The Hunter and Other Stories by Dashiell Hammett

This review is going to be short and sweet. If when reading The Hunter and Other Stories by Dashiell Hammett you are expecting more of the 1930s pulp mysteries that Hammett is known for then you are going to be somewhat disappointed because there are barely any mysteries.

This compilation of stories, many of which have not been published, was edited by Richard Layman and Julie M. Rivett, Hammett’s granddaughter. In the forward and introduction they both make it clear that Hammett had loftier goals than publishing in the likes of Black Mask and other pulp magazines. He wanted his stories in the high brow, glossy magazines. And clearly his use of language keeps him in the ranks of the best authors, those that belong in these magazines.

However, some of these stories are strange…very, very strange. None of them, in my opinion, pack the wallop of his pulp mysteries, but that’s my bias. Read them yourself and see if you’re of the same opinion.

Included in this anthology are short and long narratives that are movie proposals, as Hammett spent much time writing for Hollywood. The introductions in front of each section give the reader some perspective as to when the stories might have been written and Hammett’s life at the time.

Definitely an interesting read from a master of the written word.