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marinalikeaboatyard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
forever referring to myself as a “hell cat”
oliviasawdon's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
alwill24's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
seamuscoon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nellyesc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
boredreaderr's review against another edition
3.0
Its a nice short novel. I was drawn towards it because of its title. It sought of justifies the story. You can get away with something once but you can't do it again.
Its a nice read.
Its a nice read.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I actually think I prefer the film(s). I love film noir, and I think the filmmakers took the best parts of this story and made more of it than its original.
It's not at all bad though. A drifter lists after a roadside café owner's wife, taking a job there to be close to her. They start the affair we see coming, and decide that they want to get her husband out of the way. Can they commit the perfect murder? Can their 'love' survive intrigue? Double cross? Detection?
Frank, our drifter, is pretty honest about himself - he knows he's not made to settle down, doesn't try to keep away from another man's wife. Cora is written to be the more scheming character, the cheating wife who might be using her new lover. I felt pity for her husband Nick ('the Greek'), who may not be a romantic hero but is just a regular, decent guy. Our lovers find him inconvenient though and the 100-page books ages to fit in murder attempts, court scenes, holidays, deaths and even a puma.
The dialogue feels a bit stilted and stereotyped occasionally (which also plays better on screen), and I felt some confusion with the lawyer-talk, but it's nice and dark, funny and very much of its period.
It's not at all bad though. A drifter lists after a roadside café owner's wife, taking a job there to be close to her. They start the affair we see coming, and decide that they want to get her husband out of the way. Can they commit the perfect murder? Can their 'love' survive intrigue? Double cross? Detection?
Frank, our drifter, is pretty honest about himself - he knows he's not made to settle down, doesn't try to keep away from another man's wife. Cora is written to be the more scheming character, the cheating wife who might be using her new lover. I felt pity for her husband Nick ('the Greek'), who may not be a romantic hero but is just a regular, decent guy. Our lovers find him inconvenient though and the 100-page books ages to fit in murder attempts, court scenes, holidays, deaths and even a puma.
The dialogue feels a bit stilted and stereotyped occasionally (which also plays better on screen), and I felt some confusion with the lawyer-talk, but it's nice and dark, funny and very much of its period.
aleksandrapasic's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
When Cain published this work in 1934 he opened up a new field for writers, and defined a new subgenre .. the hard-boiled noir crime novel.
Frank Chambers is a drifter, who gets tossed off a truck on which he had stowed away, and winds up at the Twin Oaks Tavern. It’s a dusty little “roadside sandwich joint, like a million others in California” including a lunch counter, filling station, and a half-dozen “shacks that they called an auto court.” The owner, a Greek named Nick Papadakis, offers him a job, but Frank isn’t interested … at least not until he gets a look at Nick’s wife, Cora.
The passion between Cora and Frank is palpable. And I don’t just mean lust. They fight, slinging horrible words at one another, and are even physically brutal. Everything happens at breakneck speed. They coldly plan to murder The Greek, and are “saved” only by a dead cat. The reader gets the sense that despite their professed love, these two are each other’s worst enemy, and one can only keep reading to find out what the final body count will be.
It’s a fascinating story, and rapid-paced. The writing is spare and bold. There isn’t a lot of extraneous description or exposition on motives. Emotions are raw and characters act on them without much thought to consequences. Fans of today’s forensic pathology TV series and books may find this simple. BUT, put yourself back in 1934, and just go along for the ride.
You can read this slim volume in a day or two … but you’ll be thinking about it much longer.
Frank Chambers is a drifter, who gets tossed off a truck on which he had stowed away, and winds up at the Twin Oaks Tavern. It’s a dusty little “roadside sandwich joint, like a million others in California” including a lunch counter, filling station, and a half-dozen “shacks that they called an auto court.” The owner, a Greek named Nick Papadakis, offers him a job, but Frank isn’t interested … at least not until he gets a look at Nick’s wife, Cora.
The passion between Cora and Frank is palpable. And I don’t just mean lust. They fight, slinging horrible words at one another, and are even physically brutal. Everything happens at breakneck speed. They coldly plan to murder The Greek, and are “saved” only by a dead cat. The reader gets the sense that despite their professed love, these two are each other’s worst enemy, and one can only keep reading to find out what the final body count will be.
It’s a fascinating story, and rapid-paced. The writing is spare and bold. There isn’t a lot of extraneous description or exposition on motives. Emotions are raw and characters act on them without much thought to consequences. Fans of today’s forensic pathology TV series and books may find this simple. BUT, put yourself back in 1934, and just go along for the ride.
You can read this slim volume in a day or two … but you’ll be thinking about it much longer.
rebelkiss's review against another edition
3.0
This book....kind of pissed me off. I felt like everything was rushed. As though the characters needed to be flushed out a bit. Also, when it comes to the characters, they really sucked at planning out the evil deeds.