CRIME DOES NO PAY-THE
BIG KNOCKOVER AND OTHER STORIES- DASHIELL HAMMETT
A Minute Book Review
Dashiel Hammett, along with Raymond Chandler, reinvented the
detective genre in the 1930’s and 1940’s. They moved the genre away from the
amateurish and simple parlor detectives that had previously dominated the genre
to hard-boiled action characters who knew what was what and didn’t mind taking
a beating to get the bad guys. And along the way they produced some very
memorable literary characters as well. Nick Charles, Sam Spade and Phillip
Marlowe are well known exemplars of the action detective. However, on the way
to creating these literary works of art Hammett did journeyman’s work at the
detective genre in various pulp detective magazines. The Dain Curse seems to be
at the tale end of that period.
The unnamed universal Continental Operative who is the
central character of the story (and others, as well) is the prototype for
Hammett's later named detectives. He has all the characteristics that mark a
noir detective-tough, resourceful, undaunted, and incorruptible with a sense of
honor to friend and foe alike that sets him apart from earlier detectives. However
the plot line here is not as strong as in his latter work. Oh sure, there is
murder and other crimes and plenty of sub-plots on the way to the solution and
some less than savory although otherwise bourgeois characters to muddle up the
Op’s well laid plans. However, unless you are fairly familiar with 1920’s ‘lost
generation’ hijinks there is less sympathy here for victims and villains alike
than the later work. Religious cults, drugs, ennui, etc. have lost their
cutting edge as material for dramatic tension. Still anytime you can get your
hands on a Hammett book-do it.
Although the stories are mainly set in San Francisco
No comments:
Post a Comment