The Continental Op: The Complete Case Files

Dashiell Hammett

Sep 2016 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

The definitive collection of stories starring the Continental Op, Dashiell Hammett’s legendary private detective

In the early days of pulp periodicals, the gold standard of crime fiction was Black Mask magazine. And of all the cops, killers, and gumshoes who blasted through its pages, none was more influential than Dashiell Hammett’s nameless Continental Op. Stout and unglamorous, with a keen mind, professional determination, and a steady trigger finger, the Op was the toughest sleuth in San Francisco. Before Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, or Lew Archer, this infamous tough guy introduced the world to hardboiled private eyes and changed crime fiction forever.
 
Based on Hammett’s real-life experience as a private investigator, the Op introduced rough-hewn realism to mystery fiction. This remarkable volume includes all twenty-eight Continental Op short-story adventures in their original form, along with Hammett’s unfinished and never-before-published “Three Dimes.” It is a collection that no true fan of crime fiction should dare to live without.

Ratings and reviews

BOTTOM-LINE: Pretty pulpy. . PLOT OR PREMISE: A collection of short stories. . WHAT I LIKED: Stories include The Tenth Clew, The Golden Horseshoe, The House in Turk Street, The Girl with the Silver Eyes, The Whosis Kid, The Main Death, and the Farewell Murder. . WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Not well-developed and kind of campy. . DISCLOSURE: I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I was not personal friends with the author, nor did I follow him on social media.

About the author

Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) charted a gritty new direction for American crime fiction, crafting true-to-life stories as brash as they are exacting. In 1922, he began writing fiction based on his experience as a private detective, and he pioneered the tough-minded, action-heavy, realistic style that became known as hardboiled. Among his best-known works are Red Harvest (1929), The Maltese Falcon (1930), The Glass Key (1931), The Thin Man (1934), and the Collected Case Files of the Continental Op, most of which were published in Black Mask magazine.