Mystery Review: Three Complete Novels (also known as Cain x 3) contains The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934), Double Indemnity (1936), and Mildred Pierce (1941). These are Cain's best novels, his greatest hits, his essential work. These are the books that made his reputation, were made into great movies, and made an indelible impact on noir, both film and literary. The first two, written in the first-person, are stories of obsession and ruin in love or lust between a woman and a man. The third, which he called his "first serious novel," is Cain's first venture into third person narrative, about a different kind of obsession, but one that is no less destructive. All three books feature major female roles, played in Hollywood by Lana Turner, Barbara Stanwyck, and Joan Crawford. Cain never reached these heights again. Later novels were far weaker or flawed. At first Cain tried to branch out into different genres (Past All Dishonor (1946), a historical fiction, and The Moth (1948), a semi-autobiographical work). Later, for the rest of his life, he kept trying to recreate the magic of Postman and Indemnity. This is not to say that Cain's later works were without interest. Serenade (1937) in particular is so bizarre that it cannot be ignored. But for those who just want to get the core of Cain's writing, Three Complete Novels is all that's necessary. [5★]
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