Elmer Kline

A day in the life of a young Manhattanite who is in love with his mother, gives birth to $1890 from his hip, and kills indiscriminately.

A young woman arrives in New York to visit a friend and lands in one hot spot after another as she fends off the perverted advances from every man she meets.

Dashiell Hammett se sert de son expérience d'ancien détective dans ses romans. Jimmy Ryan, un ex-collègue, lui reprochant de l'utiliser comme modèle dans ses ouvrages, le lance a la recherche d'une jeune Asiatique, mystérieusement disparue dans le quartier chinois de San Francisco.