The Hunter and Other Stories
Unpublished works by deceased writers are usually unpublished for a reason—but, having read the extant oeuvre to tatters, we can be so eager for new material that eagerness trumps skepticism. Long known to researchers, these stories are finally available to everyone, and while none of them rank with Hammett’s best (see above), they provide a clear portrait of a man pulled between popular success in the pulps and a longing to become better established in the “slicks,” or more literary-minded magazines. Ranging widely in subject, style, tone, and treatment, they make clear Hammett’s growing interest in character over plot, in thought over action. Those who think him only hard-boiled may also be surprised to find a golden-age caper (“The Diamond Wager”), a tale that betrays an interest in the dark arts (“Magic”), and some artsy experiments (“Seven Pages”). Three film treatments and the start of the only known unpublished Sam Spade story complete the trove. This is no place for a first encounter, but those who have read Hammett’s published work and still hunger for more will find it fascinating. --Keir Graff