"Murder didn't mean much to Raven. It was just a new job." Thus begins This Gun for Hire, a novel originally published in 1936, the story of a professional killer and the first example of Graham Greene's fascination with the criminal mind and the villain-as-hero. The setting is Greenland in its darkest and seediest English aspect. The characters-- Raven, the repellent assassin; Anne, the woman who comes closest to knowing him; Mather, her detective fiancé; the ambiguous "agents," Cholmondeley and Davis, and the powerful man they work for-- all are etched precisely in portraits that are at once vivid and grim. The action, a suspenseful drama of murder, pursuit, threat, and entrapment, is riveting from first page to last. More than an "entertainment," and more than a detective thriller, This Gun for Hire is a harrowing exploration of the twisted and tortured psyche of the hardened criminal. [Taken from the front flap]

格雷厄姆•格林（Graham Greene，1904—1991）

21次诺贝尔文学奖提名的传奇大师。67年写作生涯，创作超过25部小说，被评为20世纪大师级作家。1950年，初次获得诺贝尔奖提名。1976年，获美国推理作家协会大师奖。1981年，获耶路撒冷文学奖。1986年，由英女王伊丽莎白二世授予功绩勋章。

格林一生游历于墨西哥、西非、南非、越南、古巴、中东等战乱之地，甚至任职于英国军情六处，从事间谍工作，并以此为背景创作小说，关注人灵魂深处的挣扎与救赎、内心的道德和精神斗争，被誉为20世纪人类意识和焦虑的卓越记录者。

至今，每年格林生日期间，在格林出生地——英国赫特福德郡，都会举办为期四天的格雷厄姆•格林国际艺术节，全球的格林粉丝齐聚这里参加纪念格林的活动。