Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961)

Hard-hitting, hard-boiled detective. I think Hammett invented him. It's hard to read his stories and not see in your mind's eye Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and all those film stars who populated the crime films of the 50s. Come to think of it, there aren't many modern actors who would look right in the parts. Why is that?

There were so many corpses I lost track of them all, and definitely lost track of who knocked off who. But it didn't matter, I got wrapped up in the slang (for which you need a special dictionary) and the ambience and had a hell of a swell time.… (more)

This is a fairly short book of fairly short stories by Dashiell Hammett, compiled from his unpublished and uncollected short stories and screen treatments by his granddaughter, Julie M. Rivett. They show his style and gritty view of people in ways we are familiar with from his novels, in various settings across the country where he had some experience living. So, San Francisco, of course, also Baltimore, New York, etc. An interesting addition if you are a fan. The commentary before each group of stories is interesting for the biographical and career information.… (more)

The writing, on a techinical level, is a bit weak; there are a lot of phrase that are quite gripping though! However, it's not the style or the skill that defined The Maltese Falcon. It's that there is only one good human being in the whole book -- the secratery!

Poor Effie has no idea about the world she lives on the fringes of. Sam Spade's foggy Noir San Francisco is steeped with corruption, vendetta and greed. You wouldn't want to live there, but it's not a bad place to visit for a while.

Had the writing been as strong as the story, this would have scored 5 out of 5. However, it's technical flaws cannot entirely br ignored.… (more)