Love's Lovely Counterfeit
Cover Artist: not identifiedBy: Cain, James M.
Publisher: Avon Publications, Inc. (581)
Place of Publication:New York, NY
Catalog #: Kelley Box 211: PS3505 .A3113 L6 1942
Contributor: J. Fitzpatrick
General
Era: 1940sAuthor as on Cover: James M. Cain
Publication:1942
Original Date: 1942
Setting: urban; hotels, municipal offices and the city court
Plot Summary
Benjamin L. Grace, driver for racketeer Sol Caspar, leaks information about Caspar's illegal dealings to June Lyons, aide to Olaf Jansen's mayoral election campaign. Jansen is running against the incumbent, who is supported by Caspar and his political machine with its links to organized crime. Once June releases the information, there is a murder and a disappearance. June, who is supporting her sister, Dorothy, by repaying debts from items Dorothy has stolen, gets involved with Grace when he gives her money to pay off the debts. When Jansen wins the election, Ben takes over Sol's rackets, paying off the city's new attorney, chief of police and June. Both Jansen (who is married) and Ben are in love with June, and Ben uses her to get Jansen to go along with his rackets. But when Ben meets Dorothy, they fall in love. Meanwhile, Caspar, who had fled the country, is caught in Mexico, and when he returns to Lake City, he escapes from the police and tries to kill Ben, but Dorothy kills Caspar and they hide the body. As Ben's rackets are exposed, he and Dorothy try to flee, but Ben is shot and they are arrested. Ben outsmarts the police by having Lefty Gauss marry him and Dorothy so that she cannot testify against him, but he dies from his wounds.Major Characters
Benjamin L. Grace "Ben" or "Benny", adult male, near 30 years old, over 6 feet tall, athletic build, blue eyes, light hair, ex-football player (high school, college and professional)June Lyons adult female, 25 years old, black eyes, wavy black hair, lawyer who works for the mayor in his campaign and as chief of social services in his administration
Sol Caspar (Salvatore Gasparro) adult male, short, brown eyes, mid-30s, married with a 4-year old son, owns the Columbus Hotel
Richard Hosea Gauss "Lefty", adult male, ex-con and ex-preacher, works for Caspar, then for Grace
Joseph P. Cantrell adult male, police inspector who becomes Chief of Police in Lake City
Dorothy Lyons adult female, 22 years old, June's sister, college student who got in trouble for stealing
Guy Horner adult male, bank cashier
Arch Rossi adolescent male, 19 years old, bank robber
Richard Delany "Dick," adult male, 40 years old, connected to Chicago gangsters, owns horses
Olaf Jansen adult male, Swedish, his wife is in a sanatorium, dairy farm owner and mayor
Bugs Lenhardt adult male, Caspar's bodyguard
Goose Groner adult male, Caspar's bodyguard
Yates adult male, attorney
Oliver Hedge Bleeker "Ollie" adult male, city prosecutor/district attorney
Hovey Dunne adult male, U.S. attorney