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
Harriet Martens
Gender: Female
Not without reason, she is called ‘The Hard Detective’, and Chief Inspector Harriet Martens in Greater Birchester is tough. She needs to be: she has to sort our various problems in her own police force as well as struggling against uncomprehending superiors. But her creator H.R.F. Keating lets her have a happy private life with her husband John – at any rate until their adult twin sons are the vic...