Böcker av Dashiell Hammett

One of the greatest crime novels of the 20th century. 'Influenced everyone from Chandler to Le Carre ... The Maltese Falcon is the Hammett novel that jumps from the pages of its genre and into literature' Guardian

As an operative for Pinkerton's Detective Agency Dashiell Hammett knew about sleuthing from the inside, but his career was cut short by the ruin of his health in World War I. Despite - or because of - that, Hammett had an enormous effect on mainstream writers between the wars.

Delve into the thrilling world of ""The House Without a Key,"" acaptivating mystery novel by Earl Derr Biggers. This classic, setagainst the exotic backdrop of 1920s Hawaii, introduces readersto the charismatic detective Charlie Chan, a figure who wouldbecome iconic in the genre. The story begins with the mysteriousmurder of a wealthy tourist at a glamorous Hawaiian beachhouse, setting the stage for a tale of intrigue and suspense. AsChan, a brilliant and observant Honolulu police detective, delvesinto the case, he uncovers a tangled web of family secrets, hiddenmotives, and unexpected twists. With its vivid descriptions ofHawaii's lush landscapes and a glimpse into its multiculturalsociety, ""The House Without a Key"" is more than a meredetective story; it's an immersive experience into a bygone era.Biggers' masterful blend of mystery, charm, and cultural insightmakes this book a must-read for fans of classic detective fiction.Join Charlie Chan in his first-ever appearance as he navigates thecomplexities of this gripping mystery, revealing the truth hiddenwithin the house without a key.

Quite possibly the greatest author to appear in the pages of Black Mask magazine-Dashiell Hammett-is finally included in the authorized Black Mask Library. Hammett's influential Continental Op series set the editorial tone for Black Mask and all of the authors who would follow Hammett in that magazine. This Volume 1 collects the first ten stories of the Op, including the first two installments bylined as "Peter Collinson," along with an all-new introduction by Bob Byrne.

Dashiell Hammett is the innovative master and inventor of hard-boiled fiction, an unsentimental style of American crime writing in which the isolated hero exists in a sordid world where treachery is the only norm. Many of these stories first appeared in the pulp magazine Black Mask and exemplify Hammett's formidable literary and moral imagination operating at full strength. These stories introduce the Continental Op, the dispassionate operative from the Continental Detective Agency, a company molded on the Pinkerton Agency, for which Hammett worked prior to taking up writing. In these stories the reader will find the main themes of Hammett's later fiction - the skewed moral environment where nothing and no one can be trusted, the steely-eyed detective whose only interest is to do his job, and the criminals whose depravity mocks the pretensions of the modern world. These stories create a universe of violence and stealth, of cold passion, desperate action, and great excitement. They prefigure not only the world of subsequent detective fiction, but the contemporary world itself.

Ex-detective Nick Charles plans to spend a quiet Christmas holed up in a hotel suite with his glamorous wife Nora, their pet Schnauzer and a case of good Scotch. But then a bullet-riddled corpse and a missing inventor (not to mention the attentions of a beautiful young woman) force him out of retirement and back into business.

Dashiell Hammett is the undisputed master of hardboiled detective fiction, and one of the greatest mystery writers of all time. Originally published in the October 1923 issue of Black Mask, 'Arson Plus' was one of his earliest published tales, and a defining early example of the genre he would go on to make his own. Many of the hardboiled and pulp detective stories, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

'An acknowledged literary landmark' [Robert Graves] from 'The dean of the school of hard-boiled fiction' [New York Times]

This collection of the very best of Hammett's short stories features a special introduction by Colin Dexter.

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

'Dashiell Hammett is an original. He is a master of the detective novel, yes, but also one hell of a writer' BOSTON GLOBE

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

Corruption, murder, beauty and innocence . . . 'Great crime fiction started with Hammett' James Ellroy

With over 60 titles in a variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, horror or romance, biographies and big film tie-ins, the Penguin Active Reading series makes learning the English language a pleasurable and rewarding activity.

This omnibus edition includes four linked stories - 'The House in Turk Street', 'The Girl with the Silver Eyes', 'The Big Knockover' and '$106,000 Blood Money - featuring the Continental Op, Hammett's anonymous tough-guy detective.