Tras el fallecimiento de su marido en un extraño accidente automovilístico, la joven y hermosa viuda Joan Medford se ve obligada a aceptar un empleo como camarera sirviendo copas. Su situación económica es precaria y necesita ganar dinero para poder criar a su hijo. En su nuevo trabajo se cruzarán en su vida dos hombres: un apuesto y soñador joven y un rico anciano que le da grandes propinas y le hace una inusual oferta de matrimonio… El explosivo triángulo está servido y la novela desarrolla con precisión milimétrica los grandes temas del autor: el deseo sexual, las maquinaciones interesadas, la codicia, el engaño y la violencia soterrada que impregna a sus personajes.

The Cocktail Waitress by James M. Cain

Joan Medford finds herself widowed at a young age, with a young son. She takes a job as a cocktail waitress where she meets two men. One a wealthy older man who is smitten by her. The other is younger man who is also attracted to her, one she finds intriguing. Soon her world will be turned inside out as each day passes and she is faced with difficult choices, leading to a path of no return.

Told through Joan's voice, I was intrigued by her thoughts, actions and daily life. She is faced with challenges from an era passed. She finds herself in (some) no win situations, it felt as if whatever choice she makes could be the wrong one. I was engrossed from the first page until the end. Overall I found The Cocktail Waitress an enjoyable thrilling/emotional/thought-provoking read. ( )

“A snoop is a snoop is a snoop.”

Having recently read a book that reminded me of Mr. Cain, I thought why not get back to the master himself? And what better than his “lost final novel”? This is the fourth book I've read of his, and definitely my least favorite. The writing is good, and the plot is decent, but the main character, who tells us the tale, is not likable at all. So much so, that it distracted me quite often. She, Joan is her name, seems completely overwhelmed by everything, but at the same time, quite cold and calculating. And the whole 'is she guilty or is she innocent' does not wrap up in a way that I liked. I guess that I liked the book, but I didn't like her. At all. ( )

Apparently, this is a "lost novel" by Cain, which was only unearthed, edited, and published some 35 years after his death. I'd read some Cain previously, and very much loved Mildred Pierce. While, The Postman Always Rings Twice was ok, it wasn't all that special. I've yet to find Double Indemnity on kindle in a local library (now I have, and it's on hold). Anyway, I got this book thanks to my new library card with the Woburn Public Library, and it was great. Up there with Mildred Pierce, I think.

So, we have a young woman, Joan Medford, relating her experiences in the few years after her abusive husband, Ron, killed himself by driving into a bridge abutment (I think it was that, something hard anyway). Ron was a chronic drunk and an abusive husband and father. He routinely beat up Joan and their son, Tad, who was 3-years old at the time of the telling.

It seems that Ron's sister, Ethyl and her husband Jack, covet Joan's son, Tad. Ethyl had a medical problem and is sterile. Ethyl and Jack take Tad off with them, because Joan must find a job to support herself and Tad. But Ethyl also wants to make the caretaking of Tad permanent, so begins a whispering campaign to the police that Joan slipped something into Ron's last drink, implying that Ron was actually murdered.

One of the two cops investigating the case is desperate to pin the murder on Joan, the other gives her a tip as to how to find a job. He suggests she head down to the Garden of Roses and ask Bianca, the proprietress, for a job. Bianca starts to make Joan a waitress, but Liz, in the bar sees that Joan would be a hit in the bar. In the bar, they wear skimpy clothes, showing lots of leg and cleavage, and the better the leg and cleavage, the better the tips. Joan has the most amazing set of gams in creation, or something like that. She becomes an instant hit, and both Liz and she prosper.

Well, she makes the acquaintance of Walter K. White III, a widower, who is richer than Midas and who takes rather a shine to Joan. He wants to do something "nice" for Joan. She also meets Tom Barclay, who is so handsome that he gets her motor running, so to speak. But Walter has money, and that money would be a great help in getting Tad away from Ethyl. Tom has animal magnetism, but little money. Something like that.

Well, all kinds of things happen, many not so good, but Joan is smart, able to withstand hardship, and a rather interesting character. Then too, those legs! So, if you're into noir fiction at all, this stuff is nectar. If like my spouse, you like cozy "mysteries", with cutesy titles, little reality, and it's mostly tea, muffins, and village greens, then this might not be your cup of tea, so to speak.
( )

I must admit that I didn't get into this one straight away, but by the third chapter it got to me and then I couldn't put it down. Being a bit of a fan of this genre, I'm sorry to say that I had worked it out early in the piece, but I still enjoyed the ride. The story, written in first person, follows the life of recently widowed, hard-done by waitress, Joan. Nasty, amusing, and well worth the read. ( )