders last week! I thought of doing something similar but have sooooo many TBR books in my pile already! I still might do it at some point! Great job in pursuing it!! ♥️📚📚📚 4y
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Julsmarshall
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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The movie is so good! Fred MacMurray amazing!

LiteraryinPA Are you reading all the books from Eight Perfect Murders? 4y
Palimpsest I‘m a huge Barbara Stanwyck fan. 4y
Julsmarshall Yes, @LiteraryinLititz I am! ABC Murders will be next! 4y
LiteraryinPA @Julsmarshall ABC Murders is really good! 4y
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TaciturnWhenReading
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Speeding through this little gem tonight.

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Cinfhen
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Special thanks to @jenniferw88 because if it wasn‘t for her #JennyIs30 challenge I might not have read this brilliant #HardBoiledCrime classic 🤓 Walter Huff, an insurance agent quickly becomes seduced by a femme fatale in a plot to murder her husband and receive the double Indemnity payout clause for an accidental death. As with most schemes, things never go exactly as planned. With limited pages this book shocked me!!! Tight & solid.

LeahBergen I read this years ago (and can hardly remember it, of course 😆). 5y
wanderinglynn The movie adaptation is excellent. 5y
jenniferw88 Glad you're finding some new favourites! 😊😘 5y
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erzascarletbookgasm I think I‘ve watched the movie, sounds familiar! 5y
Cinfhen I‘ve heard the film is even better than the book @erzascarletbookgasm @wanderinglynn @LeahBergen @jenniferw88 but apparently the film has a different ending ~ maybe I‘ll watch this weekend if I can find it 🍿 5y
Lizpixie #stacked! How are you my #SisterFromAnotherMister💃🏻 5y
Cinfhen Hey!!! #GreenEyedPixie I‘m ok 🙂 how are you????? It‘s almost your birthday month!!! How are we celebrating @Lizpixie ????? (edited) 5y
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gradcat
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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#anglophileapril

(Day 7 - #TaintedLove)

*This movie is most definitely an example of “tainted love.” It came from the tagged novella by James M. Cain. It‘s such an oldie but goodie; I highly recommend the movie if you‘ve never seen it.

Palimpsest I adore Barbara Stanwyck (edited) 6y
gradcat @Palimpsest I know! Wasn‘t she so great? Plus, Fred MacMurray really slays in that role! Who‘d‘ve thunk it—if you ever saw the tv show “My Three Sons”! 6y
Cinfhen My fabulous cohosts read the book for their family bookclub and all 3 loved the book!!! It‘s still on my #OneDay list 6y
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emilyhaldi Yes!!!! Cindy is right, we loved this book 🤩 6y
rretzler Fantastic movie. Still haven‘t read the book - which is unusual for me. 6y
rretzler 💕 My Three Sons! 6y
Mdargusch I almost used this book for the prompt too! Perfect! 6y
Reviewsbylola Loved this book. Cain is awesome. 6y
kspenmoll Great movie! 6y
gradcat @Cinfhen You really must read it...then watch the movie...or vice versa...I think either way is fine, so long as you do it, right @emilyhaldi @Mdargusch @Reviewsbylola ? 😂👍 6y
gradcat @kspenmoll @rretzler I think you can be forgiven for not reading the book in this case, because the movie is just that good. The book is rather short, if I‘m remembering correctly...I believe it‘s a novella. 6y
gradcat @rretzler I forgot to mention my happiness over someone knowing “My Three Sons!” 😂🥰👍 6y
rretzler 😂 My Three Sons was one of my favorite shows back in the day! 6y
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Reviewsbylola
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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James Cain is a master, and Double Indemnity immediately came to mind with the #heyjune prompt #ififell. Walter is an insurance agent just making a house call when he becomes involved in a murder plot with a housewife intent on killing her husband in order to collect on his life insurance policy.

Cathythoughts Sounds brilliant 6y
GypsyKat Well done! 6y
Cinfhen Every since u first posted I‘ve been wanting to read this book 😍 6y
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Mdargusch Good one! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 6y
writerlibrarian One of noir's best. Good choice. 6y
Reviewsbylola It was an easy five stars. I definitely recommend! @Cathythoughts @GypsyKat @Cinfhen 6y
SledgeReader Have not read this one. Love Cain! Stacked! 6y
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Cedricsmom
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Have you seen the movie? Are you a fan of the noir genre? James Cain practically invented noir with this classic, Mildred Pierce and the Postman Always Rings Twice. In Double Indemnity, a desperate man falls for a definitive femme fatale and plays out the game “straight down the line” to the inevitable. If you‘re curious about the genre, read this taut, exhilarating gem of a book.

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Mdargusch
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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#selfishlove. Who was using whom in this fast paced thriller? #aprella

emilyhaldi Perfect for this prompt 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
Reviewsbylola Definitely a good pick! 7y
Cinfhen Still need to read this one, especially since you ALL loved it so much!!! 7y
Meredith3 Great choice! And yes @Cinfhen you need to read it! It's super quick! 7y
Billypar Never read the book, but the film is one of my favorites. 7y
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EadieB
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Short, quick read about Walter Neff, insurance salesman, and Phyllis Nardlinger, housewife, who plan the perfect murder of Phyllis‘ husband where they will collect double indemnity from a recently purchased insurance policy. Will they get away with murder after they begin to mistrust one another? A noir classic that is a definite masterpiece.

Mdargusch This is a great suspense/thriller! 7y
EadieB I agree! The movie is good too! 7y
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guinsgirlreads
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Vintage crime is a good time.. nice one-sitting read for today 👍🏻

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guinsgirlreads
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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About to knock this one out during my workout 💪🏻👋🏻

emilyhaldi This is a good one! 7y
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Dulcinella
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Detective noir. Excellent book in the genre and I loved the audiobook.

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Reviewsbylola
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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January 2018 wrap up. I read a total of 12 books. (Missing is Beartown and Bringing Adam Home.)

🥇 Double Indemnity
🥈 What Made Maddy Run
🥉 The Underground Railroad

emilyhaldi Nice! I'm surprised by your silver medal choice! 7y
Mdargusch Nice stack there. 7y
britt_brooke Nice!! 7y
bibliobliss Great job! 7y
Cinfhen Impressive😍 7y
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emilyhaldi
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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My #bookdepository haul came just in time for me to start my family book club pick for Jan... with just 2 days left before our meeting! Good thing it‘s short 😆

And while I originally went to the site for just that one book, I obviously had to throw in a few more...

Librariana The family that reads together.... 😁 Y'all are the coolest Litsy fam! 7y
Reviewsbylola You‘ll finish it in two hours probably. 7y
JenlovesJT47 Great choices!! 🙌🏻 7y
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Meredith3 You'll probably finish that book in an hour! 7y
Leftcoastzen I really want to read Elmet !Love East of Eden and Double Indemnity. 7y
DeborahSmall I have 3 sisters but only my mum and 1 sister reads as much as me! You‘re all so lucky. Midwinter is fab 😘 7y
Mdargusch Just in the nick of time. 7y
batsy Love the idea of a family book club 💞 7y
LeahBergen That‘s a great stack of books. 👍🏻 7y
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Meredith3
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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I don‘t know about you, but I am a big fan of the show, Snapped- HUGE! And this book was like an episode right out of Snapped: Killer Couples- loved it. Can‘t wait to discuss with my book club on Thursday! #staysexyanddontgetmurdered 🖤🔨🔪⚔️⚰️🔫💊

Reviewsbylola I‘m really glad everyone seems to like it! 7y
emilyhaldi Oooooh girl you got me all excited!!! 🙆🏻‍♀️🔪 7y
Mdargusch I will be anxious to hear about it. 7y
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Meredith3
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Finally getting into the book club book, good thing it's a short one because I only have until Thursday to finish it!

emilyhaldi COOL PICTURE!! 👌🏻 7y
Meredith3 @emilyhaldi thank you! 😹😹😹 7y
Mdargusch It‘s definitely a fast read. 🛀🏻🛀🏻🛀🏻 7y
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AnnieD
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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First book of 2018 - don‘t worry I finished this over a week ago I just don‘t post daily like @Reviewsbylola @emilyhaldi @Mdargusch big fan of this book and now need to go buy everything by James Cain.

Mdargusch I agree. I can see why @Reviewsbylola wants to read all his books! 7y
Reviewsbylola I now have six of his books. 😂 7y
emilyhaldi Go girl!!! I haven‘t started this yet but excited by the positive reviews 😄 7y
Meredith3 Omg you are WAAAY ahead of me! Nice work, homie! 7y
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Mdargusch
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Our January #familybookclub choice is a short thriller written in 1935. This book is packed with more action, twists, and murders than most modern day thrillers that are 200 pages longer! This author is a genius. I was hooked from the very beginning and never guessed most of the surprises Cain had in store. This would be perfect for readathon as the audiobook is only 3 1/2 hours long. #booked2018 #unconventionalromance

IamIamIam I didn't know this was a book! I love the film!!! 7y
cathysaid Gorgeous yarn! 7y
Meredith3 Your review has me super excited to start this! 7y
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Mdargusch Check it out @IamIamIam - it‘s such a quick read! 7y
Mdargusch Thanks @cathysaid , I‘m trying to use up all my leftovers so it is a bit of this and a bit of that. 7y
Mdargusch It‘s right up your alley @Meredith3 7y
Pamwurtzler That‘s really pretty! 7y
ElishaLovesBooks Great picture! It‘s making me miss knitting! 7y
Suet624 Beautiful knitting 7y
Cinfhen Awesome review!!! Yay on your first challenge read completed🎉🎉I think I'm gonna try this one for #unconventionalromance as well 😀 7y
emilyhaldi You and @Reviewsbylola have me pumped for this one!!! 7y
Mdargusch It‘s so quick, you can‘t lose @cinfhen! 7y
Kaye Whatcha knitting ? It‘s very pretty. Makes me want to get some yarn and do something. Not sure what 😁 7y
Mdargusch Just making a scarf/shawl with my leftover yarn @Kaye. BTW just got Shallow Grave In Trinity County and started it. 👍🏼👍🏼 7y
Kaye Sounds great ❤️ will be watching for your review. 7y
Reviewsbylola I‘m so glad you loved it! 7y
kspenmoll Whatever you are knitting looks gorgeous! Love your color choices. 7y
Godmotherx5 Pretty yarn 💝 7y
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Reviewsbylola
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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This was the perfect #firstbook of 2018. James Cain is unlike any author I‘ve ever read. The forward really spoke to me in that, as an English major, I was never taught Cain in a single class I took. Had it not been for the film adaptations, I wouldn‘t have heard of his books. I gave this five stars and immediately bought another three volume book of his on amazon. This is the perfect crime noir that kept me guessing at every turn. #pop18

KarenUK Never read this but I ❤️the movie! Maybe I should use this for my #POP18 challenge... for seen the movie first? @Cinfhen 7y
Reviewsbylola That would be perfect! @KarenUK 7y
Cinfhen Yes!!! Great choice, I haven't seen the movie although I know it's a classic @KarenUK 7y
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Cinfhen Maybe I'll try this one ~ thanks Steph 💟 7y
emilyhaldi 😁😁😁 7y
BarbaraBB Sounds perfect. I read the tagged one, also a classic made into a movie and very good. 7y
Reviewsbylola I already own that and I think it will be in my next readalong pile! @barbarabb 7y
Mdargusch Can‘t wait to read this! 7y
rabbitprincess Double Indemnity is my favourite Cain novel! Glad you liked it 😊 7y
Meredith3 I'm still waiting for this one to arrive in the mail! 📪 7y
Reviewsbylola So are Mom and Emily. @Meredith3 7y
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Reviewsbylola
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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I‘m having so much fun seeing everyone‘s #firstbook of 2018. I struggled so much picking a book. I put way too much stock in the first book of the year. Here is what I finally settled on. It‘s short. ✔️ It‘s our book club pick for January. ✔️ It is one of my prompts for #pop18 ✔️ I just braved the freezing cold to grab Starbucks and now I‘m cozying up for the rest of the day. Happy New Year littens!!! 🎉🎉🎉

JessClark78 Happy New Year! 7y
Cinfhen Starbucks ❤️🙌🏻hope you enjoy your #firstbook 7y
raelaschoenherr I was selective on my first read too! It‘s funny that we‘re all like that :) Hope it‘s a good one for you! Props for actually going outside 😆 7y
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Reviewsbylola It‘s so good! I could have read it in one setting but I wanted to get some household chores done. Boo to being responsible. 👎🏻 @Cinfhen 7y
Reviewsbylola I‘ll pretty much do anything for Starbucks! 😂 @raelaschoenherr 7y
raelaschoenherr Also, is this the book the movie is based on? I‘ve seen that! 7y
raelaschoenherr I absolutely get that when it comes to coffee 😉☕️ 7y
Cinfhen That's awesome because my two #firstbook(s) are not really that good 😜I'm reading an ebook and physical book and one's close to a pan (Artemis) and the other is meh 7y
Reviewsbylola What bummer. ☹️ @Cinfhen 7y
Reviewsbylola Yes, he has had all of his books made into movies I think! @raelaschoenherr 7y
emilyhaldi This is a surprise!! Interesting pick 👍🏻 can't wait to see what you think! 🤞🏻 7y
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twohectobooks
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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#two #novemberbythenumbers

Read this a few weeks ago and looooved it. Cain is another one of those writers who are just tremendously good at what they do, and his endings (in the two books of his that I‘ve read) are flabbergasting. Can‘t wait to read more. Do beware, though, this reads like slightly more misogynist and WAY more stabby Hemingway.

GondorGirl Great review! Especially the more misogynistic, stabby Hemingway bit. 😂 7y
Betty @twohectobooks your Litsy handle covers the #two prompt too 7y
twohectobooks @GondorGirl haha thanks! 7y
twohectobooks @Betty you‘re right! I didn‘t even think of that hehe 7y
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Leftcoastzen
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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#two #NovemberbytheNumbers A pulp classic also made into a film. When duplicitous people are plotting together,you gotta add some backstabbing too.This pulpy Signet paperback was published in 1950.Double Indemnity was broken out of Cain‘s earlier hardcover of three novellas called “Three of a kind”.

batsy Love that vintage cover 💙 7y
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twohectobooks
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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“He‘s not happy. He‘ll be better off—dead.”

Just starting this quick noir between more serious novels.

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Lwsmith
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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Read as part of a reading challenge-this time a book recommended by a favorite author. So when Dean Koontz said in an interview that he'd read it 6 or 7 times, I had to try it. Very noir which is not my fav type of writing. But enough twists in this plot to require chiropractic care. "Fun," quick read. My coffee got cold beside me which says a lot.

JazzFeathers Read it years ago, but although l love noir, it didn't really hooked me. I have a feeling l'll like the film a lot more 7y
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Leftcoastzen
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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#retrocoverfun #riotgrams All Signets. The newest is the Spillane . Back then the price was 25 cents .

elkeOriginal Fantastic covers!! 7y
batsy Oh wow, those covers 😍 7y
Leftcoastzen @batsy can you imagine the art department room when they were cranking these out? 7y
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Leigh0906
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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A quick read for next week's lunchtime #bookclub. #currentlyreading

Louise James M. Cain is such a master of his genre! Enjoy! 7y
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Hamlet
Double Indemnity | James M. Cain
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I grabbed this short murder story as a break on a snowy day from the longer books I'm reading. It delivered in the full-flower of the hard-boiled style I expected. I must confess I know the movie well (and love it), & didn't like the exposition-filled elaborate ending of the book. I can see why the script writer simplified things. Still, it's a book worth knowing & it made for a diverting afternoon read, a good one for the repertoire.

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