Dashiell Hammett is the godfather of hard-boiled detective fiction. A former real-life Pinkerton detective, he wrote Red Harvest, The Maltese Falcon, and The Thin Man over a span of 5 years between 1929 and 1934, all of which are regarded as among the finest crime stories ever written.
However, of his books, The Glass Key was his personal favorite.
Ned Beaumont is a gambler and consigliere to political boss Paul Madvig, who runs the city and is in the middle of fixing a Senator’s reelection bid and courting the Senator’s daughter.
But when the Senator’s son is found dead, Ned has to navigate a complex web of shifting alliances and corrupt officials to find out who killed him.
The Glass Key, like Hammett’s other work, is written in a very stripped, hard-boiled style. The characters are complex and morally grey, the intrigue between the crime bosses and public officials is a delicately balanced thing, with figures like the DA being craven and compliant when it looks like Paul is still in charge and distant and cold when it looks like he might topple.
Though it was written in 1930 and collected into a book in 1931, there aren’t many anachronisms in the prose. Indeed, the novel reads surprisingly modern, despite being obviously set during the Depression.
The audiobook in particular is clear and moves well, and the narrator doesn’t get in the way of the story, matching its spare style. It’s also brief, clocking in under six and half hours.
The Glass Key is recommended for readers of mystery and crime fiction, especially those that have a soft spot for old hard-boiled detective stories, and anyone who has an interest in the history of that form.
(As an added note, The Glass Key heavily inspired the Coen Brothers’ movie Miller’s Crossing, which is a great movie in its own right.)
We love helping people find books, movies, and more.
Tell us about your preferences, and our librarians will create a list of titles selected specifically for you.
