The Dain Curse

The Dain Curse is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, first published in 1929.

Set largely in San Francisco, it follows an operative from the Continental Detective Agency as a seemingly simple jewel theft spirals into a tangle of family secrets, sudden deaths, and a rumored “curse” shadowing the wealthy Dain household.

The case widens to include drug addiction, a manipulative cult, and staged “miracles” designed to control and deceive. As the investigation peels back each layer, the operative confronts manufactured superstition used to mask crime and the corrosive effects of fear and guilt.

Written in Hammett’s lean, unsentimental style, the novel delivers relentless suspense and moral ambiguity. Structured as three interlocking episodes, it shows how myth, power, and corruption intersect—and how clear-eyed skepticism can cut through the darkest legends.

"It was a diamond all right, shining in the grass half a dozen feet from the blue brick walk. It was small, not more than a quarter of a carat in weight, and unmounted. I put it in my pocket and began searching the lawn as closely as I could without going at it on all fours."