The Hunter and Other Stories

by Dashiell Hammett, Julie M. Rivett (Editor), Richard Layman (Editor)

THE HUNTER AND OTHER STORIES is a unique literary publication from one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Dashiell Hammett. This volume includes both new Hammett stories gleaned from his personal archives along with screen treatments long buried in film-industry files. The best of Dashiell Hammett's unfamiliar treasures have been rescued from deep in these archives: screen stories, unpublished and rarely published fiction, and intriguing unfinished narratives. Hammett is regarded as both a pioneer and master of hard-boiled detective fiction, but these dozen and half stories that explore failed romance, courage in the face of conflict, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism, show him in a different light. The collection also includes two full-length screen treatments. "On the Make" is the basis for the rarely seen 1935 film Mr. Dynamite, starring a corrupt detective who never misses an opportunity to take advantage of his clients rather than help them. "The Kiss-Off" is the basis for City Streets (1931), with Sylvia Sydney and Gary Cooper caught in a romance complicated by racketeering's obligations and temptations. Like the screen stories from RETURN OF THE THIN MAN, they read as novellas-rich in both story and character.

Publication of these new volumes is due to the passion of Julie M. Rivett, Hammett's granddaughter and a well-regarded Hammett scholar, as well as Richard Layman, the author of the first full-length biography of Hammett, Shadow Man, the definitive bibliography, and other works. Rivett and Layman are trustees for Hammett's literary estate and have co-edited two previous Hammett volumes-Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett and Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers. THE HUNTER AND OTHER STORIES will appeal to longtime Hammett fans, and introduce a new generation to one of the most influential voices in American fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Crime, Noir, Mystery Thriller, Anthologies

291 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2013

About the author

Also wrote as Peter Collinson, Daghull Hammett, Samuel Dashiell, Mary Jane Hammett

Dashiell Hammett, an American, wrote highly acclaimed detective fiction, including The Maltese Falcon (1930) and The Thin Man (1934).

Samuel Dashiell Hammett authored hardboiled novels and short stories. He created Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse) among the enduring characters. In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time" and was called, in his obituary in the New York Times, "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashiell...

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma]

I didn't read all of this (2013 published) collection, but I saw it on Audible for free and was in a car, and was interested in it chiefly because Dashiell Hammett is one of the twentieth-century's finest writers of fiction who, like Raymond Chandler, did not want to be pigeonholed into the category of "detective fiction" master alone. So none of these stories are Sam Spade, Nick and Nora, or Continental Op. Almost none of them were published in hsi lifetime, in part because editors/pubishers only wanted to see his detective fiction which, because he had gotten sick and needed more money to support his family, paid better. Then he went Hollywood to get the even bigger cash, and he finally didn't even bother sending or resending the stories out.

Of the 18 stories and 3 screen treatments here, I listened to maybe a third, and they were good, crime stories, noir, but trying different things than the Black Mask editors required of their writers. One that received a posthumous crime writing award is “The Hunter,” wherein a detective investigates a fraudulent check, written by a man trying to make ends meet for himself and his (unmarried) girlfriend and her child. There are laws on the books in California that say it is illegal to live with someone else's wife, even if it is consensual, and as we find out, the husband is a bad guy. So the detective follows the law, does his job and gets paid, ruining this couple's life. Not a Sam Spade/Thin Man story, but one that is critical of that law at the time.

Another one I ik is “The Diamond Wager” which concerns a bet about whether a valuable necklace could be stolen from a jewelry store in Paris. A jewelry thief story! “The Cure” is also about a bet – that one man’s fear of swimming can be cured by another man (and the consequences are completely unexpected). Obviously as the editors intended, we get a broader sense of Hammett's talents from this collection.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read four of Hammett's novels, I came to this book viewing him as something of a first-rate underachiever. Maltese Falcon aside, I came away from Red Harvest, The Glass Key, and The Thin Man with the same feeling: that these were essentially B-novels elevated by Hammett's mastery of prose and noir atmosphere (among other things).

Therefore I was pretty happy to come across this collection and see his more ambitious side. The stories collected here showcase Hammett's talents away from his usual niche. Even the stories in the Crime section are not quite what you'd expect. The titular Hunter is the only story with any detecting done. The other three are a farce, a caper story, and a character piece, respectively. The remaining short stories are mostly slice-of-life, with the major outlier being a fantasy piece. Obviously, some of the stories here will appeal more than others, with one person's best being another's worst. The stories here vary widely, some bite-sized and some lengthy, some feel like fragments and excerpts while others feel like full stories. But in most of them, Hammett is able to take immersive storytelling, and use it to illuminate some truth of human behavior.

As is often the case with writers, reading these stories evoked Hammett's other work. The dynamic of the two main characters in The Lovely Strangers had shades of Nick and Nora, while Earl Parrish, like Ned Beaumont, is always referred to by full name. It makes it somewhat bittersweet when the commentary quotes Hammett on why he stopped writing: he felt he was copying himself. Also bittersweet, in a way, is the abandoned Sam Spade fragment, A Knife Will Cut For Anybody. It feels like the beginning of something worthy of Sam Spade.

Included in the collection are a couple of screen treatments dating from his time in Hollywood. They personally weren't my thing. They seemed more like Wikipedia synopses than actual stories; Hammett's powers of prose and dialogue are mostly lost here. On The Make was amusing, though.

For audiobook listeners, I recommend the reading available on Audible. I can't think of anything bad to say of it.

[Aditya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hunter and Other Stories is mainly a collection of unpublished Hammett stories for the fans of the pulp master. About 20 stories divided into 5 arbitrary sections, these are Hammett's attempt to broaden his horizon beyond hard-boiled crime. Each section comes with a foreword from the publishers that adds little of value and is almost utterly useless. He has occasionally written good non-crime short fiction before like His Brother's Keeper and some more of it pops up here. But for the most part it is inconsistent and not worth seeking out for anyone other than devoted fans such as myself.

Brief breakdown of sections:
‌Crime (4 Stories): Expectedly the best stories are found in this section. The Sign of the Potent Pills, the best story in the book, a parody of pulp fiction and tough guy detectives showcasing Hammett's snickering yet charming sense of humor. And The Diamond Wager, a short and sweet heist story.

‌Men (8 Stories): Hammett's attempt to write character pieces of working class men. Most of the stories end abruptly and only a handful are any good. Worth mentioning a brave man almost succumbs to his hubris in An Inch and a Half of Glory while conflicted men battle their delusions in Faith and Nelson Redline.

‌Men and Women (5 Stories): Character pieces of people in love or romances? I am not really sure what what Hammett was trying to write here but almost all of it is corny and feels very dated.

‌Screenplays (3 Stories): A couple of them was turned into forgotten, mediocre movies in the 30s. At best one of them can be called a tad bit promising but most of the mediocrity can be traced back to these scripts.

‌Incomplete Spade Story: Hammett is a plot heavy writer so his incomplete works are simply not worth wasting time over. I read it and regretted whatever time I wasted on it.

‌E-book Exclusive Incomplete Stories: Did not bother reading them.

Read the first section of the book, that will contain the two of the best stories. If you are still on board give the second section a try, it still has got some promise but don't venture beyond it. This collection was supposed to show Hammett's character work but it becomes counter intuitive. It just reinforces the feeling that plots and style were his real strengths. Hammett had enough sense to not publish most of these stories. But his estate is not showing the same restraint, their Thin Man sequels were good but this is completely unnecessary. Luckily they have announced this will be the last 'new' collection of stories. That news and my goodwill towards Hammett stops it from having an even lower rating. Rating - 3/5.

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 2 out of 5]

These were stories which Hammett himself never published (there may be one or two which have been unearthed from very obscure publications).

I can't be very particular about what was good and what was bad in this collection, because I borrowed it from the library and didn't take notes.

For true admirers of Hammett's published work, especially his epoch-making Continental Op stories, there will be little here to enjoy. I think "Action and the Quiz Kid" was the one story with anything like the Hammett touch.

Nightmare Town: Stories really did have so much quality material that it was easy to believe in some untapped source of 'unknown' Hammett. I think it was the last gleaning, alas.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great having more Hammett to read, it had been a while.

This was one of those posthumous collections of mostly unpublished stories and treatments for screenplays.

The first two went kind of slow for me. Not bad, just didn’t hold my attention.

But the third one, The Diamond Wager, was a lot of fun.
A guy pulls a great prank on a friend.

Monk and Johnny Fox had a gritty noir feel with great dialogue.

Another one I especially liked was The Lovely Strangers, which was actually a very sweet romance.

I leave you with some words of wisdom ala Hammett:

“Either you’re afraid or you’re not. You can’t pin fear on one form of danger. The things to be afraid of are pain and death. Either you have the nerve to do things that might bring them, or you haven’t. That’s all there is to it….”

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having only read Hammett's novels, I was taken aback by the skill and mastery he brought to storytelling. I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but every one of Hammett's tales - be they two pages or ten - develops with such vivid detail that it quickly engrosses readers. His stories come to life; they are worlds briefly inhabited, and with their close they continue to loom large in the mind. Oftentimes, Hammett works with less so that what's unsaid becomes a far more powerful force than in the hands of another author. Each story evokes a filmic sensibility, from the elegantly crafted settings to the understated yet commanding characters, and I would easily and happily watch any of these were they developed into a movie.

[Chris Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always discovering Dashiell Hammett.

This collection of Hammett's little-known and (some) previously unpublished stories, sketches, and movie treatments showed another facet of the hard-boiled detective novelist. His portrayals of men and women in different situations, each reacting and interacting with others in various ways, reveal the author's deep understanding of human nature - as true now as in the 1920s and 30s.

Hammett is an inspiration to me as a writer, and one of my favorites as a reader.

[Gloria Feit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of mostly previously unpublished stories found in various sources shows Dashiell Hammett as a versatile and gifted writer of more than just crime stories. It spans from the early twenties through various phases of his life and is grouped in four subject categories: Crime, of course; Men, Men and Women; and, Screen stories. It includes 17 short stories and three screen stories.

In an appendix, the beginning of a Sam Spade story or novel is included by special arrangement with a private collector, along with unedited fragments Hammett left behind. This material, of course, is probably of interest only to specialists, but the rest should warrant reading by those who remember him as only the author of “The Maltese Falcon” and gain a better perspective of Hammett, and it is recommended.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't "read" a lot of his work, instead I watched and loved the movies his stories became. This final body of work would be better appreciated by a Hammett enthusiast. Which I kind of am, all that he stood for and went thru and that incredible romance with Lillian Hellman. I think I'll stick with reading his main stream books.

Still, I'd recommend this for those who love this time period...it is a treasure.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like leftovers – orts – and I do, then you’ll enjoy this collection of stories and film treatments and fragments, by Dashiell Hammett, many never published before. For the diehard fan, this is a must; for the casual reader, you will find everything you might have in your fridge, including whatever that is in the back of the shelf.

[Fred Grogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unpublished and/or unproduced stories from Hammett, some early, some later. A couple I have seen elsewhere, like "The Diamond Wager". But these are mostly unseen and surprisingly short experimental stories. And most are surprisingly good.
Hammett seemed to like to plumb esoteric knowledge at times, example being the story "Magic" with plenty of references to real and fabricated occult names and notions. The Diamond story mentioned above is one of his sophisticated tales, Parisian boulevards and footmen falling over one another being necessary elements for the story to progress.
Aside from these oddities there are some really great examinations of human motives and foibles told in just a few pages. This collection of rejected or surplus work demonstrates his seemingly unending talent. It is a shame that for unknown reasons he stopped drawing on that talent to share with the rest of us.

[John Peel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dashiell Hammett is best known for his five crime novels, but he wrote a lot of other stories of varying quality, and "varying quality" pretty much describes this collection. Some were never published (and it's easy to see why), and others were simply never collected and reprinted before. On the whole, these tales are pretty average; if you're hoping for something like "The Thin Man" or "The Maltese Falcon" (and I was), then you're likely to be disappointed. There's nothing in this book that's terribly thrilling. But it's Hammett, so it's always at least readable.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much non-essential but it is worth the time for the first section of stories and some commentary which has a few good nuggets on Hammett, which is always appreciated. The type of stories after the first section are not really plot driven so it was odd reading them not knowing what to expect. I read the "Men" section and stopped. I do like his writing style and that makes it worth the meager return for the stores in the "Men" section at least(though I do recommend the An Inch and a Half of Glory-Faith was terrible on the other hand).

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Maltese Falcon fan to the point, I studied to capture the noir feel in my own mystery series I had to read these unpublished or unanthologies stories. As with any anthology some are good and some it can be clear why they were not published before. Still, I love the style and enjoyed the text as whole. It is a must read for all Hammett fans. I would not read it first as an introduction to his work. Start with Falcon and you’ll appreciate this text better. This is a chance to see a verity of Hammett’s work some of it not his usual fair.

[Dick Darden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant surprise. I went in expecting a bunch of noir detective short stories. While there were enough of these types of stories sprinkled throughout to satisfy my cravings, there were plenty of stories outside the usual “Hammett realm.” It was interesting to see him step out of the usual detective stuff, and I liked what I found. There’s still a dark and seedy feel to the worlds he creates in these stories, detective tales or not. Definitely worth the read if you’re at all a Hammett fan

[Rita Gorra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was refreshing to see how a writer starts then fills out his stories. I am a long time fan and perhaps when I was younger, would have been frustrated with no resolution or continuity to some of the stories.
BUT, this was explained at the front and at each introduction, so I was not surprised.

I did like the stories that were more like the 'Sam Spade' type, than the rather sad and pathetic type. Realistic, though.

All in all, a good read.

[Gwen - Chew & Digest Books - · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the introductions to some of the stories and like most, I'd never read them before so thank you to his granddaughter, Julie M. Rivett and biographer/scholar Richard Layman. While the stories were typically Hammett, the introduction gave me so much insight because *she says in a really low guilty voice* I haven't read any bios of him yet.

At least, now I know which one I will be reading!

[Daniel Barlekamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting exploration of Hammett's experiments with forms and genres other than those of the hard-boiled detectives for which he is so well known. The editors' notes were helpful in navigating the different forms and subject matters Hammett explored, but like so many other writers he returned to what he knew best when he had to put food on the table. I particularly enjoyed the "screen treatments" he wrote in an effort to interest Hollywood in movie scripts.

[Jack Harvey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of mostly unpublished shorts, none of which feature the Continental Op or Sam Spade*, Hammett's most famous creations. Interesting to see his writing outside of the hard-boiled crime genre that he pretty much created, but it does not match up to those classics. For completists only.
* not technically true, there are the opening pages of an incomplete Sam Spade.

[Randolph Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard-boiled Detectives and more in this Book.

The book of short stories was very enjoyable. I think that the last three incomplete stories shouldn’t have been included. The explanation given for including them was absurd because the author writes Pulp fiction which is enjoyable but not to be studied like it’s a classic art form.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this book's introduction states, these are stories, some unpublished, that are early pieces that don't fall into the same category as his best-known stories. Some were written to pay bills, so to stretch his boundaries or to break into a bigger market. A little uneven, but generally worth reading.

[Jack Goodstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are times when an author is best served by not publishing his lesser work. Although there are exceptions, most of the work in this volume adds little to Hammett's reputation. Also the editorial commentary could be more illuminating.

[Michael Hoskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

You've read the best, now read the rest!

I'm very happy this book exists. What a gift to Hammett fans! However, there's a reason these works weren't very visible previously- they're not exceptional. It's very much a work made for completists,

[Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a bad read. The quality of the stories vary. At times it shows hints of John Cheever and even Jorge Luis Borges at a stretch. A good insight also into his lesser known, less polished and clearly still unfinished work.

[Weldon Burge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Hammett's novels, but this collection of his previously unpublished stories did nothing for me. If you're into character studies and love Hammett's skillful use of phrase and dialogue, you might enjoy it. But I found most of the stories boring--actually, lacking "story," in my opinion.

[Ed Sarna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a number of unpublished and/or uncollected short stories and film treatments by Dashiell Hammett. Many of these Stories are not the typical Hammett 'Gumshoe' or 'Mystery' stories we are accustomed to. A thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening book. I highly recommend it.

[Ace McGee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good essays & arguments for the inclusion of this collection with other Hammett favorites by his granddaughter who is also a Hammett Scholar.

Most interesting was a couple of very concise unsold movie scripts in their entirety.

[Carlton Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The noir era is a cool era.

[Morgan McGuire · Rating 2 out of 5]

These stories aren't lesser-known and hard to find because someone was trying to keep the good stuff from you.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 stars