
In 'Double Indemnity', insurance salesman Walter Huff becomes entangled with the femme fatale Phyllis Nirdlinger, leading to a plot to murder her husband for the insurance money. The story unfolds with intricate murder plots, double crosses, and a dark, twisted tale of crime set in 1930s Los Angeles. Written in a hard-boiled style, the book delves into themes of murder, betrayal, revenge, and questions about human nature, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for 'Double Indemnity' include themes of murder, manipulation, infidelity, and moral corruption.
Has Romance?
The book contains elements of romance, particularly in the twisted relationship between Walter Huff and Phyllis Nirdlinger, driven by lust and manipulation.
From The Publisher:
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.
Ratings (5)
Loved It (3) | |
It Was OK (1) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (10):
Read It (5) | |
Want To Read (5) |
1 comment(s)
I read this book right after I finished [b:The Postman Always Rings Twice|25807|The Postman Always Rings Twice|James M. Cain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344265267l/25807._SY75_.jpg|808562]. I liked this book more. It is somehow more mature, and the plot is even more complex and interesting.
The only thing that bothered me was the love life of the main character who falls in love with women at first sight. It was senseless and it irritated me. Especially with Phyllis, it was kind of really weird.
I really like when the main character of the book is a murderer and the plot includes his attempts to commit and hide the crime. Walter himself admits that he had had this crime well thought out for years and he was just waiting for the right moment to implement his plans. This moment comes when he meets Phyllis who wants to kill her husband. The couple decide to commit the crime and then collect money from insurance. The plan they are implementing is clever and well thought out.
But just like in [b:The Postman Always Rings Twice|25807|The Postman Always Rings Twice|James M. Cain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344265267l/25807._SY75_.jpg|808562], real life and human nature stand in the way of the full implementation of the plan. By coincidence, not everything Walter planned goes as it should. It also turns out that he did not know Phyllis as well as he thought. It seems the woman may have had her own plans.
The plot really keeps you on the edge of your seat. For such a short story, there are some really good twists here. But the ending is a little too weird. I didn’t find it entirely satisfying.
About the Author:
James M. Cain was a first-rate writer of American hard-boiled crime fiction. Born in Baltimore in 1892, Cain began his career as a reporter, serving in the American Expeditionary Force in World War I and writing for the newspaper of…
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