I don't particularly think Hammett was evolving towards anything in particular. He was fully formed as a writer by the time he wrote Red Harvest.
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Well, from what I see, any writer is either evolving or repeating themselves. Hammett didn't repeat himself. I doubt very much that any artist of any type is ever "fully formed." Hammett, like Tolstoy, got some experience writing and then wrote a novel. Then he wrote a better one, and a better one. Experience and practice nearly always improve skill unless there are other factors undermining the work.
Patrick King
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