[book is in pretty rough shape, the spine severely turned, front hinge cracked, rear hinge weak, general wear and moderate soiling to the page edges; the jacket is a bit beat-up as well, with the bottom third of the spine torn in several directions (but with surprisingly little paper loss), one closed tear and associated crease at top of front panel, edgewear, etc., but still reasonably presentable]. (A Gargoyle Mystery) Series Brackett's first novel, a hard-boiled detective yarn set in Los Angeles. The book so impressed director Howard Hawks, who was then working (with William Faulkner) on the screenplay for "The Big Sleep," that he recruited Brackett -- thinking she was a man -- to join the creative team. Brackett ultimately collaborated with Hawks on four more films, including the wonderful "Rio Bravo" and the director's last film, "Rio Lobo." Reprinted many times, but quite difficult to find in the first edition, especially jacketed. [This book is featured in ReadInk's Catalog #2, "Skirts, in Jackets," available upon request.]

Hard-boiled First Novel Detective Fiction Los Angeles