Here's some exciting news today for readers of hardboiled and/or "noir" crime fiction. Charles Ardai, the person responsible for the Hard Case Crime line of mysteries from Titan Books, sends word that his company has acquired the rights to a never-before-published novel by James M. Cain. Cain is the author of such classics as Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. The newly-discovered book is called The Cocktail Waitress, and it should be out in Fall, 2012.
What's it about? According to Ardai's e-mail:
THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS is the story of beautiful young widow Joan Medford, whose husband died under suspicious circumstances. Desperate to make ends meet after his death, Joan takes a job as a waitress in a cocktail lounge, where two new men enter her life: a handsome young schemer she falls for and a rich but unwell older man she marries.
Although Cain published many books during his lifetime, The Cocktail Waitress apparently is brand-new, having never appeared in any form. As Ardai points out, Cain is generally considered one of the "big three" in hardboiled, along with Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, so this is truly a major find for hardboiled fans. Congratulations to Hard Case Crime are in order.
More details and background are available at the Rap Sheet blog.
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