Order of Book Series
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James M. Cain Books in Order

25 books are credited to James M. Cain, published between 1934 and 2024; 6 of them appeared after James M. Cain's death in 1977. The first book is The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and the newest is American Noir Classics (2024). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
25
Published
1934–2024
Pages on record
1,949 in 10 of 25 books
See all 25 books in order Printable James M. Cain checklist
Photo of James M. Cain, author

James M. Cain (1892–1977) stands at the origin of hardboiled American crime fiction. The novelist, journalist and screenwriter wrote The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934), Double Indemnity (1936), Serenade (1937), Mildred Pierce (1941) and The Butterfly (1947), and Hollywood filmed the first three of those between 1944 and 1946. Greed, guilt, murder and insurance fraud drive the plots. 25 books are catalogued under Cain's name, the latest a 2024 noir collection.

How many James M. Cain books are there?

James M. Cain has 25 books, released between 1934 and 2024. 6 of them were published after James M. Cain's death in 1977.

James M. Cain Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 25 James M. Cain books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Double Indemnity by James M. Cain (1936)
  2. Cover of Serenade by James M. Cain (1937)
  3. Cover of Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain (1941)
  4. Cover of Sinful Woman by James M. Cain (1947)
  5. Cover of The Magician's Wife by James M. Cain (1965)
  6. Cover of Rainbow's End by James M. Cain (1975)
  7. Cover of Cloud Nine by James M. Cain (1984)
  8. Cover of Sixty Years of Journalism by James M. Cain (1985)
  1. 1
    The Postman Always Rings Twice1934 · confirmed 2/4
    1934–
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  2. 2
    Double Indemnity1936 · 115 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1936115
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  3. 3
    Serenade1937 · confirmed 2/4
    1937–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Embezzler1940 · confirmed 2/4
    1940–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Mildred Pierce1941 · 298 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1941298
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  6. 6
    Love's Lovely Counterfeit1942 · 178 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1942178
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  7. 7
    Career in C Major: And Other Fiction1943 · confirmed 2/4
    1943–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Past All Dishonor1946 · confirmed 2/4
    1946–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Butterfly1947 · 120 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1947120
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  10. 10
    Sinful Woman1947 · confirmed 2/4
    1947–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Moth1948 · confirmed 2/4
    1948–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Everybody Does It1949 · confirmed 2/4
    1949–
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  13. 13
    Jealous Woman1950 · confirmed 2/4
    1950–
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  14. 14
    The Root of His Evil1951 · confirmed 2/4
    1951–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Galatea1953 · 158 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1953158
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  16. 16
    Mignon1962 · confirmed 2/4
    1962–
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  17. 17
    The Magician's Wife1965 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1965240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Rainbow's End1975 · 191 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1975191
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Institute1976 · 220 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1976220
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  20. 20
    Cloud Nine1984 · 189 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Sixty Years of Journalism1985 · 240 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1985240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The Enchanted Isle1985 · confirmed 2/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    The Cocktail Waitress2012 · confirmed 2/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    A Bad Woman2015 · confirmed 2/4
    2015–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    American Noir Classics2024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

James M. Cain books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Standalone books

25 books

25 James M. Cain titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read James M. Cain books in order?

No. No source lists any of the 25 James M. Cain books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.

Where to start with James M. Cain

Start with The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934), the earliest published title.

What is the newest James M. Cain book?

American Noir Classics (2024) is the newest James M. Cain book released so far.

Is there a new James M. Cain book coming?

No next James M. Cain book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards James M. Cain has won

Wikidata records 1 award for James M. Cain. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • The Grand Master1970Won

James M. Cain at a glance

Died
James M. Cain died in 1977, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to James M. Cain are still being published after James M. Cain's death in 1977; the newest appeared in 2024.
Release pace
James M. Cain books have appeared about one every 4 years on average.
Length
1,949 pages across the 10 of 25 books with a recorded length, a median of 190 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most James M. Cain books, 9 of 25, were published in the 1940s.

What the James M. Cain books are about

14 of the 25 James M. Cain books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 6 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.