Dashiell Hammett was one of the pre-eminent American writers of the early 20th Century; arguably, he invented the hardboiled detective genre with such works as “The Maltese Falcon” and “The Continental Op.” “Woman in the Dark,” published in a magazine in 1933 and subsequently as a pulp paperback in the 1950s, is a novella about, well, a woman who appears out of the dark and messes up the life of Brazil, an ex-con trying to live his life. It’s slight, but showcases all of the hallmarks of this type of fiction: the mysterious, perhaps lethal, woman, the man on the run, the mob or mob-type bad guys and the cops, who might also be bad guys too. I found a hardcover edition published by Knopf in 1988 in a local free book box - a total fluke, meaning I have no idea if it’s findable in any way other than serendipity, but if you do come across it, you’ll have an enjoyable (if sexist) experience for half an hour or so; recommended! ( )

Gritty. ( )

A long lost novella by a master.. Hammett is one of my heroes, unfortunately this short work has little to recommend it beyond the novelty of a "lost" work. ( )

Enjoyable but extremely slight (76 pp.) late novel by Dashiell Hammett has his trademark style and hardboiled attitude, but this is really a novella, if that. More like a long short story. It revolves around a kept woman escaping from her tormentor and the tough ex-con who tries to rescue her. It's always good to read Hammett, but this is decidedly a lesser work on many scores. ( )

I picked it up because it was (Virginia) slim. The writing style is not what I am used to, and this was my first encounter with this author, so I was unprepared. Although many references were about a half century older than me, I was able to settle into the dialogue and setting, but the pace confused me a bit. To me, this read like a screenplay. Scenes cut and panned in ways that implied fervent actions, blunted emotion and shocking reveals. ( )