A Homicide for Hannah

Book Description

New York: Knopf, 1941. First Edition. 4” x 3” note taped to the front free endpaper with “born 1909 - this is his first book (he was 32).” in pencil. Very good plus copy with a touch of use to the cloth and minor darkening to the endpapers in a used and worn dust jacket with some spotting and fading to the spine, a few chips and tears, and tape repairs. A murder mystery set in Hollywood during the Christmas holidays. This detective novel features an appearance of the character Hannah Van Doren, the first female hardboiled detective in American literature. As Babcock depicts her: “You wouldn’t guess it from looking at her - because she had the face of an angel - but Hannah Van Doren thrived on murder.” The timing of Ms. Van Doren’s debut on the literary scene is interesting, as it comes at the beginning of World War II when many women were assuming the professional roles that had been left behind by the departed soldiers.

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