The Glass KeyThe Glass Key
Score Classic
What it's about
Gambler Ned Beaumont, best friend and adviser to crooked political boss Paul Madvig, finds the body of the son of the senator Madvig is backing for reelection, and sets out to clear his friend as a gang war brews.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's often counted with The Maltese Falcon as Hammett's finest.
You'll love it if you liked
The Maltese Falcon
Red Harvest
The Big SleepGood to know
It's a classic hard-boiled crime novel.
By the numbers
- Readers36 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller6 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #484 of the 623 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #780 of the 924 classics we rank
- #2500 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by Dashiell Hammett
Red HarvestThe Maltese Falcon
The Thin ManIf you like this, read next
The Godfather
Rebecca
Crime and Punishment
The Pillars of the Earth
In Cold Blood
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Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Classic booksTop 25 · 924 ranked
Books of the 1930sTop 25 · 59 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is The Glass Key worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,500 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Glass Key about?
Gambler Ned Beaumont, best friend and adviser to crooked political boss Paul Madvig, finds the body of the son of the senator Madvig is backing for reelection, and sets out to clear his friend as a gang war brews.
How long does it take to read The Glass Key?
About 5 hours (212 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Glass Key?
If you liked it, try The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett or The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler.