I love Hard-Boiled novels, so I was really looking forward to reading Dashiell Hammett. Right off the bat, it was clear his style was more raw and gritty than the likes of other great authors like Raymond Chandler. I really did enjoy this novel and am thankful to read a book by the father of Hard-Boiled. If you are new to this genre, I might suggest you try Raymond Chandler first, as his novels are more comical and the plots are less twisted. I will have to read some more from Dashiell Hammett.