Red Harvest (1929) - Dashiell Hammett

Written by Dashiell Hammett
Read by Richard Ferrone
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Dashiell Hammett invented the modern American crime novel. Each novel is distinct in mood and structure.

The five novels that Hammett published between 1929 and 1934, have become part of modern American culture, creating the characters and establishing the ground rules and tone for a whole tradition of hardboiled writing. Drawing on his own experiences as a Pinkerton detective, Hammett gave a harshly realistic edge to novels that were at the same time had a spirit of romantic adventure.

For three of the novels he created the Continental Op, the nameless and deliberately unheroic detective separated from the brutality and corruption around him only by his professionalism. In The Maltese Falcon and the Thin Man he has a name.

Series: Continental Op, book 1
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Awards: Listen Up Award
Release date: July 1, 2011
Duration: 06:27:28

Continental Op arrives in Personville (nicknamed “Poisonville” by its residents) too late to help his client, who lies shot dead in an alley. It doesn’t take the detective long to figure out that this murder is the least of Poisonville’s problems, and he decides to stay and clean up the nasty company town on his own. Despite this somewhat confusing story line, Richard Ferrone provides lucid and compelling narration and perfectly captures Hammett’s tough guy wit..

Listening to a well-read Dashiell Hammett novel is like hearing a movie for the ears. His fast-paced plots, crisp dialogue, and evocative descriptions translate well to audio. Narrator Richard Ferrone perfectly complements Hammett’s hard-boiled style in this story of murder and civic corruption. Ferrone gives the main character, the Continental Op, just the right note of weariness and worldliness without making him a caricature. His voice has a kind of smoker’s roughness that exactly suits the San Francisco detective. He also gives other characters distinctive voices, which gives additional life to the story. Ferrone’s pacing is good, especially in his use of pauses to add drama. The novel was first published in 1929, a year before the more celebrated MALTESE FALCON. It isn’t as intricately plotted as the better-known novel, but it’s an enjoyable audio experience. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2011

Although the tale is hopelessly convoluted and overpopulated, listeners will have great fun rooting for the unnamed detective to get out of town alive. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain.