Praise

“Hammett’s prose was clean and entirely unique. His characters were as sharply and economically defined as any in American fiction.” —The New York Times

“Hammett wrote scenes that seemed never to have been written before.” —Raymond Chandler

“An acknowledged literary landmark.” —The New York Times Book Review, on Red Harvest

“These tales show Hammett writing with the precision of a diamond cutter.” —Newsweek, on The Continental Op

“The Maltese Falcon is not only probably the best detective story we have ever read, it is an exceedingly well written novel.” —The Times Literary Supplement (London)

“[Dashiell Hammett] is a master of the detective novel, yes, but also one hell of a writer.” —The Boston Globe

“I think Hammett’s stories are about the best there are.” —Ross MacDonald

“The exuberance of language, the relish with which seediness is described . . . it’s a pleasure to imagine young Hammett cutting loose with whatever rascally high jinks he could cook up.” —Margaret Atwood