THE DAIN CURSE

Just read this for the second time, having first read it back in the 1970s. It tears along at a rapid pace, the bodies piling up in the first quarter of the book before it slows down a bit for some 'plateau' chapters, and then picks up again. In all I counted eight deaths in the book, and you're never really sure what's going on until the very end, when Hammett's nameless Continental Op detective explains it all. At five feet six and overweight, the Op is very different from most hard drinking good looking dicks, and doesn't have to worry about woman falling for him either. He's a bit like Sherlock as he pieces the bits together, and though it may not make too much sense it's still an entertaining read.

What a let down after Red Harvest. Too long, too convoluted, too confusing, too unbelievable. This one is way off target for me.

A weird and unbelievable plot but we'll written, pacy and fun. Hasn't dated and the dialogue was fun and snappy. Well worth a read if you like 30s detectives novels. Good fun. Not a classic but fun.

Great seller

Classic Hammett

Good read

I was looking forward to picking this book up because I’ve read and enjoyed Hammett before and because the title of this one basically has my name in it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as the other Hammett that I’ve read and my overarching feeling while reading this was just boredom. I didn’t care for the characters or the case.There were a few redeeming moments here and there when it came to the writing, and I also liked the fact that opium was mentioned, which seems to happen a lot in old school murder mysteries. But while this one did have elements of the private eye style that Hammett is known for, it also had a lot of superstition and mystery thrown in which I didn’t really care for.All in all, this was a struggle for me to complete, and I ended up tackling it as a bedtime book by reading 25 pages at a time. Even then it was a struggle, so I can’t recommend it.

Couldn't put this mystery book down - great characters who come across really flawed and there's a chilling sinister atmosphere all throughout