El Flaco . Detective novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett .
Synopsis
It is one of the stories by Dashiell Hammett that best fits the patterns of the detective genre, Nick Charles, a transcript of the usual type of cynical, harsh and violent policeman, has to face a mysterious crime in which several suspects, contradictory indications converge and red herrings leading to a surprising ending.
Nick Charles, a former professional detective, is unexpectedly forced to investigate the strange disappearance of scientist Clyde Wynant, whose secretary Julia Wolf has been murdered. His work is difficult, the facts appear disfigured within the labyrinthine world that he has to face, and in which violence and corruption are two fundamental characteristics that portray the fierce North America of the twenties to the thirties.
Author details
Samuel Dashiell Hammett, born in St Marys County, (Maryland) ( 1894 – 1961 ), was an American writer of crime fiction, short stories and screenplays, as well as a political activist. Among the most memorable characters he created are The Maltese Falcon , the detective couple Nick and Nora Charles The Slender Man, and the Continental Red Harvest agent . He also wrote under the pseudonyms Peter Collinson, Daghull Hammett, Samuel Dashiell, and Mary Jane Hammett.