Ellroy on Hammett

                 Detective work was a job. Writing was a job. The craft within both was The Manoeuvre. The workday Hammett stealth-walked through was one of laudanum-guzzling grifters and bent cops susceptible to night sweats and visions.

                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
            The Manoeuvre was steeped in drudge work punctuated by brief bursts of action. Read files, tail, surveill. Write reports, proffer bribes, track down suspects and on occasion risk danger.
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
           Take The Manoeuvre, exalt it's language and turn it into popular fiction.

The Poet of Collision
James Ellroy
The Guardian
Sept 2007