The Glass Key
Paul Madvig was a cheerfully corrupt ward-heeler who aspired to something better: the daughter of Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry, the heiress to a dynasty of political purebreds. Did he want her badly enough to commit murder? And if Madvig was innocent, which of his dozens of enemies was doing an...
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Paul Madvig was a cheerfully corrupt ward-heeler who aspired to something better: the daughter of Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry, the heiress to a dynasty of political purebreds. Did he want her badly enough to commit murder? And if Madvig was innocent, which of his dozens of enemies was doing an awfully good job of framing him? Dashiell Hammett's tour de force of detective fiction combines an airtight plot, authentically venal characters, and writing of telegraphic crispness.A one-time detective and a master of deft understatement, Dashiell Hammett virtually invented the hard-boiled crime novel. This classic Hammet work of detective fiction combines an airtight plot, authentically venal characters, and writing of telegraphic crispness.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780679722625 (0679722629)
ASIN: 679722629
Publish date: July 17th 1989
Publisher: Vintage
Pages no: 224
Edition language: English
Somewhere, I read that not all hard-boiled fiction was throw-away dreck, but that some of it was actually good literature. The examples given included a number of Raymond Chandler novels and Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key. I guess I don't see it. This wasn't a horrible book, but I've read lots of ...
This is an extraordinary book. The main character, Ned Beaumont, who investigates the mystery is a political fixer for a corrupt politician with a gambling addiction. He is absolutely ruthless and in many ways under motivated. He does some completely horrendous things, including inducing both a m...
I was excited to read another book from the man that brought me 'The Maltese Falcon' but there was little fun to be had here. I should have paid attention to the reviews before reading this, but it seemed so fitting to keep me occupied on the long train ride to NYC. Thankfully though 'The Glass Key...
I was excited to read another book from the man that brought me The Maltese Falcon, but there was little fun to be had here. I should have paid attention the reviews on here before reading this, but it seemed so fitting to keep me occupied on the long train ride to NYC. Thankfully though The Glass K...
If I had to use one word to describe this book, it would be 'gritty'. This is one of those classic mysteries filled with corruption, vice, and shady dealings in smoke-filled rooms. The mystery itself was only so-so, but the characters were great - conflicted and perfectly slimy. My rating for the...
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