The thin man

A coolly glittering gem of detective fiction that has haunted three generations of readers, from one of the greatest mystery writers of all time. A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett's iconic, influential, and beloved The Maltese Falcon.

"hammett's Pioneering Hard-boiled Style Has Been Much Imitated, But The Original—packs A Wallop."—the New Yorker

here Are Twenty Long-unavailable Stories By The Master Who Brought Us the Maltese Falcon. Laconic Coppers, Lowlifes, And Mysterious Women Double- And Triple-cross Their Colleagues With Practiced Nonchalance. A Man On A Bender Awakens In A Small Town With A Dark Mystery At Its Heart. A Woman Confronts A Brutal Truth About Her Husband. Here Is Classic Noir: Hard-boiled Descriptions To Rival Hemingway, Verbal Exchanges Punctuated With Pistol Shots And Fisticuffs. Devilishly Plotted, Whip-smart, Impassioned, nightmare Town Is A Treasury Of Tales From America's Poet Laureate Of The Dispossessed.

publishers Weekly

smart And Tough Is The Formula For The Art Of Hammett (the Maltese Falcon; The Thin Man), Widely Acknowledged As The Master Innovator Of The Hard-boiled Detective Novel. These 20 Previously Uncollected Novellas And Short Stories Feature Enigmatic Plots Of Devilish Intricacy, Rife With Fisticuffs And Pistol Shots, And Populated By Stiffs, Laconic Coppers, Lowlifes And Droll, World-weary Detectives. Sam Spade Shows Up Several Times, As Does The Continental Op, Smoking His Fatimas And Grilling Coy, Mendacious Women. The Delicate Balance Between Extremes Of Brutality And Cleverness Makes Most Of These Stories Classic Studies In Suspense. Moods Are Set With Smoky Authenticity, And Characters Are Powerful Talkers And Smooth Operators, With Dialogue Unforgettable For Its Tough, Blunt Energy. In His Brother's Keeper, A Story Of Betrayal And Redemption Is Told Through The Eyes Of A Dumb Prize-fighter, So That The Reader Is Always A Step Ahead Of The Narrator, But Is Sympathetic Toward Him. Ruffian's Wife Is A Fine Literary Exploration Of A Woman's Disillusionment As She Discovers Her Husband's True Nature, Even As She Stands By Him. A Man Named Thin Is A Detective, A Suave Narrator/protagonist Whose Father Is Both Annoyed At His Son's Poetry Writing And Impressed By His Creative Case-solving. With An Informative Introduction By William Nolan Briefly Outlining Hammett's Life, This Volume Offers A Broad, Exciting Selection Of Seminal Works By The Robust, Quintessentially American Godfather Of The Genre. (sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Dashiell Hammett's classic The Thin Man introduced the world to Nick and Nora Charles, further made famous by the popular Thin Man films. With a new introduction by Denise Mina. Nick Charles seems to find trouble wherever he goes. He thinks his sleuthing days are behind him when Julia Wolf, a former acquaintance, turns up dead. Nick—thanks to some persuasion from his enchanting wife, Nora—finds himself falling back into old habits and making a few polite inquiries. The prime suspect, Julia's lover and boss Clyde Miller Wynant, has vanished without a trace. Everyone is after him, but Nick is not so sure Wynant is the culprit. And when another dubious figure bursts into their bedroom, waving a loaded handgun, it seems Nick and Nora's adventure is only just beginning. Nick and Nora Charles are among Dashiell Hammett's most alluring creations: a rich, glamourous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, The Thin Man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. 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.

Of Hammett's sixth book, published in 1931, The New York Times wrote "the developing relationships among the characters are as exciting as the unfolding story."

A young, frightened, foreign woman appears at the door of an isolated house. The man and woman inside take her in. Other strangers appear in pursuit of the girl. Menace is in the air.

Originally published in 1933, Hammett's Woman in the Dark shows the author at the peak of his narrative powers. With an introduction by Robert B. Parker, the author of the celebrated Spenser novels.

Newgate Callendar

To Hammett fans - and who isn't? - this publication might be almost equivalent to a music-lover's discovery of a Mozart manuscript composed at his best period. . . . the publication of this book helps flesh out the totality of this superb writer. And, of course, those who aspire to complete Hammett collections will have to add this to the published oeuvre already in their libraries. -- New York Times

From one of the great pioneers of detective stories, a classic novel reissued with a new introduction by S.A. CosbyThe steadfast and sturdy Continental Op has been summoned to the town of Personville—known as Poisonville—a dusty mining community splintered by competing factions of gangsters and petty criminals. The Op has been hired by Donald Willsson, publisher of the local newspaper, who gave little indication about the reason for the visit. No sooner does the Op arrive, than the body count begins to climb... starting with his client. With this last honest citizen of Poisonville murdered, the Op decides to stay on and force a reckoning—even if that means taking on an entire town. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain. "In the title story, a man on a bender enters a small town and ends up unraveling the dark mystery at its heart. A woman confronts the brutal truth about her husband in the chilling story 'Ruffian's Wife.' 'His Brother's Keeper' is a half-wit boxer's eulogy to the brother who betrayed him. 'The Second-Story Angel' recounts one of the most novel cons ever devised. In seven stories, the tough and taciturn Continental Op takes on a motley collection of the deceitful, the duped, and the dead, and once again shows his uncanny ability to get at the truth. In three stories, Sam Spade confronts the darkness in the human soul while rolling his own cigarettes. And the first study for The Thin Man sends John Guild on a murder investigation in which almost every witness may be lying." -- From dust jacket From one of the great pioneers of detective stories, a classic novel reissued with a new introduction by Amor TowlesWhen eight diamonds are stolen from a prominent San Francisco family, the Continental Op is called in to investigate. But the missing jewels aren't the only thing out of the ordinary. The man who reported the burglary ends up dead, ostensibly a suicide. His daughter, one of the suspects, Miss Gabrielle Dain Leggett, has a penchant for morphine and religious cults. She also has an unfortunate effect on the people around her: they have a habit of dying. Might Gabrielle be the victim of an arcane family curse? Or is the truth about her stranger and even more dangerous? The Dain Curse is one of the Continental Op's most bizarre cases and a tautly crafted masterpiece of suspense. "In the title story, a man on a bender enters a small town and ends up unraveling the dark mystery at its heart. A woman confronts the brutal truth about her husband in the chilling story "Ruffian's Wife." "His Brother's Keeper" is a half-wit boxer's eulogy to the brother who betrayed him. "The Second-Story Angel" recounts one of the most novel cons ever devised. In seven stories, the tough and taciturn Continental Op takes on a motley collection of the deceitful, the duped, and the dead, and once again shows his uncanny ability to get at the truth. In three stories, Sam Spade confronts the darkness in the human soul while rolling his own cigarettes. And the first study for The Thin Man sends John Guild on a murder investigation in which almost every witness may be lying."--BOOK JACKET. FEATURING THE CHARACTER THAT INSPIRED THE AMC SERIES MONSIEUR SPADE STARRING CLIVE OWENONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIMEDetective Sam Spade is a private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. When his partner is killed during a stakeout, he is drawn into the hunt for a fantastic treasure with a dubious provenance—a golden bird encrusted with jewels. Also on the trail are a perfumed grifter named Joel Cairo, an oversized adventurer named Gutman, and Spade's new client Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett's coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted generations of readers. •With a new introduction by Richard Russo• From one of the great pioneers of detective stories, a classic tale reissued with a new introduction by Laura LippmannNed Beaumont is a gambler and a professional troubleshooter for his friend Paul Madvig, a cheerfully corrupt political power broker who aspires to greater things. Madvig has his eyes set on none other than the daughter of Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry, the heiress to a dynasty of political purebreds. When the senator's son turns up dead, Madvig becomes the prime suspect. But if he is innocent, then which of his dozens of enemies is doing an awfully good job of framing him?Dashiell Hammett's tour de force of crime fiction combines a bulletproof plot, authentically corrupt characters, and writing of telegraphic crispness. The Continental Op is a short, squat, and utterly unsentimental tank of a private detective. Miss Gabrielle Dain Leggett is young, wealthy, and a devotee of morphine and religious cults. She has an unfortunate effect on the people around her: they have a habit of dying violently. Is Gabrielle the victim of a family curse? Or is the truth about her weirder and infinitely more dangerous? The Dain Curse is one of the Continental Op's most bizarre cases, and a tautly crafted masterpiece of suspense.

One of the Continental Op's most bizarre cases as he is faced with Miss Gabrielle Dain Leggett who has an unfortunate effect on the people around her: they die violently.

Short, thick-bodied, mulishly stubborn, and indifferent to physical pain, Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op was the prototype for generations of tough-guy detectives. He is also the hero of most of the nine stories in this volume. The Op's one enthusiasm is doing his job, and in The Big Knockover the jobs entail taking on a gang of modern-day freebooters, a vice-ridden hell's acre in the Arizona desert, and the bank job to end all bank jobs, along with such assorted grifters as Babe McCloor, Bluepoint Vance, Alphabet Shorty McCoy, and the Dis-and-Dat Kid.

Nine short stories. Includes the unfinished novel, Tulip, and a memoir by Lillian Hellman.

On a dark night a young woman seeks refuge at an isolated house. She is hurt and frightened. The man and woman who live there take her in. But their decency is utterly unequipped to deal with the Woman in the Dark, or with the designs of the men who want her. First published in installments in Liberty magazine [in 1933] and now rediscovered after many years, Woman in the Dark shows Dashiell Hammett at the peak of his narrative powers. With an introduction by Robert B. Parker, the author of the celebrated Spenser novels. A one-time detective and a maser of deft understatement, Dashiell Hammett virtually invented the hard-boiled crime novel.

A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett’s coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted three generations of readers.

Sam Spade, a private eye with his own solitary code of ethics, stars in Hammett's cooly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted 2 generations of readers.

Classic noir. Private detective Sam Spade is hired to search for a valuable, gem-encrusted antique in the shape of a falcon. Sam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a louse called Floyd Thursby. But Miss Wonderley is in fact the beautiful and treacherous Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and when Spade's partner Miles Archer is shot while on Thursby's trail, Spade finds himself both hunter and hunted: can he track down the jewel-encrusted bird, a treasure worth killing for, before the Fat Man finds him? "The Continental Op is a short, squat, and utterly unsentimental tank of a private detective. Miss Gabrielle Dain Leggett is young, wealthy, and a devotee of morphine and religious cults. She has an unfortunate effect on the people around her: they have a habit of dying violently. Is Gabrielle the victim of a family curse? Or is the truth about her weirder and infinitely more dangerous? The Dain Curse is one of the Continental Op's most bizarre cases, and a tautly crafted masterpiece of suspense."-- From back cover "People called the place Poisonville. Poisonville was not just up for grabs: it had been grabbed already, and cut up and parceled out by two ruthless gangs. The Continental Op came to Poisonville on the summons of the last honest citizen. When he was murdered, the Op stayed on to punish the guilty-- even if that meant taking on an entire town. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain."-- From back cover "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?"--Publisher's description In Dashiell Hammett's famous crime novel, we meet one of the detective-story master's most enchanting creations, Nick and Nora Charles, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, The Thin Man is a classic murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. Hammett's continental op - tough, tired, intelligent, a snap-brimmed Sir Galahad with a Browning - was the prototype for a whole new tradition of private eye thrillers. Here are ten of his classic suspense stories from the twenties and thirties - selected and introduced by Lillian Hellman. When the last honest citizen of Poisonville was murdered, the Continental Op stayed on to punish the guilty--even if that meant taking on an entire town. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain. The inimitable Sam Spade and the Continental Op take on new cases in a collection of long-unavailable short stories by the author of The Maltese Falcon, in an anthology of mysteries and short fiction that also includes Hammett's first study for The Thin Man. Reprint. En période préélectorale, il s'agit de ne pas faire de vague. Dans l'ombre, Madvig tire les ficelles, car hommes politiques et fonctionnaires sont à sa botte. Jusqu'au moment où il est soupçonné du meutre du fils du sénateur Henry, dont il soutient la candidature. The 75th anniversary of THE MALTESE FALCON, one of the most beloved and influential crime novels of all time, will see a number of events aimed at bringing increased attention to the works of Dashiell Hammett. VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD Nick and Nora Charles are Hammett's most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, The Thin Man From the Trade Paperback edition The plot unfolds at Christmas when an eccentric inventor disappears after threatening his mistress with a lawsuit for embezzlement. His daughter begs Nick Charles to get to the bottom of the case A frightened and hurt woman appears at the door of an isolated house where she is taken in. Other strangers come looking for her with an aura of violence When a hard-fighting detective arrives in Personville and finds that his client has been murdered, he decides to investigate local gangland activities Short fictional works by the modern American writer explore the world of crime and violence, mysterious women, and hard-hitting private detectives Nick Charles searches for a wealthy inventor who is the prime suspect in a New York City murder case