A collection of stories and novellas from a master story teller. People presented in all their fallibility. Several of the stories and novellas deserve reviews in their own right. The final story about the embezzler is attention grabbing and the outcome wasn’t what I’d expected. I’ll certainly read more of his books. ( )

James M. Cain - The Complete Crime Stories is a 2015 Mysterious Press/ Open Road Integrated Media publication. I was provided a copy of this book my the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Most people equate the name James M. Cain with his famous hardboiled crime novels such as “The Postman Always Rings Twice”. But, Cain also wrote wrote short stories for magazines, as well as screenplays.

This is a collection of seventeen short stories by Cain, none of which I had ever read or even heard of, and I actually considered myself a fan. So, hats off to the publisher for collecting this outstanding group of stories and putting in them into one volume and in digital format.

Now, a brief word about the these stories:

The stories are all pretty short, some longer than others. While labeled as crime stories they have a kind of pulp quality to them and many are just dark essays on the underbelly of human nature. While many years have passed since these stories were written, they still pack a punch, and could be shocking to even the most jaded modern reader. No holds barred, no politically correct watered down dialogue or actions and some may even be offended, especially when it comes to the treatment of women in some cases.

However, I did enjoy reading some more obscure works by this author. I couldn't pinpoint a story I would call my favorite in the collection, but the first story - “The Baby in the Icebox” was the perfect lead in and stuck with me. Not all stories were to my liking, but for the most part the stories are quintessential Cain and one can't help but caught up in his signature prose.

If you are a fan of this author, or of the hard boiled style of writing, you really do want to pick this one up. Cain's unapologetic style of writing and his insight into humanity's dark side is absolutely riveting even in small, contained stories like these. So, even if you aren't all that familiar with the author, this is a nice way to familiarize yourself with a true legend in this genre.

4 stars ( )