Cain, James M. (1892-1977), was an American author known for his tough, realistic crime fiction. Cain gained immediate fame with his first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934). The story deals with a drifter who stops at a roadside diner, falls in love with the owner's wife, and conspires with her to kill her husband. The novel is recognized as a classic of "hard-boiled" fiction.