James M. Cain 1946 Photo: AP / TT
Sample of authors
Cain, James M.
The American author and journalist James Mallahan Cain was a prominent figure in 20th century fiction. Alongside Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, he was among the first authors of "hardboiled" crime fiction that came to influence American noir fiction and film. Many of his works are considered classics, especially the novellas The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Double Indemnity...
Literary figures
David Ash
Gender: Male
An ‘occult’ detective in Great Britain who solves cases with supernatural elements. David Ash, who is the main character in three novels by horror-fiction writer James Herbert, is middle-aged, has thick, untidy hair – partly grey – and blue eyes. He is critical of his superiors, cynical, but despite his successes also insecure, which means that he drinks too much and has problems getting close to...