The Glass Key

The Glass Key
Hammett’s The Glass Key blends hard-boiled crime with political intrigue. The novel follows Ned Beaumont, the savvy but morally ambivalent right-hand man to political boss Paul Madvig. Madvig controls a city through patronage and intimidation, but his grip slips when he falls for Janet Henry, the daughter of a reform candidate. After a senator is murdered and suspicion falls on Madvig, Ned works to protect his boss while secretly pursuing his own interests. Double-crosses, brutal beatings, and shifting alliances drive the plot as Ned plays rival gangsters, politicians, and police off one another to uncover the real killer. The title “glass key” symbolizes fragile trust: once broken, it cannot be mended. Through Ned’s ambiguous loyalty and Hammett’s clipped, unsentimental style, the book examines corruption, friendship, and the cost of power. It is widely regarded as one of Hammett’s most intricate and psychologically nuanced crime novels.