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Portrait image of Dashiell Hammett Photo: AP / TT

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Hammett, Dashiell

American detective writer, born in St. Mary's County in Maryland. He grew up in Baltimore where his family moved when he was seven years old. Dashiell Hammett dropped out of school when thirteen and got on with odd jobs before ending up a private detective at Pinkertons. He worked as a detective primarily in San Francisco and then used his experiences in his novels. During the First World War,...

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Portrait of Martin Cruz Smith Photo: Peter Peitsch (2005) / www.peitschphoto.com

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Smith, Martin Cruz

Martin Cruz Smith, born Martin William Smith, is an American author of thrillers born in Reading, Pennsylvania. His father was a jazz musician and his mother a jazz singer. She was of Pueblo descent and was active in the Native American civil rights movement. The family moved homes several times during Smith’s youth, but he predominantly grew up in Philadelphia where he attended Germantown A...

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