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Past All Dishonor
A Confederate spy risks his life to win the heart of a fallen woman
Early in the Civil War, the Confederacy sends Roger Duval to Sacramento, to keep an eye on the situation in California in hopes of turning the Western territory towards the Southern cause. It’s a plush assignment, well out of the line of fire, but Duval hasn’t been there long before he comes into mortal danger. On a swim in the Sacramento River, he gets knocked on the head by a paddleboat, and is drowning in the muck when Morina, a quick-witted woman of the night, tosses him a rope.
Suffocated by instant, irresistible love, Roger follows Morina to her home turf: Virginia City, Nevada. For the miners, gamblers, and gunfighters who populate this hardscrabble town, her price is negotiable. But for a man in love, she charges a thousand dollars. Roger will sacrifice body, mind, and soul to get that money—but will his sacrifice be enough to make her love him?
Early in the Civil War, the Confederacy sends Roger Duval to Sacramento, to keep an eye on the situation in California in hopes of turning the Western territory towards the Southern cause. It’s a plush assignment, well out of the line of fire, but Duval hasn’t been there long before he comes into mortal danger. On a swim in the Sacramento River, he gets knocked on the head by a paddleboat, and is drowning in the muck when Morina, a quick-witted woman of the night, tosses him a rope.
Suffocated by instant, irresistible love, Roger follows Morina to her home turf: Virginia City, Nevada. For the miners, gamblers, and gunfighters who populate this hardscrabble town, her price is negotiable. But for a man in love, she charges a thousand dollars. Roger will sacrifice body, mind, and soul to get that money—but will his sacrifice be enough to make her love him?
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First published January 1, 1946
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About the author
James M. Cain
144 books879 followersJames Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892–October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hard-boiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the "roman noir."
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 18, 2024
James Cain's Civil War Novel
James Cain (1892 -- 1977) is known for his noir novels, including "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Double Indemnity", and "Mildred Pierce" and for the films based on them. After reading these and other books, I wanted to read more of Cain, including his little-known historical novel, "Past all Dishonor", written in 1946. Cain always protested against pigeonholing. He wanted to be remembered as a novelist rather than as a noir writer. Among all his novels, Cain held "Past all Dishonor" in high regard. Few readers will share this judgment.
Set in California and Nevada in 1862 -- 1863, "Past all Dishonor" is a novel of the Civil War and of the West. The novel is told in the first person by Roger Duval, 21, a native of Annapolis, Maryland and a graduate of St. John College. Duval has gone to California as a Confederate spy with the task of monitoring attempts in that state to secede from the Union and strengthen the Confederacy.
The novel tells of Duval's moral deterioration as the naive young man falls in love with the beautiful Morina Crockett, 23, from New Orleans. It quickly becomes apparent that Marina is a prostitute. In a dramatic early encounter on a riverboat, Morina saves Duval's life. Duval, setting aside his conscience, looks the other way from a theft Morina has committed against a fellow riverboat passenger. The pair have a short intense relationship, and Duval proposes. Morina leaves to pursue her profession and to spare the young man from further heartbreak.
The novel shows Duval's increasing obsession with Marina. He deserts his duty to the Confederacy and follows Marina to Nevada. He finds her working in a brothel and involved with a wealthy man who showers her with gifts. Marina tries to warn him away but to no avail.
There is good historical detail in the book about silver mining in early Nevada, its brutality, and its contribution to the Union war effort. In his attempt to rescue and to win Marina, Duval works at a silver mine, first for the budding union and later for the corrupt owners. He becomes increasingly violent as he learns how to use a gun as he gains the reputation as the fastest and coldest gunman in town. After leaving the mines, he works with his guns as the protector of a casino.
As the book proceeds, Duval loses himself. He kills at least ten people in his efforts to win Marina. There are bloody scenes in the mines and casinos of Nevada, and on the railroads in California where Duval and Marina attempt to pull a heist. The various ingenious schemes Duval devises to try to gain his ends are set out in excessive detail.
For all its historical setting, this book has the trademarks of Cain in its hardboiled voice and in its emphasis on violence and on the power of sexuality. Cain wants to show that individuals often self-destruct in pursuing what they think they want. As the story progresses, Duval realizes that he is destroying his life but is apparently powerless to change course. This can be the force of passion. At one point, Duval mockingly says of himself:
"So you were going to save the Confederacy and help the boys in gray and now you're a goddam paid gunman in a Nevada gambling sink all dressed in black velvet like a Mexican cowboy with yellow curls over your collar and in love with a whore that's not worth the powder it would take to blow her to hell."
Although the book has its moments, it tends to drag. It lacks the tension of Cain's best books, set in Depression era California. The book offers a rare combination of noir style set in Civil War America. In its Western setting the novel also offers a look at a frequently overlooked aspect of the Civil War. I found it worthwhile to discover and read this book by an author I enjoy, even though he is not at his best. "Past all Dishonor" may be of interest to readers who admire Cain and who have a strong interest in unusual Civil War fiction.
Robin Friedman
James Cain (1892 -- 1977) is known for his noir novels, including "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Double Indemnity", and "Mildred Pierce" and for the films based on them. After reading these and other books, I wanted to read more of Cain, including his little-known historical novel, "Past all Dishonor", written in 1946. Cain always protested against pigeonholing. He wanted to be remembered as a novelist rather than as a noir writer. Among all his novels, Cain held "Past all Dishonor" in high regard. Few readers will share this judgment.
Set in California and Nevada in 1862 -- 1863, "Past all Dishonor" is a novel of the Civil War and of the West. The novel is told in the first person by Roger Duval, 21, a native of Annapolis, Maryland and a graduate of St. John College. Duval has gone to California as a Confederate spy with the task of monitoring attempts in that state to secede from the Union and strengthen the Confederacy.
The novel tells of Duval's moral deterioration as the naive young man falls in love with the beautiful Morina Crockett, 23, from New Orleans. It quickly becomes apparent that Marina is a prostitute. In a dramatic early encounter on a riverboat, Morina saves Duval's life. Duval, setting aside his conscience, looks the other way from a theft Morina has committed against a fellow riverboat passenger. The pair have a short intense relationship, and Duval proposes. Morina leaves to pursue her profession and to spare the young man from further heartbreak.
The novel shows Duval's increasing obsession with Marina. He deserts his duty to the Confederacy and follows Marina to Nevada. He finds her working in a brothel and involved with a wealthy man who showers her with gifts. Marina tries to warn him away but to no avail.
There is good historical detail in the book about silver mining in early Nevada, its brutality, and its contribution to the Union war effort. In his attempt to rescue and to win Marina, Duval works at a silver mine, first for the budding union and later for the corrupt owners. He becomes increasingly violent as he learns how to use a gun as he gains the reputation as the fastest and coldest gunman in town. After leaving the mines, he works with his guns as the protector of a casino.
As the book proceeds, Duval loses himself. He kills at least ten people in his efforts to win Marina. There are bloody scenes in the mines and casinos of Nevada, and on the railroads in California where Duval and Marina attempt to pull a heist. The various ingenious schemes Duval devises to try to gain his ends are set out in excessive detail.
For all its historical setting, this book has the trademarks of Cain in its hardboiled voice and in its emphasis on violence and on the power of sexuality. Cain wants to show that individuals often self-destruct in pursuing what they think they want. As the story progresses, Duval realizes that he is destroying his life but is apparently powerless to change course. This can be the force of passion. At one point, Duval mockingly says of himself:
"So you were going to save the Confederacy and help the boys in gray and now you're a goddam paid gunman in a Nevada gambling sink all dressed in black velvet like a Mexican cowboy with yellow curls over your collar and in love with a whore that's not worth the powder it would take to blow her to hell."
Although the book has its moments, it tends to drag. It lacks the tension of Cain's best books, set in Depression era California. The book offers a rare combination of noir style set in Civil War America. In its Western setting the novel also offers a look at a frequently overlooked aspect of the Civil War. I found it worthwhile to discover and read this book by an author I enjoy, even though he is not at his best. "Past all Dishonor" may be of interest to readers who admire Cain and who have a strong interest in unusual Civil War fiction.
Robin Friedman
August 16, 2011
There’s a great scene in “The Bank Dick” where W.C. Fields reads a script to a dapper actor dressed in top hat and tails. “You win the game for the football team in the last thirty seconds. You throw passes, you kick field goals, you run touchdown after touchdown”. The actor is outraged and asks “Dressed like this?”
Fields scrutinizes the actor’s elegant suit closely and says, “We’ll give you a helmet”.
“Past All Dishonor” is a lot like that, so convoluted Uncle Bill may have written it himself. Here’s the plot summary, and please don’t leave in the middle of it: Towards the end of the Civil War, a Confederate spy is sent to Northern California (!) and jumps a riverboat where he befriends a prostitute. She blows him off and he follows her to Virginia City, where she’s plying her trade. She tells him she won’t have sex with him for less than $1000, so he hits the gambling tables. He wins at roulette wheel, he wins at cards, but then he gets jumped in an alley and loses it all.
He befriends a few Mexicans (!) and they get him a job working in a coal mine. Then he becomes a union (as in labor, not the Northern guys) organizer, but after a mine disaster hustles himself a gig as the crew foreman, so his union leader status is taken away from him. Anyway, he plows through more jobs than an employment agency in the next 15 pages, i.e. barroom bouncer, Union soldier, train robber, etc. And then the prostitute confesses she's a virgin at the end of the book (WTF?).
James M. Cain writes in a Scholastic Books style so the prose couldn’t be written any simpler or plainer, which only ramps up the ridiculousness of the story. I also remember Cain doing the boring mine shaft tutorial in “The Butterfly” and it worked a little bit better there, too.
You know the movie called “3000 Miles From Graceland”? Well, “Past All Dishonor” is 3000 miles from “Double Indemnity”.
Fields scrutinizes the actor’s elegant suit closely and says, “We’ll give you a helmet”.
“Past All Dishonor” is a lot like that, so convoluted Uncle Bill may have written it himself. Here’s the plot summary, and please don’t leave in the middle of it: Towards the end of the Civil War, a Confederate spy is sent to Northern California (!) and jumps a riverboat where he befriends a prostitute. She blows him off and he follows her to Virginia City, where she’s plying her trade. She tells him she won’t have sex with him for less than $1000, so he hits the gambling tables. He wins at roulette wheel, he wins at cards, but then he gets jumped in an alley and loses it all.
He befriends a few Mexicans (!) and they get him a job working in a coal mine. Then he becomes a union (as in labor, not the Northern guys) organizer, but after a mine disaster hustles himself a gig as the crew foreman, so his union leader status is taken away from him. Anyway, he plows through more jobs than an employment agency in the next 15 pages, i.e. barroom bouncer, Union soldier, train robber, etc. And then the prostitute confesses she's a virgin at the end of the book (WTF?).
James M. Cain writes in a Scholastic Books style so the prose couldn’t be written any simpler or plainer, which only ramps up the ridiculousness of the story. I also remember Cain doing the boring mine shaft tutorial in “The Butterfly” and it worked a little bit better there, too.
You know the movie called “3000 Miles From Graceland”? Well, “Past All Dishonor” is 3000 miles from “Double Indemnity”.
September 14, 2012
Classic Cain. Boy loves bad girl, boy tries to please bad girl by doing bad things, no one gets away with it.
November 14, 2021
A hard boiled civil war western novel. The noir style in a setting we don't see much seems like an interesting match, but ultimately I think it's just a bit of a failure.
This a plot heavy book that really doesn't have too interesting a plot. There is no central question or mystery waiting to be uncovered, instead it's a parade of jobs the main character adopts to buy the freedom of a prostitute he has fallen in love with. The main character's motivations just don't believable propel his actions, not to mention how implausible his sudden career shifts are with his quick mastery of their associated skills at the ripe of 21(!?). If you are a fan of hard boiled novels, you may be interested in reading this unconventional story, but would not recommend for most others.
This a plot heavy book that really doesn't have too interesting a plot. There is no central question or mystery waiting to be uncovered, instead it's a parade of jobs the main character adopts to buy the freedom of a prostitute he has fallen in love with. The main character's motivations just don't believable propel his actions, not to mention how implausible his sudden career shifts are with his quick mastery of their associated skills at the ripe of 21(!?). If you are a fan of hard boiled novels, you may be interested in reading this unconventional story, but would not recommend for most others.
August 30, 2024
Picaresque
From lovesick, callow youth to gunfighting outlaw, this man-child character precedes the classic “Little Big Man” western but relies heavily upon Mark Twain. It’s still Cain’s voice from “The Postman Always Ring Twice”, recounting how he went bad, how his head was turned by the whore with a heart of gold. I am surprised that this novel surpassed his earlier work in sales. Mel Brooks might have had a hit on his hands if he had made it into a movie.
From lovesick, callow youth to gunfighting outlaw, this man-child character precedes the classic “Little Big Man” western but relies heavily upon Mark Twain. It’s still Cain’s voice from “The Postman Always Ring Twice”, recounting how he went bad, how his head was turned by the whore with a heart of gold. I am surprised that this novel surpassed his earlier work in sales. Mel Brooks might have had a hit on his hands if he had made it into a movie.
May 28, 2021
It's official--I am a James M. Cain fan. How weird and amazing is his writing? Just so, so good. I found this old book club edition when I went in search of the hard to find _Past All Dishonor_ and it came with _The Postman Aways Rings Twice_, which I read years ago and loved--and I loved it even more the second time around. Cain is one of my all time favorite authors.
October 14, 2022
This novel is James M. Cain's one foray into historical fiction. But, like his crime fiction, it has many of Cain's hallmarks: a man doomed by love, a femme fatale, hopeless/lost causes. So, yeah. Hella noir.
February 19, 2025
I'm not sure the title fits the story. That said, the story is still excellent.
Cain does a fantastic job on research. All his stories are based on solid research. Another author who was very good at this was Daphne du Maurier. I've read all of her novels and every one of them was excellent. Many readers will know that many of du Maurier's stories were adapted for film by Alfred Hitchcock. In the case of Past All Dishonor, Cain had the manuscript vetted by historical experts.
The other thing Cain does very well and I probably mentioned this in other reviews is his ability to describe an incredibly desirable female character. This story includes another example.
The main protagonist in this story just can't seem to stop himself from falling off the deep end. He falls head over heels in love with Molina and will do anything to possess her.
The story is very fast paced and can be completed in one sitting. The only negative I have to say about the story is that I'm just not sure the dialog is realistic of the late 1800s. The dialog seemed very modern to me but then again, this would make the novel easier to read.
Cain does a fantastic job on research. All his stories are based on solid research. Another author who was very good at this was Daphne du Maurier. I've read all of her novels and every one of them was excellent. Many readers will know that many of du Maurier's stories were adapted for film by Alfred Hitchcock. In the case of Past All Dishonor, Cain had the manuscript vetted by historical experts.
The other thing Cain does very well and I probably mentioned this in other reviews is his ability to describe an incredibly desirable female character. This story includes another example.
The main protagonist in this story just can't seem to stop himself from falling off the deep end. He falls head over heels in love with Molina and will do anything to possess her.
The story is very fast paced and can be completed in one sitting. The only negative I have to say about the story is that I'm just not sure the dialog is realistic of the late 1800s. The dialog seemed very modern to me but then again, this would make the novel easier to read.
November 16, 2013
I really enjoy discovering somewhat obscure, enjoyable books, and this is certainly one. I'd have been tempted to add a fourth star except for the pat ending, which I didn't find terribly satisfying. But otherwise, very enjoyable, especially the portraits of Virginia City in the early 1860s.
One factual quibble, in the story Duval goes down a mine to the 1,000 foot level in what I think is supposed to be 1863. I don't believe the mines reached that deep until close to the end of the decade.
One factual quibble, in the story Duval goes down a mine to the 1,000 foot level in what I think is supposed to be 1863. I don't believe the mines reached that deep until close to the end of the decade.
October 15, 2015
Again, not one of Cain's best though I did like the femme fatale more so than some others. The end is a bit telegraphed but like all of Cain's work the story was enjoyable and the characters believable. Also, it was nice that this book was a period piece taking place in the 1860's.
August 7, 2008
This is the only Cain novel set in a different time period--in this case, the Civil War era. I don't think his formula works as well out of the 1930s/1940s...
July 16, 2015
Interesting period piece from James M Cain. Not quite as gripping as his contemporary fiction.
September 24, 2015
Don't really remember anything about this book, even viewing the description. But I wrote it down when I read it, and since I generally like Cain, will give 3 stars. How's that for smart?
October 24, 2015
Past All Dishonor is a hard boiled James M. Cain novel set in the Old West. It doesn't work very well.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews