As an attempt to do something "lighter" for the summer, my book club is reading a crime novel. The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett was considered, but we decided not to do this one. I read it anyway.
It starts off running. There is no introduction to speak of -- I felt like I was starting in the middle of a book. Part of the point seems to figure out who is who, and what they are up to. It soon becomes clear that the main character, Ned Beaumont, is a gambler, friend, and a kind of unofficial assistant and advisor to Paul Madvig. Madvig is high up in the political structure of the unnamed city. It's never mentioned explicitly, but I had the impression that he's the mayor. (Is he?)
When there's a murder, the evidence begins to point to Madvig as the killer. Is it just the opposition-controlled newspaper planting false leads, or is there something to these claims? In this bleak picture of city politics, Beaumont slides between the political establishment and the criminal underworld (with the division between the two quite blurred at times) trying to aid his boss and come to the truth behind the killing.
Overall, while not exactly a bad read, I hesitate to recommend it. I'm not a big fan of crime novels. I would recommend it to people who are fans of the genre, or those who are interested in the history of the genre (which the book flap says that Hammett basically invented). For others, you can probably find a book you would enjoy better. Two stars out of five.
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