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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

Ebenezer Gryce

Gender: Male

Gryce was a New York detective and an older man when he was introduced in 1878. A.K. Green’s last book about him did not appear until 1917. He is a kind, somewhat rotund, arthritic bachelor who evades eye contact with the persons he interrogates. However, his friendly demeanour and his empathy with “ordinary people” makes him a successful detective.

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