DOUBLE INDEMNITY by James M. Cain


PUBLISHER: Avon, 1943
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction/Thriller
SETTING: California, USA
MY GRADE: B

SYNOPSIS: Double Indemnity is the classic tale of an evil woman motivated by greed who corrupts a weak man motivated by lust. Walter Huff is an insurance investigator like any other until the day he meets the beautiful and dangerous Phyllis Nirdlinger and falls under her spell. Together they plot to kill her husband and split the insurance. It'll be the perfect murder... 













MY THOUGHTS: This was too condensed and too much was going on. I really disliked the stuff involving someone and multiple past murders. I felt it was overkill to the plot line. There was absolutely no character development. Worst of all, none between the two main characters which was very strange considering Walter's so in love with Phyllis but when did all that happen? Despite the negatives I still liked the plot and the ending.

The film versions are a bit different than the novella, especially the endings, which I didn't care for at all. I liked the male lead in the original 1944 film better than the one in the 1973 made for TV version but liked the actress in the TV version better than the one in the original.

Thanks to Jason for giving this to me!


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