‘The Dain Curse’ is the second novel by Dashiell Hammett, the author universally regarded as the father of ‘hard boiled’ detective fiction. The book was first serialized in the pulp fiction magazine Black Mask in 1928 and released as a novel in 1929.
The story is told in the first person, narrated by Hammett’s enigmatic detective known only as the Continental Op. Sent to investigate a diamond heist from Edgar Leggett, patriarch of the wealthy Leggett family of San Francisco, the Op learns that a supposed ‘curse’ lingers over Leggett’s in-laws, the Dain family. The ‘Dain Curse’ is said to be responsible for the violent deaths of a number of people associated with the Dains and as the Op delves deeper into the mystery, he uncovers an intricate web of deceit, robberies, addiction…and murder.
‘The Dain Curse’ is among the finest works of Dashiell Hammett and its publication, in tandem with his first novel, a Continental Op mystery ‘Red Harvest, ‘ marked the arrival of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated writers of detective fiction. It is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
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Samuel Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his ‘hard-boiled’ detective fiction and the iconic characters he created for his books, including the Continental Op (Red Harvest and the Dain Curse), Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), and Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man). Hammett is considered one of the finest mystery/detective writers of the 20th century. As a young man, Hammett signed up to be an operative for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, but the agency’s role in strike-breaking soured Hammett to Pinkerton and he joined the Army in 1918 and served in World War I. While in the Army, Hammett contracted tuberculosis and the ill-effects of his consumption would plague Hammett for the rest of his life. In 1922, Hammett began to publish short stories in some of the popular mystery magazines of the era, particularly Black Mask, for whom he wrote a number of stories featuring his nameless private investigator, the Continental Op. He began producing these stories at a furious rate, eventually expanding into novels – Red Harvest and The Dain Curse – which he serialized in Black Mask prior to publication. In 1930, Hammett wrote The Maltese Falcon, which featured Sam Spade, one of the most popular characters in all of detective fiction. Then, in 1934, Hammett topped himself, creating Nick and Nora Charles, the protagonists of the wildly popular book The Thin Man. Both would later be adapted into successful motion pictures, the latter spawning five sequels. Once Hammett moved to Hollywood and began writing screenplays, his fiction writing almost entirely ceased. His activism in left-wing politics would eventually lead to Hammett being placed on the ‘blacklist.’ Hammett’s career troubles were exacerbated by his alcoholism and his drinking, in turn, worsened his health. He died of lung cancer in 1961.Despite his life and career struggles later in life, Dashiell Hammett is still considered one of the greatest mystery writers of all time and his work proved to be an inspiration to an entire generation of young authors from Ernest Hemingway to Raymond Chandler and many others.
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