The Thin Man

The Thin Man
by Dashiell Hammett
read: 2011
Guardian 1000 Novels

My favorite of the three Dashiell Hammett novels I've read.  I loved the banter between Nick and Nora Charles, the protagonists, and I thought the mystery was better-developed than in Red Harvest or The Maltese Falcon.  Definitely a lighter tone, though that belied what was a pretty disturbing mystery.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett
read: 2011
Modern Library #56, Guardian 1000 Novels

Even if you don't know the novel or any of Hammett's oeuvre, the "Maltese Falcon" has entered the popular lexicon.  I think I first heard it on The Simpsons, though I imagine the film with Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade was the gateway for a lot of people.  Just those two words together conjures up the image of an artifact of value and mystery.

I enjoyed The Maltese Falcon less than Red Harvest and The Thin Man, the other two Dashiell Hammett novels I've read.  It was still a fun read.  I think the last quarter or so of the book raised some moral questions, but I don't think they were developed enough to be truly thought-provoking.

Red Harvest

Red Harvest
by Dashiell Hammett
read: 2011
Time 100 Novels, Guardian 1000 Novels

Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest is considered a giant of the noir genre.  Noir is a genre that I think works best on film, where the screen dances with moody blacks, whites, greys, and reds, and the actors can bring the dialogue to life with the machine-gun timing that the prose suggests.  Red Harvest is as much action movie as noir, featuring a couple large-scale gang shootouts that would explode on the big screen.  The novel is a good story and a fun read.