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The Dain Curse Audiobook

The Dain Curse Audiobook, by Dashiell Hammett Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Richard Ferrone Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 5.17 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.88 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: October 2011 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781609983932

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

23

Longest Chapter Length:

27:26 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

08:59 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

20:08 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

13

Other Audiobooks Written by Dashiell Hammett: > View All...

Publisher Description

The Continental Op is a short, squat, and utterly unsentimental tank of a private detective. Miss Gabrielle Dain Leggett is young, wealthy, and a devotee of morphine and religious cults. She has an unfortunate effect on the people around her: they have a habit of dying violently. Is Gabrielle the victim of a family curse? Or is the truth about her weirder and infinitely more dangerous? The Dain Curse is one of the Continental Op's most bizarre cases and a tautly crafted masterpiece of suspense.

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"Thank you, Hammett! There's now no longer any doubt in my mind that this man was a master of detective fiction. Gabrielle Leggett is an endearing character who originally I thought was just another femme fatale who has a strong taste for morphine and cults... but this is only on the surface. After about 70 pages I thought I had everything figured out and that this long and tangled crime thriller was simple and direct. not so. The Continental Op is a tough detective and no 'sentimental sap' he is a character who functions purely on logic and facts. Another quick fun read that bring you back to the 1920s and simpler but just as ruthless times."

— Chaz (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “Everything about the Leggett diamond heist indicated to the Continental Op that it was an inside job. From the stray diamond found in the yard to the eyewitness accounts of a ‘strange man’ casing the house, everything was just too pat. Gabrielle Dain-Leggett has enough secrets to fill a closet, and when she disappears shortly after the robbery, she becomes the Op’s prime suspect. But her father, Edgar Leggett, keeps some strange company himself and has a dark side the moon would envy. Before he can solve the riddle of the diamond theft, the Continental Op must first solve the mystery of this strange family.”

    — Amazon.com, editorial review
  • “Not just the first of the tough school of crime-writing but the best…Hammett saw the rotten underbelly and wanted others to see it.”

    — Times (London)
  • “Hammett’s heroes are not merely tough; they often confront violence with full knowledge of its inherently corrupting potential.”

    — The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English
  • “Cool, tough, and hard-boiled in attitude, [Hammett’s] works employ Hemingway’s mood and spare, realistic dialogue in the genre of the detective story.”

    — The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature
  • “There’s plenty of reason to suppose that Chandler wouldn’t have created Marlowe, Macdonald wouldn’t have created Archer, Nebel wouldn’t have created Donahue, etc., etc., etc., had Hammett not first created the Op.”

    — Jim Doherty
  • “The Op, the durable survivor, just goes about his hired business and underplays his hand before he applies the thumbscrews…unhampered by either imagination or fear.”

    — Kirkus Reviews
  • “In The Dain Curse the Op returns in a more melodramatic tale involving jewel theft, drugs, and a religious cult.”

    — Library Journal

The Dain Curse Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.2333333333333334 out of 53.2333333333333334 out of 53.2333333333333334 out of 53.2333333333333334 out of 53.2333333333333334 out of 5 (3.23)
5 Stars: 2
4 Stars: 10
3 Stars: 12
2 Stars: 5
1 Stars: 1
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This novel is very much three interconnected stories in one, which felt a little strange at times, but Hammett pulls it all together in the end. The reveal has a little of the feel of deus ex machina, but it does make sense in the context of the story. A fun read. "

    — Darusha, 2/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This one would make a good Quentin Tarantino or Oliver Stone movie. Lots of blood, dead bodies and double-crosses. And drug abuse. Everything they'd need. "

    — Jennifer, 2/16/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Liked this much better than Red Harvest. That was just senseless violence, this had much more of a mystery-type plot that was really fun. "

    — Dave, 2/8/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This book was written in 1929 so is not quite pc! A lot happens for a small book. Keeps you guessing to the end. "

    — Frances, 2/1/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Pretty mediocre. I think I need to read one of the more acclaimed Continental Op books, like Red Harvest. "

    — Joe, 1/26/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I wasn't as impressed as I'd hoped to be... the plot was inane "

    — Gregory, 1/22/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I think Dashiell Hammett made this novel into a type of literary impossible bottle. I admire his work, and generally followed the puzzled steps, but at the end just think he went a strata too deep. Don't get me wrong, I DO love Hammett and liked this book a lot. It just isn't in the same class as: Red Harvest, The Thin Man or The Maltese Falcon. "

    — Rob, 1/20/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I had to sleep with the lights on after reading this! "

    — Lisa, 1/14/2014
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " After eating up 'the Maltese Falcon' I was eager to try out some more of Hammett's work. I admittedly haven't finished this book, giving up at the halfway mark, as I found the inherent racism and first person perspective incredibly difficult to stomach. "

    — Sydney, 1/2/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Lots of fun, even spooky at some points. "

    — Steve, 12/16/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Awesome classic crime. Quick pace, good action, lots of blood. "

    — Colin, 12/15/2013

About Dashiell Hammett

Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He is widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time. In addition to The Maltese Falcon, his pioneering novels include Red Harvest, The Dain Curse, The Glass Key, and the #1 New York Times bestseller The Thin Man.

About Richard Ferrone

Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star."  He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.