Mystery & Thriller · TenseFrank Chambers, a drifter, takes a job at a rural California diner and begins an affair with the owner's wife
The Postman Always Rings Twice
A drifter and a diner owner's wife plot to get rid of her husband
Frank Chambers is a young drifter who narrates the story in the first person. He stops at a rural California diner and ends up working there, and he begins an intense affair with Cora, the beautiful young wife of the diner's owner, Nick Papadakis, known as "the Greek." The two soon scheme to kill Nick so they can be together and keep the business. Alfred A. Knopf published it in early 1934.
More about this book
Who
Frank Chambers, Cora Papadakis and Nick Papadakis.
World
A rural California diner.
What makes it different
Cain drew on the 1927 Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray murder case, and it was originally called Bar-B-Que. A ban in Boston followed publication.
Feel
Hard-boiled and fast.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- The Postman Always Rings TwiceWikipedia