::AMAZON REVIEWS::

Stylish, uncomfortable, wonderful.
Reading through some of the online reviews of The Glass Key, I'm a little bit surprised by all the contradictory readings. Hammett supposedly considered it his favorite among his own novels. I liked it-- a lot, even. It isn't my favorite-- I think that honor still belongs to Red Harvest. But I don't consider it (as many apparently do) one of his minor works either.

There is a very nice quality of remove to this work. We learn next to nothing about the past of the characters (perhaps why some readers find it difficult to connect with the work?). Instead, their actions speak for themselves and the implication certainly is that the events of the book represent a fatal intersection of oft repeated actions. "You are what you do," is what Hammett seems to be insisting here. I personally find this kind of noir writing much more compelling when it sticks to the surface in this way-- gives it an air of fatality and sadness that would only be undermined by too much backstory. He doesn't give us much hope for his bleak city. Only Beaumont seems to have any feeling for nostalgia, and that is undermined by his gambling nature-- his casual lack of ethics.

It's an uncomfortable book, I'll give you that. Hammett keeps the reader back from any feeling of resolution, even when we learn the "truth". For me, it neatly foreshadows a film like Chinatown. The system of corruption in the world of The Glass Key isn't something that can be defeated by anything as trivial as a redemptive character arc. Hammett is telling us something about the world-- the hope will have to come from somewhere else.

Wonderful, really.

A Real Guy's Detective Novel
The writing was typical of the times (1931). Each movement of the characters was described fully -- almost like it was intended to be a screenplay. Not one of the characters was anything other than criminal at heart, so it was difficult to relate to any of them. Historically, it was very interesting to read about the crime, speakeasies and corrupt Chicago politics. It was what I would consider a "guy's book": tough men, gangster-like loyalties (without real friendships), drinking, gambling and everyone-out-for-themselves. The men and women in this book had big city mentalities and killings were a part of the life they led. Fear and greed is what drove them. The main thing I didn't like was that it had too many things happening with too many characters -- many of which didn't lead anywhere and tended to make it a rather confusing read. I found myself re-reading passages, just to keep things straight. So, I guess there were parts that I liked, it was an easy read, but the poor character development left me disappointed. I never did guess who the murderer was until the end of the book - which probably makes it a good detective novel, in and of itself.

Weak Plot and Characters, But Hammett's Style Remains Powerful
Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) essentially created the American P.I. novel, first in a series of short stories and then with five novels, many of them incorporating his earlier short fiction. Critics regard THE GLASS KEY as his weakest work; it was, however, Hammett's own favorite, a very convoluted tale of that mixes organized crime, political corruption, and a traditionally-styled murder mystery.

The central story concerns gambler and tough-guy Ned Beaumont, who has been on a loosing streak until his luck turns with a major racetrack win. When the bookie goes on the lam with the winnings, Beaumont pulls strings to have himself declared a special D.A. investigator and uses a recent unsolved murder of a senator's son as leverage to force the bookie to pay up. But his success in this area entangles him in the murder itself: the senator is backed by crime boss Paul Madvig, who is in love with the senator's daughter, and who may or may not be involved in the murder.

It may have been Hammett's favorite, but I have to agree with those who consider it his weakest. Like most Hammett novels, THE GLASS KEY is very convoluted in terms of plot--but in this novel he simply jumps from point to point and scene to scene without offering the reading much in the way of information. The characters are also weak. Paul Madvig is too stupid to be a successful crime boss; it is hard to understand how he manages to command such loyalty from tough-guy Ned Beaumont, and Beaumont himself is very inconsistently rendered. But the novel does have a saving grace that makes it worth reading: Hammett's prose style.

It was, in a word, unique. Hammett effortlessly mixes terse toughness with unexpected flashes of poetry and insight and the result is indeed breathless and intense. Many writers would tear a page from Hammett's style, and a few--James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler leap to mind--would go on to create their own unique and equally powerful styles from Hammett inspiration, but no one ever did Hammett as well as Hammett himself. THE GLASS KEY may be the weakest of Hammett's novels in terms of plot and character, but Hammett's way with words carries him though. Ignore the book at your own risk.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

What a snore
When my book club decided to read The Glass Key, I thought it would be a fun change from the literary, often depressing books we sometimes choose. I was wrong. We unanimously hated it. None of us cared one hoot about who did it or to whom or why. Not only that but the writing was at times laughable. Here are only a few of my favorite passages:

"Presently a path came under his feet."

"Ned Beaumont looked, with brown eyes wherein hate was a dull glow that came from far beneath the surface, at the card players and began to get out of bed."

"Knocking sounded on his door."

"Madvig addressed to another man a question having to do with the size of the campaign contribution to be expected from a man named Hartwick."

Obviously writing wasn't the talent Lillian Hellman saw in him.

IN THE TIME OF THE 'FIXER'
Dashiell Hammett, along with Raymond Chandler, reinvented the detective genre in the 1930's and 1940's. They moved the genre away from the amateurish and simple parlor detectives that had previously dominated the genre to hard-boiled action characters who knew what was what and didn't mind taking a beating to get the bad guys. And along the way they produced some very memorable literary characters as well. Nick Charles, Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe are well known exemplars of the action detective.

In The Glass Key Hammett takes a little different run at that same idea. The protagonist this time is not the usual detective but an old fashioned political `fixer'. No, not the `spin doctor' or `flak' of modern media-driven politics but the older handler of the retail politics that counted in local urban scene with the added factor of a little off hand, old fashioned mob influence. Nevertheless, the `fixer' Ned Beaumont has all the resourcefulness, toughness, loyalty, and hard-boiled common sense that we have come to expect of Hammett's real detectives.

The plot revolves around the familiar problem of electoral politics-getting elected. In this case getting a Senator with a beautiful daughter, Janet, and an errant son, Taylor, reelected. Add in some political factions, also mob-dominated, a fair share of corrupt officials, an off hand murder and other crimes and misdemeanors and you would hardly know we are not dealing with a `normal' Hammett novel. Further add in a slowly involving romance between Ned and the afore-mentioned Senator's daughter who is also the object of his boss's affections and you have quite a mix. Frankly, I prefer Hammett's detectives but any time you can get your hands on one of his books do so.