Showing results by author "Hammett Dashiell" in All Categories

This novel from 1929 introduces Hammett's recurring and always unnamed character, the "Continental Op," who works for the Continental Detective Agency. (Hammett himself worked for the famous Pinkerton National Detective Agency for seven years.) By some accounts the first detective novel in America to be classified as "hard-boiled" fiction, Red Harvest has appeared on several “best of” lists, including Time magazine’s list of the 100 best English-language novels published between 1923 and 2005. - Summary by Verla Viera

A beautiful client, a valuable artifact, fake identities, double-crosses and dead bodies. Hard-boiled San Francisco detective Sam Spade has his hands full keeping his client and himself alive while searching for the legendary Maltese Falcon. This is the original serialized version. Originally serialized in Black Mask Magazine and re-released as a novel in 1930, and of course the classic 1941 movie starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. - Summary by The Narrator

The Continental Op - no hard-boiled private detective has ever been boiled harder. The nameless Pinkerton op from the Continental Detective Agency in San Francisco. Sam Spade before the was a Sam Spade. Five tales from the pages of Black Mask Magazine. Gangsters, molls, gats and goons — everything noir. - Summary by Mark Nelson

The godfather of the hard-boiled detective novel, Dashiell Hammett is widely acknowledged as one of America's greatest mystery writers. This collection brings together the BBC radio adaptations of his works for the first time, including the iconic The Maltese Falcon featuring his most famous...

In The Best Cases of The Continental Op, an original compilation of eight stories from Skyboat Media, the Op walks, stalks, and runs down the steep streets of San Francisco to solve crimes of blackmail, murder, stolen identities, and arson, and each story contains so many twists and turns you’ll be hooked until the very (surprising) end....

Dashiell Hammett is universally regarded as one of the finest American writers of "hard boiled" detective fiction and his short stories and novels have been hailed as some of the best mystery stories ever written. Hammett would doubtless have gone down in literary history simply for his creation of the detective Sam Spade ("The Maltese Falcon") as well as Nick and Nora Charles ("The Thin Man" series), but he is also the creator of another of the most popular detectives in the genre: the nameless private investigator known as the Continental Op, who appears in dozens of his stories.

The Continental Detective Agency’s Op is sent on a case to Personville. The locals call their town “Poisonville,” and the Op would soon find out why as the bodies start piling up. Dirty cops, gang wars, and hit men are all at play in Dashiell Hammett’s first full-length novel featuring the Continental Op, the original hard-boiled private detective. - Summary by Mark Nelson

Tough, cynical PI Sam Spade is hired by the story's irresistible femme fatale, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, to locate the client's sister by tailing her companion. Spade's partner, Miles Archer, takes on the assignment, and quickly both he and the man he was shadowing are murdered. As Spade pursues the mystery of his partner's death, he is drawn into a circle of colorful characters - all of them after a legendary statuette of a falcon fashioned long ago for King Charles of Spain.

With its razor-sharp dialogue, brutal realism, and dark wit, Red Harvest established Hammett as a pioneer of noir fiction, cementing his legacy as the godfather of the genre. This is a relentless tale of moral ambiguity and violence, where every character walks the thin line between survival and self-destruction.

No bigger fad swept across postwar radio than that of the hard-boiled private detective - and nobody had more fun with their wink-and-nudge take on the genre than the producers, writers, and cast of The Adventures of Sam Spade. Dashiell Hammett's legendary private eye had a sardonic sense of humor, which wavy-haired, rugged-voiced Howard Duff played to perfection.

From the very beginning of its two-decade run on radio, Suspense was tops in thriller entertainment! Its first year on the air brought together stories from such outstanding masters of the genre as John Dickson Carr, Dashiell Hammett, and Edgar Allan Poe! Tune in to 20 tense classics from Radio's Outstanding Theatre of Thrills - starring Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, Susan Hayward, Richard Dix, Lou Merrill, Agnes Moorehead, Frank Readick, Alice Frost, and more.

Hot on the heels of Best Cases of the Continental Op comes Honest Gain: Dicey Cases of the Continental Op, another original compilation from Skyboat Media. The Continental Op is back on the case, tracking down thieves and murderers from the steep streets of San Francisco to the rough and tumble Wild West in Arizona. These six stories featuring the Continental Op show that this private eye is not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to get the job done right, or get himself hurt in the process.

Brilliant detective Sam Spade is the quintessential private eye, with his own code of ethics. When a standard stakeout goes wrong and Spade’s partner is killed, he finds himself drawn into the hunt for a fantastic treasure of dubious origin—a golden bird encrusted with jewels. But he’s not the only one on the trail of the falcon. Hot on his heels are Joel Cairo, a perfumed grifter; an oversized adventurer named Gutman; and Spade’s new client Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful but treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a hat.

It’s San Francisco, 1928, and Sam Spade is a wisecracking, womanising Private Investigator. Missing husbands and unfaithful wives are his usual stock-in-trade, but when the beautifully distressed Miss Wonderley calls he gets involved in a dangerous caper most people would run a mile from...

The "Adventures of Sam Spade Collection" brings together the most captivating episodes from this classic radio series. Experience the intrigue and suspense of Sam Spade's detective work as he solves crimes and unravels mysteries. This collection is perfect for fans of noir and detective fiction, offering hours of thrilling entertainment. Relive the golden age of radio with these timeless tales of mystery and intrigue.

"The Dain Curse" by Dashiell Hammett, narrated by the captivating voice of Mike Vendetti. This gripping tale follows a crafty detective, The Continental Op, as he unravels a web of murder, mystery, and a supposed family curse. From the dark alleys of San Francisco to the eerie Temple of the Holy Grail, The Continental Op's relentless pursuit of truth amidst a series of baffling deaths. With Vendetti's compelling narration, experience the suspense and intrigue of Hammett's classic detective story like never before.

In the1930s and '40s, Black Mask was the single most important magazine for the modern mystery field. Here writers such as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Earl Stanley Gardner reshaped the established view of mystery fiction, creating the "hard-boiled" private eye. Now this series resurrects from those pages the toughest of tough detectives in sonic dramatizations from the award-winning Hollywood Theater of the Ear.

Follow private detective Sam Spade as he navigates a web of deceit, betrayal, and murder in pursuit of the elusive black bird. With Vendetti's commanding narration and Howlett's evocative portrayal of Brigid O'Shaughnessy, this audiobook delivers the tension, intrigue, and drama of Hammett's classic like never before. Experience the sharp dialogue, unforgettable characters, and twists that defined the golden age of detective fiction. Perfect for fans of crime thrillers and timeless mysteries.

Here is the classic 60-minute Lux Radio Theater adaptation of the 1930s movie hit, recreated with the original film stars and director! This Audio Archive feature presentation delivers William Powell and Myrna Loy, who reprise thei roles as Nick and Nora Charles, the sophisticated lovers at the heart of Dashiell Hammett's immortal romantic-mystery masterpiece, The Thin Man.

Steely. Seasoned. Smart-alecky. The storied San Francisco snooper is back! Share the exciting exploits of Dashiell Hammett's famous gumshoe through this thrilling 6-hour collection. Featuring all of the episodes from both our Volume One and Volume Two collections, Howard Duff and Steve Dunne star as Sam Spade in 12 madcap capers from 1946 - 1951. As crass as he is charismatic, this dynamic detective attracts a curious clientele - gentlemen who tend to drop dead and ladies who are drop-dead gorgeous.