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A review by yash590
Dashiell Hammett: Complete Novels by Dashiell Hammett
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Red Harvest
I thought that this would be a detective story when I read the blurb. But it is a crime story with a detective at the helm. This is not in the style of Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie where there is one villain who is unearthed at the end of the book. Most of the characters are grey with everyone being guilty of one crime or another. The hero’s idea of justice is not strictly by the book and he is ok with playing off one criminal with another. The book may be among the ones that gave rise to the Humphrey Bogart brand of films (noir detective films). The story is short and enjoyable, with enough action to be engaging.
The Dain Curse
This one is more like a detective story as compared to the Red Harvest. It has multiple murders and the anonymous protagonist tries to find the connection between them. It does not concern itself with the political and cultural situation in USA as the previous novel did. The suspense is properly developed and the reveal at the end was also satisfying.
I thought that this would be a detective story when I read the blurb. But it is a crime story with a detective at the helm. This is not in the style of Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie where there is one villain who is unearthed at the end of the book. Most of the characters are grey with everyone being guilty of one crime or another. The hero’s idea of justice is not strictly by the book and he is ok with playing off one criminal with another. The book may be among the ones that gave rise to the Humphrey Bogart brand of films (noir detective films). The story is short and enjoyable, with enough action to be engaging.
The Dain Curse
This one is more like a detective story as compared to the Red Harvest. It has multiple murders and the anonymous protagonist tries to find the connection between them. It does not concern itself with the political and cultural situation in USA as the previous novel did. The suspense is properly developed and the reveal at the end was also satisfying.
The Maltese Falcon
The three stories that I've read till now are all detective stories but the flavor of each story is completely different. This one is about the hunt for an item, the Falcon and how Sam Spade meets and analyses the characters who are in on the hunt. I thought Dashiell Hammett created a style of novels , but it may not actually be true. What are common across the three books are that they are crime fiction, they deal with detectives who are hard, flawed and realistic and not prone to too much emotion. But the differences across the books is what is more interesting - the setting and the way in which the novels progress. This is almost a romantic detective fiction with O'Shaughnessey's character being the strongest in the book.
The Glass Key
The protagonist in this novel, Ned Beaumont, is, by far, the most relatable hero among Hammett's novels and is not a macho man, devoid of self-doubts. The story and pacing is quite good. One thing that I've noticed is that the author does not express what the protagonist feels. He only describes what his face and expressions look like. This may be a part of the way Hammett builds his heroes as strong, stoic men. But it is a little frustrating to not have access to the inner voice of the protagonist. In terms of the themes in the novel, there are some overlapping themes between Red Harvest and Glass Key but the stories are not similar.
The Thin Man
In this novel, the characters are more relatable especially because of the way Nick Charles ties up the mystery admitting that the theory that he proposes is the only one that fits. Because of Nora, Nick seems more down-to-earth and human and not a stereotypical male detective. He is a more fleshed out character than the protagonists in the other novels. In terms of the story and the suspense, it is built well enough. However, there are some elements in the book that are only mentioned and not explore like Albert Packard's cannibalism and Gilbert's doubts on incest. May be the only purpose they serve is to sidetrack the reader.