Mystery Review: The Butterfly is a rare and unique example of hillbilly noir, as written by the master of hardboiled fiction. A story of moonshining, coal mining, birthmarks, and incest. Set in the mountains of West Virginia with a convoluted plot and a cast of characters worthy of any soap opera. There are several twists and turns, and though not all are credible Cain is writing what he writes best: obsession, lust, and bad choices. Once again (see Serenade (1937)) he goes over the top, as if he had to outdo his earlier works and shocking readers was the only way to do it (even if it's really shock-lite). Cain incorporates an outré male fantasy of a daughter seducing her father and makes it the center of The Butterfly. The novel was popular when published in 1946 (!), but has since receded in notoriety nowadays as part of the Cain bibliography. The book also includes an intriguing 12-page self-justifying preface that's a must-read. Unfilmable when it was published, The Butterfly was made into a 1982 film with Pia Zadora and Stacy Keach. Random note: Cain's next book, published the following year, was entitled The Moth. [3★]
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