After reading The Glass Key, I couldn’t help but relate the novel to the film Chinatown (1974). Both involve a corrupt power pulling strings in the background while a lowly detective keeps snooping around. In both instances we aren’t really aware of what the main character is thinking. Jake Gittes, the main character in Chinatown, is not given a voiceover much like Ned. This is hardly a profound discovery as both are in the same genre. When reading The Glass Key, what struck me was that Taylor Henry’s dead body was found on China Street. When writing Chinatown, Robert Towne obviously knew his noir.
What separates the two works is that Key takes place on the East Coast (NY area) and Chinatown on the West Coast (LA).
The only thing left in my mind is why are the Chinese the source of so much corruption? Why China Street/Chinatown?