Description Lost James M. Cain Combo Pack This combo pack contains two issues of The Strand that feature two lost short stories by James M. Cain Issue 60 features “Blackmail” by James M. Cain, one of the originally unpublished stories included in the Lost James M. Cain Combo Pack. During the aftermath of the Korean War, the story takes a hard look at greed, sacrifice, friendship, and redemption between three damaged and fallible characters. In just over 3000 words, Cain offers up all the noir elements we’ve come to expect from him. There is gritty dialogue and a cunning antagonist. He puts in an unexpected twist that turns the tale on its head, offering a surprisingly nuanced take on these supposedly hard characters. It’s sure to thrill fans of neo-noir such as Breaking Bad, Nightmare Alley, and Blade Runner. From post-war America, we go to post-independence India, where Vaseem Khan pits the country’s first female police officer against prejudice, corruption, as well as murder in “Ace of Spades.” Moving to modern-day neo-noir, Adam Hamdy lays out “Tarot,” in which a New York City psychiatrist’s world is upended after an eerie session with his new patient. John Floyd takes us back to small-town America in “Last Day at the Jackrabbit,” where a small-time crook and his moll get more than they bargained for. Finally, we round out our short stories in this issue with Mike Adamson’s “The Affair of the Russian Violinist,” a locked-room mystery that has Holmes and Watson racing against time to avert a diplomatic crisis. We are also thrilled to share firsthand insight from one of today’s best-selling mystery writers in “Quest for Gold.” For fans of the Maisie Dobbs series—and stellar storytelling in general—Jacqueline Winspear’s insights into the heart of great writing amount to a master class on what it takes to bring a story to life. We also have an exclusive interview with the incomparable J.T. Ellison. Our team of reviewers has worked hard to provide a timely and interesting mix of the latest mysteries and thrillers. Fans of the Batman franchise should not miss Chris Chan’s review of the Blu-ray Batman: The Long Halloween. The Strand continues to bring our readers the best in fiction, interviews with authors, as well as insightful book and audiobook reviews. In addition to featuring this unpublished short story by James M. Cain, we’ve featured unpublished works by other legendary authors including Shirley Jackson, Raymond Chandler, H.G. Wells, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Tennessee Williams, Louisa May Alcott, and Ray Bradbury. The Strand Summer 2012 Issue This is the second time we’ve released an unpublished short story by James M. Cain, the first time was in 2012. The Strand‘s summer 2012 issue featured “Mommy is a Bar-Fly,” the short story by James M. Cain is a vintage noir involving a wife cheating on her husband and her fear of his wrath. Atmospheric, cynical, and gritty–the story represents what we readers admire most about this titan of noir. The issue also included fiction by Faye Kellerman, Charles Todd, and John Floyd. Additionally, there were exclusive interviews with Jonathan Kellerman and Jeff Lindsay. Jeff Lindsay of Dexter fame discusses the writing process, the inspiration behind the chilling Dexter, and the world of publishing. For more back issues with works by literary legends, follow this link!
