Nightmare Town

In the short story collection "Nightmare City," Dashiell Hammett—one of the founders of the so-called tough, or hard-boiled, detective genre—shows us a world where people are forced to face countless threats and deadly dangers. Whether they try to fight injustice or simply do their best to survive the harsh reality around them, they are all portrayed with the unique Hammett’s mastery of creating sharp characters and frank dialogue. At one time Hammett said his goal was to raise detective fiction to the level of art.

The audio version of the stories included in this collection clearly illustrates Hammett’s success in this difficult endeavor.