This image is the cover for the book Sinful Woman

Sinful Woman

In this novel by “one of the greats of American noir,” a starlet comes to Reno to start a new life—and end her old one forever (The Guardian).

Sylvia Shoreham’s Hollywood dreams came true long ago. Critically beloved for her beauty, talent, and style, she was on her way to international stardom when a bad contract committed her to seven years of trashy comedies and half-baked melodramas. Her marriage to her producer husband has become a rotten, loveless sham, so Sylvia’s silver screen life is now a nightmare. To escape her celluloid hell, she has only one option: Forget Hollywood.

Instead, it’s time for a Reno vacation. She arrives in Nevada hoping for a divorce from her husband and an end to her contract, but the ugly side of the business follows her. To protect herself, she enlists Nevada’s biggest Sylvia Shoreham fan. He’s six feet tall, strong as a mule, and just happens to be Reno’s sheriff. And when her divorce turns into a war, this Hollywood icon will be glad to have him on her side.

Praise for James M. Cain’s fiction

“Cleverly plotted.” —The New York Times

“Swift and absorbing.” —The Wall Street Journal

James M. Cain

James M. Cain (1892–1977) was one of the most important authors in the history of crime fiction. Born in Maryland, he became a journalist after giving up on a childhood dream of singing opera. After two decades writing for newspapers in Baltimore, New York, and the army—and a brief stint as the managing editor of the New Yorker—Cain moved to Hollywood in the early 1930s. While writing for the movies, he turned to fiction, penning the novella The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934). This tightly wound tale of passion, murder, and greed became one of the most controversial bestsellers of its day, and remains one of the foremost examples of American noir writing. It set the tone for Cain’s next few novels, including Serenade (1937), Mildred Pierce (1941), Double Indemnity (1943), and The Butterfly (1947). Several of his books became equally successful noir films, particularly the classic 1940s adaptations of Mildred Pierce and Double Indemnity. Cain moved back to Maryland in 1948. Though he wrote prolifically until his death, Cain remains most famous for his early work.