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Title: a rather tame effort by Hammett, which is a good thing..
Review: 'The Glass Key' is one of Dashiell Hammett's more controlled, accessible mysteries. The number of characters involved is limited, and the characterizations are uniformly excellent. The story, about political corruption and murder, is something like Hammett's earlier 'Red Harvest'. But 'Red Harvest' was a bit excessive in scope and as a result its plot became somewhat undecipherable after a while. Fortunately 'The Glass Key' doesn't degrade in that way ... in fact it gets better as the story progresses (complete with a good surprise ending).Bottom line: a measured, competent effort by Dashiell Hammett. Not among his more famous works but certainly among the better.
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