The Dain Curse
Dashiell Hammett's The Dain Curse (1929) is another hard-boiled novel featuring the Continental Op -- Hammett's blunt working-man detective. This time the Op works a seemingly coincidental string of jobs which all involve the same morphine-addled heiress, slowly cutting his way down to the case within. Drugs, cult loonies and long-tended deceptions... who could ask for more? It doesn't have the crackle and social commentary of Red Harvest (the ultimate demonstration of the trouble that the Op can set loose when he puts his mind to it), but a good read regardless.
Posted by M.Ace at 02:45 PM, August 09, 2004.Comments: