The Postman Always Rings Twice James M Cain

Didn't know what to expect with this one, but it was short--only 120 pages, more of a short story or novella. A fast read, too, about a young drifter who finds work at a roadside diner in southern California; he and the owner become friends, but of course he falls for the man's wife, and together they conspire to kill him. Cain also wrote that other definitive noir story, DOUBLE INDEMNITY (and no, film buff that I am, I've never seen it), and I may have to read that some time. His writing is very spare, almost at a Bukowski level, and while not quite as racy he's at least as blunt; I can see how this was scandalous back when it was first published, in 1934. I read Dashiell Hammett's THE GLASS KEY a while ago, as I heard it served as the basis for MILLER'S CROSSING, one of my favorite movies. Now I have to pick up some Raymond Chandler, to round out my 30's noir experience. And what do you know: James M Cain taught journalism at St John's College, my alma mater--though this was before they adopted the Great Books Program in 1937.