Rainbow's End

by James M. Cain

Dave Howell lebt mit seiner Mutter auf einer einsamen Farm in Ohio. Doch als der Hijacker Shaw mit einer Beute von 100.000 $ und einer Stewardeß, die er als Geisel genommen hat, aus einem Flugzeug über dem verlassenen Landstrich abspringt, ändert sich alles für Dave. Er hört mitten in der Nacht Hilferufe und fährt mit seinem Kahn zu der Flußinsel, wo der Hijacker und seine Geisel gelandet sind. Dave erschießt den Mann, der ihn bedroht, und bringt das vor Angst schlotternde Mädchen in Sicherheit. Nur die Beute des Hijackers beibt unauffindbar.

Genres: Crime, Noir, Mystery

Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

James 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.

Reviews

[WJEP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even in his 80s, Cain still knows how to put beads of sweat on your forehead. But there are two big problems. First, the story is ludicrous. It made no sense legally or forensically. Second, everyone is innocent. That's not a good basis for a crime novel.

[Guillermo Galvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised more pulp-heads haven't read this book. Currently standing at 21 review and only 2 ratings, this is truly a gem.

Rainbow's End is a country themed pulp about Dave, a young man who lives in hillbilly world with this horny mother. Yes, bring out the banjos. One night a hijacking aboard of plane goes wrong. The hijacker jumps out of plane with a hostage and briefcase stuffed with cash. Unlucky for him, he's parachuted on Dave and Mom's property. Murder, jealousy, sex, and treachery ensue.

The story is told in first person through Dave, an all-around guy and hick. I was instantly reminded of Jim Thompson and his Gothic country tales. Except where Thompson's characters are all insufferable bastards (I sure love that about him), Dave is a good guy trying to keep his incestuous mother and desperate girlfriend from having their greedy asses charged with murder.

To all the pulp-aholics out there: give this lonely book a shot. The weirdness alone is enough to keep you turning the page. I don't mean to sound like it's all cheap thrills. Rainbow's End has a hefty psychological dimension and rock-solid plot that utilizes its characters in a situation where options are quickly disappearing.

It's sure nice getting out of the city and into the countryside.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more modern Cain, written in the 70's once can see clearly that he was a born story teller and still has that spark that makes his characters come to life. We have the typical boy meets girl type of scenario in which a woman, a kidnapper and 100k fall from the skies and our hero, saves the woman and we wonder if she is what she appears to be. With a plot twist that Cain would never been able to include in his novels from the 30's this one burns with suspense and intrigue. As the characters wonder is there really happiness at the Rainbow's end.

[Hazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, rehashes some plot points from an earlier novel, "Butterfly", including a bootleg moonshine subplot and creepy incest overtones. Has a happier ending than his other works, but still not that memorable.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Entertaining story.

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.04

Reads just like a hard case crime, loved it

[Don Edgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book two weeks ago and have come back to add a star and to provide some comments.

The characters include a quietly-savvy Hillbilly and a perky little airline stewardess (who literally drops out of the sky) along with a host of ill-intentioned relatives, untrusting local cops, and a corrupt lawyer.

The story is told in first-person by Dave who meets Jill after she tags along when a hijacker named Shaw jumps from an airplane with a bag containing $100,000 in ransom money.

I liked it for three reasons:

1.) The language and dialog is absolutely spot-on for these "mountain" characters.

2.) Cain manages to incorporate a sort of legal entanglement, i.e. an ambiguous set of issues relating to the ownership of the ransom money and leaving us to wonder who is attempting to cheat whom.

3.) The plucky little stewardess is a wonderfully "Cainesque" creation. She instinctively knows who to trust and seems savvy in her own way ... and then regularly pops out of her clothes as the plot requires. Dave, our narrator responds honorably, but provides us with his uninhibited description of her uninhibited behavior. ... wierd, but classic James M. Cain. I should add that Dave seems to have this problem with all of the women in his life ... this popping out of their clothes thing, although he does not seem to think it abnormal.

This is an obscure novel from a waning era, published in 1977, but reminiscent of the 1940's or 1950's. Accordingly, parts of it seem dated, but that just makes it more fun.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

May 22, 2018. Read in March. Totally forgotten by May. Lowering rating from 3.5 to 2.5 stars.


March 2018.
3.5 stars. Ebook. Very fast read. Crazy plot, characters, dialogue. Noir-ish. Amazing someone didn't say, "I'm nuts about you, ya' big lug!"

[Jennyhay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was given to me but was a wrong 'Rainbow's End'. Read it anyway and, no -- can't say many good things about it.