The religious cult (as in "The Dain Curse") is very much a
part of 1920s-30s America, especially in California where
Aimee Simple McPherson rock and rolled. It's almost a staple
of the hardboiled literature of the era. Relying on memory
alone, I can think of Richard Hallas' "You Play The Black and
the Red Comes Up," Jonathan Lattimer's "Solomon's Vineyards,"
and even Dick Tracy and Yogi Yamma. Without doing a little
research, I can't say if Hammett was the first to send his
private eye into cult headquarters, but he was probably among
the first.
Not incidentally, the concept of cult is still very much
alive and well on the West Coast, as any number of prominent
actors and actresses continue to proudly proclaim.
Speaking of Tracy, has there been a discussion on this list
of hardboiled comics? I can't think of any novel as tough as
a Tracy panel with bullet-sized pieces of a villain's brain
blowing out the back of his head. Well, maybe "Fast
One."
Dick Lochte
> From: "brooks hefner" <
brookshefner@hotmail.com>
> as far as the cult goes, that seems like it's more
out of some kind
> of 19th century gothic english novel. maybe it's
hammett's
> radical, rational critique of religion--i.e. it's
all one elaborate hoax?
other than that,
> however, temples and sacrifices just seem a bit odd
in the world of the
Op.
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