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Portrait image of Dashiell Hammett Photo: AP / TT

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Hammett, Dashiell

American detective writer, born in St. Mary's County in Maryland. He grew up in Baltimore where his family moved when he was seven years old. Dashiell Hammett dropped out of school when thirteen and got on with odd jobs before ending up a private detective at Pinkertons. He worked as a detective primarily in San Francisco and then used his experiences in his novels. During the First World War,...

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Literary figures

Kommissarie Battle

Gender: Male

Strong and stubborn Scot, works for Scotland Yard where his speciality is solving politically sensitive cases. In his private life, he is married and the father of five children. He only believes in pure facts: he can say, for example: ‘We never know as much as we would like to know’ and ‘Don’t reveal any emotions’. He is the main character in four novels by Agatha Christie, and he cooperates with...

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