The Glass Key Lib/E (CD-Audio)

from IrishHolger

I must be in a minority as I feel that this is by far one of Hammett's best books. I have recently started (re-)reading the Dashiell Hammett novels and found that they didn't often stand the test of time, but THE GLASS KEY stood out with its wonderfully cynical tale about a town in the grips of a...

from BookAddictKatie

The Glass Key is one of those classic gangster novels that you just cannot put down. Known as the father of the hard-boiled crime novel, Hammett creates a world where murder is common, but there is also an unwritten code of conduct. In The Glass Key, Ned Beaumont works for Paul Madvig as his righ...

from Algybama

The only Hammett novel without a strong female lead. The romance is odd. But the gambling, cigar-chomping main man delivers some excellent tough-guy dialogue and action. The plot is less exciting than Hammet's other novels, and the villains are what carry you through. The villains are just as goo...

from alexrichman

Forget the falcon - this is surely Hammett's masterpiece. It's everything a noir classic should be: cynical, violent, full of quips and twists. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, always readable...but it all ends far too quickly. Shame, as Ned Beaumont is far more fun than Sam Spade.

from Cecilturtle

In this political imbroglio, greed is mixed with passion where ambition trumps family and loyalty. I very much enjoyed the political power struggles mixed with a light murder mystery and a prohibition backdrop. Compared to today's technologies and convoluted plots, the intrigue comes across as si...