Red Harvest

Listening to a well-read Dashiell Hammett novel is like hearing a movie for the ears. His fast-paced plots, crisp dialogue, and evocative descriptions translate well to audio. Narrator Richard Ferrone perfectly complements Hammett's hard-boiled style in this story of murder and civic corruption. Ferrone gives the main character, the Continental Op, just the right note of weariness and worldliness without making him a caricature. His voice has a kind of smoker's roughness that exactly suits the San Francisco detective. He also gives other characters distinctive voices, which gives additional life to the story. Ferrone's pacing is good, especially in his use of pauses to add drama. The novel was first published in 1929, a year before the more celebrated MALTESE FALCON. It isn't as intricately plotted as the better-known novel, but it's an enjoyable audio experience. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Starred review from September 26, 2011
An unnamed detective arrives in Personville (nicknamed “Poisonville” by its residents) too late to help his client, who lies shot dead in an alley. It doesn’t take the detective long to figure out that this murder is the least of Poisonville’s problems, and he decides to stay and clean up the nasty company town on his own. Despite this somewhat confusing story line, Richard Ferrone provides lucid and compelling narration and perfectly captures Hammett’s tough guy wit. His rendition of gangster Max “Whisper” Thaler is among the many highlights: he provides a voice that is clear but hoarse and totally lives up to the character’s name. Ferrone also gives Whisper’s girlfriend a classic bad dame voice that all but invites trouble, and provides corrupt police chief Noonan with a jovial Irish brogue that masks evil intentions. Although the tale is hopelessly convoluted and overpopulated, listeners will have great fun rooting for the unnamed detective to get out of town alive. A Vintage paperback.

Dufris's boldly interpretive performance in this Hammett classic is breathtaking. He all but disappears into Hammett's rich cavalcade of characters. Man, woman, cynic, lunatic, naif, scoundrel, each personality is utterly realized, full-blooded and idiosyncratic. With expert pacing and emphasis, Dufris also manages to convey their shifts of emotion. His reading becomes every bit as engrossing as the written words themselves. The novel follows the investigations of an audacious, but never named, detective as he sifts through the violence and corruption of a flinty mining town. The novel is peopled with fascinating figures brought vividly to life by a most imaginative reader. M.O. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine