14 Best mystery books like Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

Cover of Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

Double Indemnity

By: James M. Cain

4.06

Format: 115 pages, Paperback

Tautly narrated and excruciatingly suspenseful, Double Indemnity gives us an X-ray view of guilt, o…

"I loved her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake"

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

"I had killed a man, for money and a woman. I didn't have the money and I didn't have the woman."

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

"They've committed a *murder*! And it's not like taking a trolley ride together where they can get off at different stops. They're stuck with each other and they got to ride all the way to the end of the line and it's a one-way trip and the last stop is the cemetery."

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

"There's a shark. Following the ship.' I tried not to look, but couldn't help it. I saw a flash of dirty white down in the green. We walked back to the deck chairs. Walter, we'll have to wait. Till the moon comes up.' I guess we better have a moon.' I want to see that fin. That black fin. Cutting the water in the moonlight."

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

If you liked the mystery plot in Double Indemnity by James M. Cain , here is a list of 14 books like this:

Cover of Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2) by Raymond Chandler

1. Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)

By: Raymond Chandler

4.10

Format: 292 pages, Paperback

Marlowe's about to give up on a completely routine case when he finds himself in the wrong place at… read more

Similar categories in Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2) book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • american
  • noir
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • novels
  • crime
"She was a cute as a washtub."

-Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)

"It was a nice walk, if you liked grunting."

-Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)

"She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket."

-Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)

"The coffee shop smell was strong enough to build a garage on."

-Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)

Cover of The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1) by Raymond Chandler

2. The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)

By: Raymond Chandler

3.95

Format: 231 pages, Paperback

When a dying millionaire hires Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troubleso… read more

Similar categories in Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1) book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • american
  • noir
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • novels
  • crime
"Parecía más muerto que muchos cadáveres"

-Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)

"Dead men are heavier than broken hearts."

-Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)

"I was as empty of life as a scarecrow's pockets."

-Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)

"Just keep your nose clean and everything will be jake."

-Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)

Cover of The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6) by Raymond Chandler

3. The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)

By: Raymond Chandler

4.19

Format: 379 pages, Paperback

Down-and-out drunk Terry Lennox has a problem: his millionaire wife is dead and he needs to get out… read more

Similar categories in Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6) book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • american
  • noir
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • novels
  • crime
"To say goodbye is to die a little."

-Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)

"I'm killing time and it's dying hard."

-Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)

"I'm a native son, born in Santa Rosa."

-Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)

"I was as hollow and empty as the spaces between stars."

-Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)

Cover of Death of Jezebel (Inspector Cockrill #4) by Christianna Brand

4. Death of Jezebel (Inspector Cockrill #4)

By: Christianna Brand

3.55

Format: 207 pages, Hardcover

At a medieval pageant, Inspector Cockrill investigates a dramatic death Ever since she drove her… read more

Similar categories in Christianna Brand's Death of Jezebel (Inspector Cockrill #4) book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • classics
  • 20th century
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • crime
"But now the streets were not like the streets she knew. They were so silent: and so empty. On the doorsteps, little groups of milk bottles huddled with their dirty white collars, waiting for the roun…"

-Christianna Brand, Death of Jezebel (Inspector Cockrill #4)

Cover of The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

5. The Thin Man

By: Dashiell Hammett

3.82

Format: 224 pages, Paperback

Nick and Nora Charles are Hammett's most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve h… read more

Similar categories in Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • noir
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • crime
Cover of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

6. The Maltese Falcon

By: Dashiell Hammett

3.93

Format: None pages, Paperback

Sam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a l… read more

Similar categories in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • noir
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • crime
Cover of The Drowner by John D. MacDonald

7. The Drowner

By: John D. MacDonald

2.57

Format: 210 pages, Mass Market Paperback

read more

Similar categories in John D. MacDonald's The Drowner book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • crime
Cover of The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson

8. The Killer Inside Me

By: Jim Thompson

3.60

Format: 404 pages, Paperback

Everyone in the small town of Central City, Texas loves Lou Ford. A deputy sheriff, Lou's known to … read more

Similar categories in Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • classics
  • noir
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • crime
Cover of The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne

9. The Red House Mystery

By: A.A. Milne

4.17

Format: None pages, Paperback

The creator of such beloved storybook characters for children as Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyor… read more

Similar categories in A.A. Milne's The Red House Mystery book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • crime
Cover of Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

10. Double Indemnity

By: James M. Cain

4.06

Format: 115 pages, Paperback

Tautly narrated and excruciatingly suspenseful, Double Indemnity gives us an X-ray view of guilt, o… read more

Similar categories in James M. Cain's Double Indemnity book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • american
  • noir
  • fiction
  • 20th century
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • novels
  • crime
"I loved her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake"

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

"I had killed a man, for money and a woman. I didn't have the money and I didn't have the woman."

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

"They've committed a *murder*! And it's not like taking a trolley ride together where they can get off at different stops. They're stuck with each other and they got to ride all the way to the end of …"

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

"There's a shark. Following the ship.' I tried not to look, but couldn't help it. I saw a flash of dirty white down in the green. We walked back to the deck chairs. Walter, we'll have to wait. Till th…"

-James M. Cain, Double Indemnity

11. Deathtrap

By: Ira Levin

4.09

Format: None pages,

read more

Similar categories in Ira Levin's Deathtrap book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

12. The Glass Key

By: Dashiell Hammett

4.12

Format: 652 pages,

Paul Madvig was a cheerfully corrupt ward-heeler who aspired to something better: the daughter of S… read more

Similar categories in Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

13. Red Harvest

By: Dashiell Hammett

4.12

Format: 652 pages, ebook

The Continental Op first heard Personville called Poisonville by Hickey Dewey. But since Dewey also… read more

Similar categories in Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

Cover of Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles

14. Malice Aforethought

By: Francis Iles

3.93

Format: 310 pages, Paperback

On a balmy summer's day in 1930 the great and the good of the county are out in force for the annua… read more

Similar categories in Francis Iles's Malice Aforethought book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • 20th century
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • novels
  • crime
"The evidence knocked clean out of their hands. Nothing but suspicion left…and you can’t arrest a murderer on suspicion, oh dear no! Only felonious loiterer’s and housebreakers and low scum like that.…"

-Francis Iles, Malice Aforethought

"Madeleine Cranmere met him in the hall and showed him over the ground floor herself. She appeared delighted to listen to his rapturous enthusiasm, and consulted him on a few points as if he were an e…"

-Francis Iles, Malice Aforethought

15. Dark Passage

By: David Goodis , None

3.92

Format: 594 pages, Paperback

Sentenced to life in San Quentin for the alleged murder of his wife, Vince Parry escapes in a despe… read more

Similar categories in David Goodis's Dark Passage book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

16. The Little Sister (Philip Marlowe, #5)

By: Raymond Chandler

4.67

Format: None pages, Paperback

Chandler's 5th novel has Philip Marlowe going to Hollywood as he explores the underworld of glitter… read more

Similar categories in Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister (Philip Marlowe, #5) book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

17. The Big Clock

By: Nicholas Christopher , Kenneth Fearing

3.35

Format: None pages, Paperback

George Stroud is a hard-drinking, tough-talking, none-too-scrupulous writer for a New York media co… read more

Similar categories in Nicholas Christopher's The Big Clock book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

18. In a Lonely Place

By: Paula Rabinowitz , Dorothy B. Hughes

3.64

Format: None pages, Paperback

Postwar Los Angeles is a lonely place where the American Dream is showing its seamy underside--and … read more

Similar categories in Paula Rabinowitz's In a Lonely Place book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

Cover of The Alchemy Fire Murder (Mary Wandwalker Mystery) by Susan  Rowland

19. The Alchemy Fire Murder (Mary Wandwalker Mystery)

By: Susan Rowland

4.30

Format: 352 pages, Paperback

Former Archivist Mary Wandwalker hates bringing bad news. Nevertheless, she confirms to her alma ma… read more

Similar categories in Susan Rowland's The Alchemy Fire Murder (Mary Wandwalker Mystery) book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • novels
  • crime
"The fire on the mountain."

-Susan Rowland, The Alchemy Fire Murder (Mary Wandwalker Mystery)

"The Alchemy Scroll works on the heart,"

-Susan Rowland, The Alchemy Fire Murder (Mary Wandwalker Mystery)

"You can’t set fires, Anna. Never again. Promise."

-Susan Rowland, The Alchemy Fire Murder (Mary Wandwalker Mystery)

"She stabbed the earth with her big fork as if she could make Cookie Mac’s blood sprout from it."

-Susan Rowland, The Alchemy Fire Murder (Mary Wandwalker Mystery)

Cover of Post After Post-Mortem by E.C.R. Lorac

20. Post After Post-Mortem

By: E.C.R. Lorac

4.00

Format: 284 pages, Kindle Edition

The Surrays and their five children form a prolific writing machine, with scores of treatises, revi… read more

Similar categories in E.C.R. Lorac's Post After Post-Mortem book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery
  • classics
  • crime
  • fiction
Cover of Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

21. Strangers on a Train

By: Patricia Highsmith

3.73

Format: 273 pages, Paperback

" Strangers on a Train has lost none of its power to disturb…We will likely be reading Patricia Hig… read more

Similar categories in Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train book and James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

  • mystery thriller
  • classics
  • american
  • noir
  • fiction
  • mystery
  • thriller
  • crime
"The word “marriage"

-Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train

"I know that Southern redhead type,"

-Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train

"The train tore along with an angry, irregular rhythm."

-Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train

"I like to drink when I travel. It enhances things, don’t you think?"

-Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train

14 must-read fiction books like Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

Transform Your Habits

Farewell, My Lovely (Philip Marlowe, #2)

Raymond Chandler

4.10

Transform Your Habits

The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1)

Raymond Chandler

3.95

Transform Your Habits

The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)

Raymond Chandler

4.19

Transform Your Habits

Death of Jezebel (Inspector Cockrill #4)

Christianna Brand

3.55

View all the books

17 best-selling fiction books like Post After Post-Mortem by E.C.R. Lorac

Transform Your Habits

Death of Jezebel (Inspector Cockrill #4)

Christianna Brand

3.55

Transform Your Habits

Green for Danger

Christianna Brand

3.69

Transform Your Habits

The Sussex Downs Murder (Superintendent Meredith, #2)

Martin Edwards , John Bude

4.72

Transform Your Habits

Jumping Jenny (Roger Sheringham Cases, #9)

Anthony Berkeley

3.77

View all the books

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