Red Harvest

The title of Dashiell Hammett's first novel, Red Harvest, refers to the blood spilled throughout its pages. The writer drew from his experiences as a Pinkerton detective in his stories, which broke new ground in frankness and violence. A reader from the vantage point of nearly a century since Red Harvest's publication would do well to consider a few extenuating circumstances before judging it too harshly. Since it was originally written as a serial, the chapters have a self-contained aspect that impedes the flow of the novel. Also, the startling originality of Hammett's effort has faded with the years and the explosion of copycats in the genre. The best way to read Red Harvest is probably to imagine yourself in 1929 and encountering it for what it is: a new form of expression. On those terms, it is an undoubted masterpiece.