The Hunter and Other Stories

The Hunter and Other Storiesis a unique literary publication from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, Dashiell Hammett. This volume includes new Hammett stories gleaned from his personal archives along with screen treatments long buried in film-industry files, screen stories, unpublished and rarely published fiction, and intriguing unfinished narratives.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-a-half stories, which explore failed romance, courage in the face of conflict, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism, show him in a different light.Featuring the title story, about a dogged PI unwilling to let go of a seemingly trivial case, the collection also includes two full-length screen treatments. On the Make is the basis for the rarely seen 1935 filmMister Dynamite, about a corrupt detective who never misses an opportunity to take advantage of his clients rather than help them. The Kiss-Off is the basis forCity Streets(1931), in which Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sydney are caught in a romance complicated by racketeering's obligations and temptations. Like the screen stories fromReturn of the Thin Man, the stories here read as novellas-rich in both story and character-that no Hammett fan should do without.