Ellroy on Hammett

                       Detective work was a job. Writing was a job. The craft within both was The Manouevre. The workday Hammett stealth-walked through was one of laudanum-guzzling grifters and bent cops susceptible to night sweats and visions.
                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       The Manouevre was steeped in drudge work punctuated by brief bursts of action. Read files, tail, surveil. Write reports, proffer bribes, track down suspects and on occasion risk danger.
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       Take The Manouevre, exalt it's language and turn it into popular fiction.

The Poet of Collision
James Ellroy
The Guardian
Sept 2007