Dashiell Hammett
The Glass Key (1931)
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Genre: Mystery (Amateur detective)
Plot Summary:
Political boss and gangster Paul Madvig is working hard to get his administration and Senator Henry re-elected when the Senator's son is found murdered only weeks before the election. It's up to Madvig's friend and advisor Ned Beaumont to find the killer, partially for his own reasons and partially to clear his boss's name after Madvig is suspected. Along the road Beaumont trails shady bookies, takes a beating from his boss's political rivals, tangles with Senator Henry's daughter (and Madvig's love interest), and faces a question of as conscience as more and more evidence seems to implicate Madvig as the murderer. Ultimately Beaumont is determined to find the truth even if it means betraying his best friend. SPOILER: After Madvig confesses to the murder, Beaumont must determine whether his friend is telling the truth or trying to protect his political and romantic interests.
Geographical Setting: Medium-sized East Coast US city, near New York City
Time Period: Prohibition-era, 1930s
Appeal Characteristics:
Hammett's The Glass Key is a classic noir mystery told in third-person centered around Ned Beamont. The story is driven by abrupt action and snappy dialogue as it unfolds in a very linear fashion. The mystery is not complex and neither are the characters. Readers never really know what's going on in the character's heads and can only draw conclusions about their motivations based on the evidence that Beaumont uncovers. Beaumont is a likeable character driven by legitimate moral and rational reasons (compared to everyone else). Pacing is moderate but continuous with some tense, draw-out dramatic sequences complimented by slap-in-the-face moments like when Beamont discovers a body ("Ned Beaumont took his hands away from the dead man and stood up"). Hammett writes in precise, short sentences and does not say more than needs to be said. Although the action is driven by Beaumont's search for the killer, it also explores the concepts of loyalty, friendship, political corruption, and romance.
Read-alikes: Fans of The Glass Key should check out Hammett's other classic novels such as The Thin Man, Red Harvest, and The Maltese Falcon. Another obvious choice is Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. Chandler cites Hammett as a huge influence on his style which mimics the hard-boiled, direct action and dialogue of Hammett's work, and captivates readers not so much with the mystery but wondering what the investigator will do next. James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice is similarly written in a terse, uncluttered style with realistic dialogue. Later authors in the style of Hammett include Ross MacDonald, Jim Thompson, Henning Mankell, and James Ellroy. MacDonald's The Chill and Thompson's After Dark, My Sweet are darker, more developed, and more emotionally involved than Hammett's work but still embody the crime and corruption of the hard-boiled genre. James Ellroy's The Big Nowhere is a newer title written in the style of the classic hard-boiled detective stories of the 1940s-1950s. It features an engrossing, complex story with many shady police officers, gangsters, and misfits. Like many genre-defining books by Hammett and Chandler, Ellroy does not clearly define the "good guys" or the "bad guys". Finally, Swedish author Henning Mankell's Sidetracked presents another cleanly-written, no-nonsense detective mystery centered on the murder of a high-ranking political official.
Red Flags: Moderate violence and "PG-13" language
The Maltese Falcon (1929)
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Genre: Mystery (Private Investigator)
Plot Summary:
A beautiful woman and two hundred dollar bills convince Sam Spade and his partner, Miles Archer, that helping the alleged Miss Wonderly would be worth the risk. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out so well for Miles - he doesn't even make it past chapter two before becoming another statistic for the San Francisco Police Department. The beautiful femme fatale, Miss Wonderly aka Miss Leblanc aka Miss O'Shaughnessy, is in grave peril, or so she says, and even though she tells Spade few truths and obviously has her own agenda, he still seems to agree to play the role of her protector and rescuer. The story really begins rolling once characters begin appearing in Spade's office and hounding him because of what they think he knows about the Maltese Falcon. Spade does an excellent job of leading the reader along, as well as the other characters, never letting on what he really knows or suspects. But as Joel Cairo and Casper Gutman start throwing their weight in gold and whiskey about, the truth of what is going on becomes more hazy and unsure. SPOILER: The arrival of a soon-to-be dead body and a package wrapped in brown paper bring everything together for Spade and leaves only the final showdown with O-Shaughnessy, Cairo, Gutman, and the punk. For all the Maltese Falcon is the goal; a great amount of money is the reason; and justice and truth stay hidden until the end.
Geographical Setting: San Francisco
Time Period: 1920s
Appeal Characteristics:
While not an on-the-edge-of-your-seat type book, The Maltese Falcon does a good job of keeping you turning the pages. The story line is complex and the reader's understanding of what is occurring changes so frequently that it's hard to know who to believe, or if anyone can be believed at all. The characters are tough - even the heroine is not as helpless as she would have everyone believe. Soft spots they do not have - especially Spade. He claims ignorance to the ways of women, but has a way of attracting them that keeps him in constant demand/trouble. And while this may be a weakness, it does not keep him from being true to his principles - which are mostly centered around hitting those that hit him, solving puzzles, and keeping himself from becoming the fall guy. The story could take place anywhere at any time - San Francisco and the 30s intrude very little on the events that take place and the way that the characters interact. The style is tough - just like the characters. Disjointed telephone conversations and smart quips by Spade give the book a distinctive tone.
Read-alikes: James M. Cain also writes in the Noir style - so if murder mixed with a deceitful and seductive woman is what appeals to you, give Double Indemnity a try.
And if the hard-boiled, tough guy Sam Spade appeals to you, Raymond Chandler's character, Philip Marlowe, who appears in many books including The Big Sleep, might be a good fit. If you're looking for another classic hard-boiled mystery novel with a tough guy private investigator, you could try out Mickey Spillane's I, The Jury. Another author that writes in the same style as Hammett, but with the addition of race and economic issues, is Walter Mosley. His Fear Itself is purported to be Mosley's Maltese Falcon. And if you're just going for classic Private Detective novels, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles is definitely a classic.
Red Flags: Sam Spade and those with whom he associates use rough language to get their point across. And while Spade does have a thing for women, the details are not included.
Red Harvest (1929)
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Genre: Mystery (Detective)
Plot Summary:
Newspaper owner Donald Willsson calls in a Continental Operative detective to look into corruption in the town of Personville (though its often referred to as Poisonville). Within pages Willsson is dead and the Continental Op has been hired by his wealthy father to solve the crime and clean up Poisonville. Thus begins Red Harvest, a tale of one tough private detective against a town torn in three by various factions: bootleggers, gamblers, and corrupt city officials. The Continental Op is a tough operative and soon finds himself resorting to tactics better suited to those he’s trying to root--almost as if the town were a ‘poison’ seeping into his veins. He befriends a woman named Dinah Brand, a gin-soaked broad with connections. With the inside angle he gets from Dinah, the Continental Op begins pitting the various factions against each other while trying to keep himself alive. SPOILER: Willsson’s father is actually in on the corruption. He’s soon ready for the Continental Op to leave town, but Hammett’s tough-talking protagonist always sees a job through to the bitter end. Somehow the Continental Op lives through the job, sees all the major plays jailed or plugged full o’lead, and heads back to San Francisco to be chewed out by his boss.
Geographical Location: town of Personville near San Francisco
Time Period: late 1920s
Appeal Characteristics:
This is the first of the Continental Op tales. Hammett’s protagonist is a tough-talking, hard-drinking P.I. who don’t take crap from nobody. It’s definitely tougher than Hammett’s better-known (though, perhaps, inferior) Maltese Falcon, and the body count is definitely much higher. The plot is convoluted, though Hammett dies tie up the ends nicely and keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace. The time period and setting might be appealing. While it’s detective fiction, this book would probably also appeal to those who like tales of the Mafia and organized crime. Hammett stands above most of his peers in the mystery genre and is a very capable writer.
Read-alikes:
First, try some of Hammett’s other novels (especially The Maltese Falcon, The Glass Key, and The Thin Man). This book was the first novel featuring Hammett’s unnamed protagonist, the Continental Op. As such, try the next Continental Op novel, The Dain Curse, or some of the collected short stories featuring the Continental Op. One might also try the Philip Marlowe novels by Raymond Chandler. Mickey Spillane’s protagonist Mike Hammer is another character akin to Sam Spade in the hard-boiled detective tradition. Start with Spillane’s I, the Jury, the first Mike Hammer novel.
Red Flags: There’s a lot of killing in this book (though very little is described in graphic detail. The Op is a rough fellow and doesn’t take crap from anyone, man or woman.
The Thin Man (1933)
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Genre: Mystery (Private Investigator)
Plot Summary:
Nick Charles is a wealthy former private investigator visitng New York City for the holidays with his wife, Nora. Part of the way through their vacation, the couple find themselves reluctantly dragged into the middle of an investigation of the murder of Julia Wolf. The chief suspect in the case, Clyde Wynant, was a former client of Nick's, leading members and acquaintences of the Wynant family to elicit Nick's help. Throughout the story, readers are introduced to a wide ranging cast of supporting characters tangentially related to the case as Nick searches for clues to find the identity of the murderer. Nick's investigation is complicated hidden agendas, false identites, secrets, lies, and manipulations. After many interrogations, confessions, and drinks, Nick is finally able to solve the crime. A film version of the book was released in 1934. SPOILER: At the very end of the story, it is revealed that Clyde Wynant has been dead for sometime and could not have murdered Julia Wolfe. The real culprit was Wynant's lawyer, Macauly, who was working with Wolfe to embezzle money from Wynant.
Geographical Setting: New York City
Time Period: Prohibition Era (1930s)
Appeal Characteristics:
Fans of Hammett's earlier work, and early detective fiction in general, are likely to find a lot to enjoy in The Thin Man. The best thing about the book may be that there isn't much not to like. At under 200 pages, in most editions, it's a relatively short, but gratifying, read. Many reviewers have remarked that it's a sort of comedy-mystery, but the humor is not as overt as one might expect. A more accurate description might be light-hearted, despite the murder at the heart of the story. Hammett's writing is founded upon quick, and often witty, banter. All of the action takes place in 1930's, Prohibition Era, New York City. Scenes unfold in a variety of locations, from high-society soirees to rough and tumble speakeasies. Although the secnery takes a backseat to the dialogue, it's easy to generate mental images of the action. The story is kept interesting by a number of plot twists, and Hammett is careful to unveil clues at a measured pace. There is a rather large cast of colorful supporting characters, but not all of them are well-developed. The protagonist is not unlike most ficitonal private investigators: tough, headstrong, well-equipped with quips, and much smarter than the police. One of the most defining characteristics of the book is the amount of drinking that takes place, almost universally, among the characters. At one point, Nora suggests to Nick that he stay sober for the day, to which he replies, "We didn't come to New York to stay sober."
Read-alikes: Readers who just can't get enough of The Thin Man should be sure to check out Nightmare Town: Stories, also by Dashiell Hammett. It's a collection of Hammett's short stories that includes an earlier draft of The Thin Man that doesn't include Nick and Nora. It would also be a good choice for readers who wanted to sample more Hammett without committing to a full-length book. Suddenly in Her Sorbet by Joyce Christmas is another novel that features a high society private investigator in New York City whose status allows her access to a world that is somewhat closed to the police. It would be a good choice for readers who like sophisticated private investigators. Fans of early private investigator novels would do themselves a disservice if they never sampled Raymond Chandler. Farewell, My Lovely is usually considered one of his best works and is comparable to many of Hammett's books in terms of tone, time period, and the characterization of the protagonist. Another possibility for fans who are specifically drawn to private investigators is The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald. This book is similar to The Thin Man in that it features a private investigator and a large supporting cast of high-society characters. Many reviews consider The Thin Man to be something of a comedy mystery. If you enjoy genre-infused mysteries, you might like Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula by Loren D. Estleman. Like The Thin Man, it's not especially serious, and while the title suggests that it's a horror-mystery hybrid, it's difficult not to find the idea of Holmes facing off against Dracula a little bit funny.
Red Flags: Murder, mild Violence, and excessive Drinking
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