The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
"The Glass Key" is a novel by Dashiell Hammett, first published in 1930, that encompasses themes of betrayal, corruption, and the complex interplay between loyalty and morality in the world of organized crime. The story follows Ned Beaumont, a political operative, who becomes embroiled in the investigation of the murder of Taylor Henry, the son of a senator. As Beaumont navigates the treacherous landscape of political intrigue and criminal underworld, he seeks to retrieve a substantial debt from a missing gambler, Bernie Despain, while also trying to uncover the truth behind Henry's death.
Beaumont's pursuit leads him to confront various characters, including Paul Madvig, a powerful political boss, and Shad O'Rory, a gangster, unveiling a web of deceit and violence. The narrative is marked by a series of moral ambiguities as characters grapple with their actions and loyalties, raising questions about justice and accountability. Hammett's work is notable for its hard-boiled style and psychological depth, illustrating the dark realities of life in a corrupt society. The novel is a critical example of the detective genre, showcasing the intricate dynamics of power, love, and revenge within a gritty and often unforgiving setting.
On this Page
The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
First published: serial, 1930; book, 1931
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Detective and mystery
Time of plot: 1930’s
Locale: New York City area
Principal characters
Ned Beaumont , a gambler and amateur detectivePaul Madvig , his friend and the city’s political bossSenator Henry , Madvig’s candidate for reelectionJanet Henry , his daughterShad O’Rory , Madvig’s rivalOpal Madvig , Madvig’s daughterBernie Despain , a gambler who owes Ned money
The Story:
Ned Beaumont reports to his friend, Paul Madvig, the political boss of a town in the New York City area, that he has found the dead body of Taylor Henry, the son of Senator Henry, Madvig’s candidate for reelection. When Madvig fails to show much interest, Ned tells his story to the police. The next day, he goes to Bernie Despain to collect $3,250 that he had won betting on a horse race. He finds that Bernie has vanished, leaving behind IOUs made out by Taylor Henry to the worth of $1,200. Ned asks to be appointed special investigator in the district attorney’s office so that he can work on the Taylor Henry case. What he really wants to do is to find Bernie and get his money.
His first step is to get the help of Madvig’s daughter, Opal, who had been meeting Taylor secretly. Ned did not find a hat on Taylor the night of the murder. Opal gave him one from the room she and Taylor had rented. Then Ned goes to a speakeasy in New York that Bernie frequented. Bernie comes in accompanied by a burly bodyguard who, when Ned demands his money, strikes Ned a terrific blow. With the help of Jack Rumsen, a private detective, Ned trails Bernie from the hotel where he is staying to a brownstone house on Forty-ninth Street. There he tells Bernie that he planted Taylor’s hat behind a sofa cushion in Bernie’s hotel room and will leave it there for the police to find if Bernie does not pay him what he owes him. Bernie pays.
Back in town, Ned goes to see Farr, the district attorney, who shows him an envelope enclosing paper on which are typed three questions that implicate Madvig in Taylor’s murder. Meanwhile, Madvig has decided to have the police close down several speakeasies belonging to gangster and ward boss Shad O’Rory. O’Rory has reopened the Dog House, and when Ned goes there for information, O’Rory has him tortured for several days. Ned finally escapes and is taken to a hospital.
There he has many callers, including Madvig and Taylor’s sister, Janet Henry. Opal Madvig goes to tell Ned she is sure her father killed Taylor. Ned assures her that he does not believe Madvig committed the murder. Partly recovered, he leaves the hospital against orders.
Shortly afterward, Ned and Madvig dine with Senator Henry and his daughter Janet. Ned makes Janet admit that she secretly hates Madvig, who is in love with her. Ned goes to see Madvig and tells him that even his henchmen are beginning to betray him because they think he committed the murder. Madvig admits that Taylor followed him out of the Henry house that night, that they quarreled, and that he killed Taylor with a brown, knobby cane that Taylor had been carrying. Madvig claims he then carried the cane away under his coat and burned it. When Ned later asks Janet to look for the cane, she tells him it is with others in the hall of their home. She also tells him of a dream in which she and Ned find a house with a banquet spread inside; they unlock the door and let out a great many snakes before they can go in to enjoy the food.
Ned goes to Farr’s office and signs an affidavit account of Madvig’s confession. Then he goes to a bar where he finds Jeff, O’Rory’s bodyguard. In a private room upstairs, he accuses Jeff of being involved in a killing planned by O’Rory. O’Rory walks in on them, and in the ensuing quarrel, Jeff strangles O’Rory. Ned has a waiter call the police to the scene.
Ned goes to the Madvig home, where Madvig’s mother says that her son is nowhere to be found and that Opal has unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide. The next morning, Ned goes to Senator Henry’s house and tells the senator that Madvig has confessed. It is all Janet and Ned can do to keep the senator from rushing out to kill Madvig. The senator asks Janet to leave him alone with Ned. Ned tells him that Janet hates Madvig. The senator insists he is not going to permit the murderer of his son to go unpunished. Then Ned accuses Senator Henry of killing Taylor, of wanting to kill Madvig so that he will not testify against him, and of caring more for his own reelection than for the life of his son. The senator confesses that he interfered in a street quarrel between Taylor and Madvig and asked the political boss to leave him with his son. Madvig did so after giving him the cane that Madvig had taken away from Taylor. The senator, angry with his son for the quarrel he had forced on Madvig, angrily struck Taylor with the cane and killed him. He then carried home the cane. After hearing the old man’s confession, Ned refuses to leave him alone because he fears he will kill himself before the police arrive.
The next day, Janet begs Ned to let her go with him to New York. She says the key to the house in her dream was of glass and shattered just as they opened the door because they had to force the lock. When Madvig comes in, he learns that he has lost Janet and that she is going away with Ned.
Bibliography
Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Richard Layman. Hardboiled Mystery Writers: Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ross MacDonald. New York: Carroll and Graf, 2002. A handy supplemental reference that includes interviews, letters, and previously published studies. Illustrated.
Dooley, Dennis. Dashiell Hammett. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1984. A basic survey of Hammett’s work and life specifically aimed at the general reader, as well as discussions of the five novels. Dooley considers The Glass Key less intense and suspenseful than the earlier novels.
Gale, Robert L. A Dashiell Hammett Companion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2000. An encyclopedia devoted to Hammett, featuring a chronology of the major events in his life and alphabetically arranged entries about his works, characters, family, and acquaintances. Includes bibliographical references and an index.
Gregory, Sinda. Private Investigations: The Novels of Dashiell Hammett. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1985. A full-length study of the five major novels. Chapter 5, “The Glass Key: A Psychological Detective Novel,” argues that the work is an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to move beyond the genre of the detective novel into the realm of the serious psychological novel.
Layman, Richard. Shadow Man: The Life of Dashiell Hammett. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981. An objective, readable, and carefully researched and documented biography. Provides valuable historical and biographical context for The Glass Key.
Marling, William. Dashiell Hammett. Boston: Twayne, 1983. A concise introductory survey specifically aimed at the general reader. The brief discussion of The Glass Key focuses on the relationship of the three main characters.
Mellen, Joan. Hellman and Hammett: The Legendary Passion of Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Although primarily a biographical study of the relationship of the two writers, this scrupulously researched work provides insight into the backgrounds of Hammett’s fiction. Includes detailed notes and bibliography.
Metress, Christopher, ed. The Critical Response to Dashiell Hammett. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994. Includes an introduction, which surveys the history of Hammett criticism, as well as excerpts from reviews, commentaries, and critical discussions of his novels. The section on The Glass Key includes a revised version of a complete essay on the novel by Jon Thompson.
Nyman, Jopi. Hard-Boiled Fiction and Dark Romanticism. New York: Peter Lang, 1998. Examines the fiction of James M. Cain, Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, and Horace McCoy. Nyman maintains that the romanticism and pathos in these authors’ work reflect their nostalgia for a lost world of individualism and true manhood.