'Not just the first of the tough school of crime-writing but the best' THE TIMES

Miss Gabriel Dain Leggett is young and wealthy, with a penchant for morphine and religious cults. She also has an unfortunate effect on the people around her. They die - violently.

Is she the victim of a family curse? The short, squat, utterly unsentimental Continental Op, the best private detective around, has his doubts and finds himself confronting something infinitely more dangerous.

This is the Continental Op's most bizarre case and a tautly crafted masterpiece of suspense.

The Dain Curse Reviews

Great crime fiction started with Hammett -- James Ellroy
He is master of the detective novel, yes, but also one hell of a writer * BOSTON GLOBE *
His name remains one of the most important and recognisable in the crime fiction genre. Hammett set the standard for much of the work that would follow * INDEPENDENT *
One of the foremost practitioners of the hard-boiled detective story * SCOTSMAN *
Hammett's prose is clean and entirely unique. His characters are as sharp and economically defined as any in American literature * NEW YORK TIMES *
Not just the first of the tough school of crime-writing but the best * THE TIMES *
He put these people down on paper as they are, and he made them talk and think in the language they customarily used -- Raymond Chandler
The dean of the school of hard-boiled fiction * NEW YORK TIMES *

About Dashiell Hammett

Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) was born in Maryland and worked in a number of menial jobs until he became an operative for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. His experiences as a private detective laid the foundations for his writing career. His work includes RED HARVEST, THE MALTESE FALCON, THE GLASS KEY, THE THIN MAN and some eighty short stories, mostly published in Black Mask magazine.

Additional information

Sku

GOR003652448

ISBN 13

9781409138051

ISBN 10

1409138054

Title

The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett

Author

Dashiell Hammett

Series

Murder Room

Condition

Used - Very Good

Binding type

Paperback

Publisher

Orion Publishing Co

Year published

2012-02-02

Number of pages

256

Prizes

N/A

Cover note

Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.

Note

This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us