“I never knew a writer who regarded [writing] as anything but a refined form of crucifixion.”—James M. Cain Although Cain was formerly dismissed as merely a hardboiled writer, his finest works—The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce, and Double Indemnity—are now considered enduring classics of American literature. In this book Roy Hoopes gives as full a picture of the man and his life as will ever be written. The work was awarded an “Edgar” by the Mystery Writers of America.