The Dain Curse

By Dashiell Hammett,

Book cover of The Dain Curse

Book description

Miss Gabriel Dain Leggett is young and wealthy, with a penchant for morphine and religious cults. She also has an unfortunate effect on the people around her. They die - violently. Is she the victim of a family curse? The short, squat, utterly unsentimental Continental Op, the best private detective…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Dain Curse as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

What, more Hammett? Sure. My apologies to those expecting Raymond Chandler, but it’s hard to beat the master. Even in this sometimes almost incoherent thrill ride through the occult, drugs, the misdeeds of the rich, and amoral 1920s America. It ain’t called the Roaring 20s for nothing. This is the second in the Continental Op series and maybe Hammett’s most ambitious PI work, which follows a sharp-witted insurance investigator in Hammett’s trademark snappy prose. Sam Spade-like? Uh, no. The Op is short, fat, forty, and nameless, very far from a tough guy. He gets beaten up all the time in…

From Neal's list on hard-boiled PIs.

Want books like The Dain Curse?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Dain Curse.

Browse books like The Dain Curse

Book cover of The Maltese Falcon
Book cover of The Deep Blue Good-By
Book cover of Bright Orange for the Shroud

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,510

readers submitted
so far, will you?