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Arson Plus and Other Stories: Collected Case Files of the Continental Op: The Early Years, Volume 1
Introducing the Continental Op—legendary hardboiled sleuth—in the first of seven short-story collections featuring Dashiell Hammett’s infamous detective
The house is soaked with gasoline, and it takes only a spark for it to be engulfed in flames. As the ruins smolder, the case-hardened operative from the Continental Detective Agency is the one person determined to untangle the tough Who tossed the match and why? Was it an angry neighbor, a disgruntled servant, or the old man in the window who was seen giving one last look at the world before the fire consumed him? In the wreckage of the ruined house, the Continental Op will find that nothing burns hotter than greed.
“Arson Plus” is the story that introduced the world to the Continental Op, the nameless detective whom Dashiell Hammett described as “a little man going forward day after day through mud and blood and death and deceit—as callous and brutal and cynical as necessary” (William F. Nolan, Dashiell A Casebook). Born in the pages of Black Mask in 1923, the Continental Op is ageless, a hardworking hero as much for our time as he is for his own. Rediscover the early stories of the original hardboiled detective in the first volume of the Collected Case Files of the Continental Op, featuring “Arson Plus,” “Slippery Fingers,” and “Crooked Souls.”
The house is soaked with gasoline, and it takes only a spark for it to be engulfed in flames. As the ruins smolder, the case-hardened operative from the Continental Detective Agency is the one person determined to untangle the tough Who tossed the match and why? Was it an angry neighbor, a disgruntled servant, or the old man in the window who was seen giving one last look at the world before the fire consumed him? In the wreckage of the ruined house, the Continental Op will find that nothing burns hotter than greed.
“Arson Plus” is the story that introduced the world to the Continental Op, the nameless detective whom Dashiell Hammett described as “a little man going forward day after day through mud and blood and death and deceit—as callous and brutal and cynical as necessary” (William F. Nolan, Dashiell A Casebook). Born in the pages of Black Mask in 1923, the Continental Op is ageless, a hardworking hero as much for our time as he is for his own. Rediscover the early stories of the original hardboiled detective in the first volume of the Collected Case Files of the Continental Op, featuring “Arson Plus,” “Slippery Fingers,” and “Crooked Souls.”
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
About the author
Dashiell Hammett
751 books2,944 followersAlso wrote as Peter Collinson, Daghull Hammett, Samuel Dashiell, Mary Jane Hammett
Dashiell Hammett, an American, wrote highly acclaimed detective fiction, including The Maltese Falcon (1930) and The Thin Man (1934).
Samuel Dashiell Hammett authored hardboiled novels and short stories. He created Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse) among the enduring characters. In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time" and was called, in his obituary in the New York Times, "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashiell...
Dashiell Hammett, an American, wrote highly acclaimed detective fiction, including The Maltese Falcon (1930) and The Thin Man (1934).
Samuel Dashiell Hammett authored hardboiled novels and short stories. He created Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse) among the enduring characters. In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time" and was called, in his obituary in the New York Times, "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashiell...
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 22, 2021
More Dashiell Hammett?
Many months ago, well, maybe not so many, I read The Maltese Falcon. (Well, I attempted to).
I didn’t like the brashness of the protagonist. I felt he was a terrible misogynist. (Is there any other kind)?
Well, I guess I didn’t judge the book on the period in which it was written and so I wrote it off. Changing my mind, I decided to give the man another chance and I am glad l did.
I have some Continental Op books, on Kobo, which I have decided to read. And I am definitely pleased to say that I am enjoying them.
Written during the early 1920’s, the books give a great feeling of history. Not to mention a lot of confusing slang. (But I really love it, because it is so amusing).
Being short and fat, the Continental Op is in no way a sex symbol. But that’s okay, because a good mystery needs a good brain.
And a great brain is what we are given. Many of the puzzles in these stories have now become the standard tricks of the trade. Now, if you are like me, and you do a lot of reading, you may feel some familiarity.
So if I appear a bit distracted for the next few weeks, I have some reading to do.
Many months ago, well, maybe not so many, I read The Maltese Falcon. (Well, I attempted to).
I didn’t like the brashness of the protagonist. I felt he was a terrible misogynist. (Is there any other kind)?
Well, I guess I didn’t judge the book on the period in which it was written and so I wrote it off. Changing my mind, I decided to give the man another chance and I am glad l did.
I have some Continental Op books, on Kobo, which I have decided to read. And I am definitely pleased to say that I am enjoying them.
Written during the early 1920’s, the books give a great feeling of history. Not to mention a lot of confusing slang. (But I really love it, because it is so amusing).
Being short and fat, the Continental Op is in no way a sex symbol. But that’s okay, because a good mystery needs a good brain.
And a great brain is what we are given. Many of the puzzles in these stories have now become the standard tricks of the trade. Now, if you are like me, and you do a lot of reading, you may feel some familiarity.
So if I appear a bit distracted for the next few weeks, I have some reading to do.
August 23, 2016
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and MysteriousPress.com/Open Road in exchange for an honest review.
This is not my first book by this author, though I am unsure how many I’ve actually read. Nor do I think that this is the first book I’ve read that involved the Continental Op.
The book opens with a quite interesting little section on the author – like how Hammett had been a private detective for three years, was in the military, and was off and on suffering from an illness. Plus, he spent the last ten years of his life unable to publish – because of the ‘red scare’ of the 1950s, and died owing massive amounts of money to the government (said in the book to be due to ‘penalties’ connected to the government wishing to ‘punish’ him.)
Oh, and directly important to the stories/writing – Hammett, before he began his writing career, took a course in writing. Something like ‘private secretary’, or the like, which gave him instruction in journalistic style writing – so that his stories stand out in the ‘Black Mask’ universe as being straight forward, solid works, without a lot of the lurid over-sensationalization that the other works tended to include.
Enough of that, that’s go to the short stories.
Arson Plus
First off – I learned another thing I hadn’t known – Dashiell Hammett wrote his first bunch of stories using at least one alias (and this story here, along with ‘Slippery Fingers’ (there is no mention of which author name was used with the middle story – ‘Crooked Souls’) used the name Peter Collinson). Apparently Hammett had started off writing jokes and satire – sending them off (and getting them published) in something called ‘Smartset’. The publisher of that magazine redirected Hammett to the less high-brow ‘Black Mask’ and redirected his writing.
Second off – this is not Hammett’s first story, and I am uncertain if it is the first Continental Op story. I kind of assume it is since the point of the project is to publish all of the Continental Op stories in a series of short story collections. So why am I uncertain? Because the first two short stories in this collection have the same date. Both appeared in the October 1st 1923 edition of the ‘Black Mask’ magazine.
Arson Plus involves a story about a house that burned down out in the country near Sacramento. The Continental Op operates out of San Francisco, but he was called in on the case, I believe by the insurance companies – since the fire department suspect arson.
This is a rather good solid story. And, despite the very limited number of characters involved, one that I didn’t ‘figure out’ before the end. It’s also not a hard-boiled detective story. Which I kind of knew going in – that, while Hammett is known as being deeply connected to hard-boiled detective stories, the Continental Op stories are more straight forward detective stories. Involving a detective with a large agency behind him. Completely unlike such people like Philip Marlowe, and Sam Spade, and the like, who operated mostly on their own (likely after their partner had been killed), drank a lot, and talked about dames. There is no mention of dames (though there is a woman in this story, and she is eye-balled – more in a ‘I’m a middle aged detective, maybe if I were younger I’d have appreciated being made to wait for her to ‘pretty’ herself up, but I just wanted the facts’ kind of eye-balling).
I’d give this story a rating somewhere between 3.75 to 4.20, and, to make an overall rating easier later on, I’d peg this as a 3.90 story.
Crooked Souls
As mentioned, this Continental Op story also appeared in ‘Black Mask’ magazine, and on October 1st 1923.
The Continental Op has been called in on a kidnapping case. A big powerful man has had his daughter taken from him. And he wants her back. Though he doesn’t wish to pay the kidnappers.
Two things first off – (1) private detectives, as shown in these first two stories, have a great relationship with the local police; heck, they literally work together on cases – sometimes taking direction from the private detective; (2) showing the difference between these types of stories and those involving the hard-boiled private detectives of Marlowe and Spade type – the Continental Op has a large number of people working with and for him. Though this time the action actually takes place in San Francisco (one of the favorite haunts of hard-boiled detectives of the early years).
To add a third thing I should have already mentioned – I learned, through the various notes here and there, that Hammett hadn’t actually intended to leave the character unnamed, but an unnamed detective seemed to have worked in the two Continental Op stories he’d had published by the time of the letter mentioning this issue, and ‘he doesn’t deserve a name’. He’s just a place-holder for the type of detective he worked with – large, fat, competent, no nonsense.
Rounding back to this short story – I rather enjoyed this one. Quite riveting in places. Quite worthy of a rating up near 4.90 stars. And another story that I didn’t spot immediately how it would turn out (though, this time, I had an idea, and I wasn’t off the mark; it’s the side things I hadn’t picked up on).
Slippery Fingers
In this third Continental Op story, and the last in this collection, Hammett again uses the Peter Collinson name on the byline. This story appeared in ‘Black Mask’ on October 15th 1923.
A rich older man has died. The police have bloody fingerprints and several directions to look, but cannot determine the killer. The rich old man’s son calls in a private detective, in the form of the Continental Op.
There’s a note at the beginning of the story from the author. I’m not sure if that’s something that had been there before the story in the magazine, or not. I’ve read a large number of short story magazines in my time, so I know that type of thing – a note before the story, does have a tendency to occur. I mention that because there’s a comment about how ‘you’ll have the time of your life trying to solve this crime…’. Which is odd, because, of the three stories in this book, this one was the least difficult to decipher.
No matter. Strong story. There’s a neat little trick that occurs that I can’t mention without being spoiler-y; it’s not the first time I’ve seen that trick before, though I didn’t expect to see it in a story from 1923.
Overall, I’d rate this one something around 4.0.
Overall
The first story involved arson, the second involved a kidnapping, and the third involved murder. The stories have a similar feel (as in, it felt like all three were in the same character universe), while, at the same time, didn’t stick to just one ‘thing’ to investigate. The stories should solid investigative powers, were not formulistic, and were quite entertaining.
These are three competent good mysteries. Mixture of detection, and action. Each story has a certain amount of violence, and two have gun-play.
A few of the words and phrases were a little strange, but otherwise there isn’t anything in here that feels dated or unnatural. The only example I can recall at this exact moment, of strange words/phrases, is how often the Continental Op mentioned the machine. Meaning an automobile. I believe that term was used in all three stories. ‘He had left Wayton in his machine, arriving about ten-thirty…’, ‘We get a machine, and take a look at what’s left . . .’, ‘I got back in our machine and . . .’ ‘I get a machine from the nearest garage and . . .’. This is the first time I’ve ever seen ‘machine’ used in reference to an automobile. There was mention of a ‘fire wagon’ in the first story, but I’d seen/heard that phrase before.
The story could easily have been written today. And set back in 1920. Heh. I mean, there are a lot of face to face meetings that would have taken place by cell phone and the like, and some bouncing around that would have been easier to handle with cameras/cell phones, and the like.
An enjoyable collection of short stories, and informative ‘other’ stuff (intro/letters from Hammett in regards to the stories). Overall, let me see, 3.9, 4.9, and 4.0. This equates to an overall rating of 4.27.
May 16 2016
This is not my first book by this author, though I am unsure how many I’ve actually read. Nor do I think that this is the first book I’ve read that involved the Continental Op.
The book opens with a quite interesting little section on the author – like how Hammett had been a private detective for three years, was in the military, and was off and on suffering from an illness. Plus, he spent the last ten years of his life unable to publish – because of the ‘red scare’ of the 1950s, and died owing massive amounts of money to the government (said in the book to be due to ‘penalties’ connected to the government wishing to ‘punish’ him.)
Oh, and directly important to the stories/writing – Hammett, before he began his writing career, took a course in writing. Something like ‘private secretary’, or the like, which gave him instruction in journalistic style writing – so that his stories stand out in the ‘Black Mask’ universe as being straight forward, solid works, without a lot of the lurid over-sensationalization that the other works tended to include.
Enough of that, that’s go to the short stories.
Arson Plus
First off – I learned another thing I hadn’t known – Dashiell Hammett wrote his first bunch of stories using at least one alias (and this story here, along with ‘Slippery Fingers’ (there is no mention of which author name was used with the middle story – ‘Crooked Souls’) used the name Peter Collinson). Apparently Hammett had started off writing jokes and satire – sending them off (and getting them published) in something called ‘Smartset’. The publisher of that magazine redirected Hammett to the less high-brow ‘Black Mask’ and redirected his writing.
Second off – this is not Hammett’s first story, and I am uncertain if it is the first Continental Op story. I kind of assume it is since the point of the project is to publish all of the Continental Op stories in a series of short story collections. So why am I uncertain? Because the first two short stories in this collection have the same date. Both appeared in the October 1st 1923 edition of the ‘Black Mask’ magazine.
Arson Plus involves a story about a house that burned down out in the country near Sacramento. The Continental Op operates out of San Francisco, but he was called in on the case, I believe by the insurance companies – since the fire department suspect arson.
This is a rather good solid story. And, despite the very limited number of characters involved, one that I didn’t ‘figure out’ before the end. It’s also not a hard-boiled detective story. Which I kind of knew going in – that, while Hammett is known as being deeply connected to hard-boiled detective stories, the Continental Op stories are more straight forward detective stories. Involving a detective with a large agency behind him. Completely unlike such people like Philip Marlowe, and Sam Spade, and the like, who operated mostly on their own (likely after their partner had been killed), drank a lot, and talked about dames. There is no mention of dames (though there is a woman in this story, and she is eye-balled – more in a ‘I’m a middle aged detective, maybe if I were younger I’d have appreciated being made to wait for her to ‘pretty’ herself up, but I just wanted the facts’ kind of eye-balling).
I’d give this story a rating somewhere between 3.75 to 4.20, and, to make an overall rating easier later on, I’d peg this as a 3.90 story.
Crooked Souls
As mentioned, this Continental Op story also appeared in ‘Black Mask’ magazine, and on October 1st 1923.
The Continental Op has been called in on a kidnapping case. A big powerful man has had his daughter taken from him. And he wants her back. Though he doesn’t wish to pay the kidnappers.
Two things first off – (1) private detectives, as shown in these first two stories, have a great relationship with the local police; heck, they literally work together on cases – sometimes taking direction from the private detective; (2) showing the difference between these types of stories and those involving the hard-boiled private detectives of Marlowe and Spade type – the Continental Op has a large number of people working with and for him. Though this time the action actually takes place in San Francisco (one of the favorite haunts of hard-boiled detectives of the early years).
To add a third thing I should have already mentioned – I learned, through the various notes here and there, that Hammett hadn’t actually intended to leave the character unnamed, but an unnamed detective seemed to have worked in the two Continental Op stories he’d had published by the time of the letter mentioning this issue, and ‘he doesn’t deserve a name’. He’s just a place-holder for the type of detective he worked with – large, fat, competent, no nonsense.
Rounding back to this short story – I rather enjoyed this one. Quite riveting in places. Quite worthy of a rating up near 4.90 stars. And another story that I didn’t spot immediately how it would turn out (though, this time, I had an idea, and I wasn’t off the mark; it’s the side things I hadn’t picked up on).
Slippery Fingers
In this third Continental Op story, and the last in this collection, Hammett again uses the Peter Collinson name on the byline. This story appeared in ‘Black Mask’ on October 15th 1923.
A rich older man has died. The police have bloody fingerprints and several directions to look, but cannot determine the killer. The rich old man’s son calls in a private detective, in the form of the Continental Op.
There’s a note at the beginning of the story from the author. I’m not sure if that’s something that had been there before the story in the magazine, or not. I’ve read a large number of short story magazines in my time, so I know that type of thing – a note before the story, does have a tendency to occur. I mention that because there’s a comment about how ‘you’ll have the time of your life trying to solve this crime…’. Which is odd, because, of the three stories in this book, this one was the least difficult to decipher.
No matter. Strong story. There’s a neat little trick that occurs that I can’t mention without being spoiler-y; it’s not the first time I’ve seen that trick before, though I didn’t expect to see it in a story from 1923.
Overall, I’d rate this one something around 4.0.
Overall
The first story involved arson, the second involved a kidnapping, and the third involved murder. The stories have a similar feel (as in, it felt like all three were in the same character universe), while, at the same time, didn’t stick to just one ‘thing’ to investigate. The stories should solid investigative powers, were not formulistic, and were quite entertaining.
These are three competent good mysteries. Mixture of detection, and action. Each story has a certain amount of violence, and two have gun-play.
A few of the words and phrases were a little strange, but otherwise there isn’t anything in here that feels dated or unnatural. The only example I can recall at this exact moment, of strange words/phrases, is how often the Continental Op mentioned the machine. Meaning an automobile. I believe that term was used in all three stories. ‘He had left Wayton in his machine, arriving about ten-thirty…’, ‘We get a machine, and take a look at what’s left . . .’, ‘I got back in our machine and . . .’ ‘I get a machine from the nearest garage and . . .’. This is the first time I’ve ever seen ‘machine’ used in reference to an automobile. There was mention of a ‘fire wagon’ in the first story, but I’d seen/heard that phrase before.
The story could easily have been written today. And set back in 1920. Heh. I mean, there are a lot of face to face meetings that would have taken place by cell phone and the like, and some bouncing around that would have been easier to handle with cameras/cell phones, and the like.
An enjoyable collection of short stories, and informative ‘other’ stuff (intro/letters from Hammett in regards to the stories). Overall, let me see, 3.9, 4.9, and 4.0. This equates to an overall rating of 4.27.
May 16 2016
July 10, 2017
Very early Hammett from the pages of Black Mask magazine. This volume contains the first three of the Continental Op short stories. It will be interesting to see Hammett's growth as a writer in later volumes of this series.
September 10, 2016
I don’t think that Dashiell Hammett’s impact on the mystery genre can be understated, given that he created such classic novels (and films) as Red Harvest, The Glass Key, The Thin Man, and The Maltese Falcon. After he began submitting crime stories inspired by his own career as a Pinkerton agent to the Black Mask pulp, the magazine began to attract similar writers, and the hardboiled school of fiction was born. But most of Hammett’s earliest stories have not been easy to acquire, as many of Hammett’s earliest stories have never been reprinted… or haven’t been reprinted since the 1940s. (This was influenced in no small part by Hammett’s blacklisting, as McCarthy’s subcommittee declared him “un-American” for his membership in the Communist Party.) But in this new digital age, it’s becoming increasingly easier to republish older material: Open Road Media/MysteriousPress is releasing a series of 9 ebooks to collect all of Hammett’s Continental Op stories.
“Arson Plus” is one of Hammett’s earliest stories, and while the story is unmistakably Hammett’s—written in sharp, no-nonsense prose—I was surprised to find that it feels less like one of Hammet’s typical hardboiled tales and more like any other traditional detective story from the era, somewhat relaxed as the protagonist hunts for clues. The Continental Op is called in to investigate a house the burned down out in the countryside, suspected to be murder by arson; and so the Op methodically interviews all the witnesses/potential suspects one by one, working to unravel what really happened. It’s a solid story of investigative work, and the “a-ha!” ending is both a nice surprise and entirely plausible.
“Crooked Souls” comes a little closer to the Op you see in Red Harvest, having a bit more action and a faster pace, another step down the road in the creation of the hardboiled detective story. This time the Op is called in on a kidnapping case, where the daughter of a local industrial baron has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Her father—a strong, bullish man—wants her back, but refuses to pay the kidnappers. The Op, working with the local police, scramble to find the kidnapper while setting up a “sting” cash-exchange, which leads to a few riveting scenes when that plan doesn’t quite go as expected. I did find the “surprise” to be predictable—in that I predicted it—but still very much enjoyed the story. I’d say it’s my favorite of the three.
“Slippery Fingers” is a murder investigation, where an aging but wealthy man has been stabbed to death with a letter-opener knife. The police have several clues—bloody fingerprints, the murder weapon, and some minor suspects—but the trail is going cold after several days, and the Continental Detective Agency is called in. That’s when one of the victim’s old friend shows up, ready to point the Op in the direction of some possible suspects. This old friend is cleared via an alibi, and more importantly because the fingerprints don’t match… but Hammett has an interesting if unsurprising surprise to reveal. This is another solid story, again more of a traditional detective story though a bit punchier from some of its developments and sharp prose.
I find it fascinating to see Hammett’s early beginnings as a short-story writer, as just six years later his style—and the genre—would have evolved to produce the hardboiled classic Red Harvest. You can see many elements that would become staples of the hardboiled school of fiction, namely the writing style: simultaneously a toughened-up and trimmed-down version of Faulkner’s or Hemingway’s modernism. These stories owe much to the Golden Age detective tales that came before them, focusing more on investigation and clues than on self-destructive protagonists and femme fatales. They’re also pretty solid detective tales, and should appeal to classic mystery readers and Hammett fans alike.
Arson Plus is the first of nine volumes to collect every Continental Op short story; each volume contains three novellas pulled from the pages of Black Mask. While I’m thrilled to see the Op stories collected for the first time, at $7.99/100 pages I think these volumes are a bit pricey, though to be fair it’s still a lot cheaper than buying moldering old pulp issues.
“Arson Plus” is one of Hammett’s earliest stories, and while the story is unmistakably Hammett’s—written in sharp, no-nonsense prose—I was surprised to find that it feels less like one of Hammet’s typical hardboiled tales and more like any other traditional detective story from the era, somewhat relaxed as the protagonist hunts for clues. The Continental Op is called in to investigate a house the burned down out in the countryside, suspected to be murder by arson; and so the Op methodically interviews all the witnesses/potential suspects one by one, working to unravel what really happened. It’s a solid story of investigative work, and the “a-ha!” ending is both a nice surprise and entirely plausible.
“Crooked Souls” comes a little closer to the Op you see in Red Harvest, having a bit more action and a faster pace, another step down the road in the creation of the hardboiled detective story. This time the Op is called in on a kidnapping case, where the daughter of a local industrial baron has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Her father—a strong, bullish man—wants her back, but refuses to pay the kidnappers. The Op, working with the local police, scramble to find the kidnapper while setting up a “sting” cash-exchange, which leads to a few riveting scenes when that plan doesn’t quite go as expected. I did find the “surprise” to be predictable—in that I predicted it—but still very much enjoyed the story. I’d say it’s my favorite of the three.
“Slippery Fingers” is a murder investigation, where an aging but wealthy man has been stabbed to death with a letter-opener knife. The police have several clues—bloody fingerprints, the murder weapon, and some minor suspects—but the trail is going cold after several days, and the Continental Detective Agency is called in. That’s when one of the victim’s old friend shows up, ready to point the Op in the direction of some possible suspects. This old friend is cleared via an alibi, and more importantly because the fingerprints don’t match… but Hammett has an interesting if unsurprising surprise to reveal. This is another solid story, again more of a traditional detective story though a bit punchier from some of its developments and sharp prose.
I find it fascinating to see Hammett’s early beginnings as a short-story writer, as just six years later his style—and the genre—would have evolved to produce the hardboiled classic Red Harvest. You can see many elements that would become staples of the hardboiled school of fiction, namely the writing style: simultaneously a toughened-up and trimmed-down version of Faulkner’s or Hemingway’s modernism. These stories owe much to the Golden Age detective tales that came before them, focusing more on investigation and clues than on self-destructive protagonists and femme fatales. They’re also pretty solid detective tales, and should appeal to classic mystery readers and Hammett fans alike.
Arson Plus is the first of nine volumes to collect every Continental Op short story; each volume contains three novellas pulled from the pages of Black Mask. While I’m thrilled to see the Op stories collected for the first time, at $7.99/100 pages I think these volumes are a bit pricey, though to be fair it’s still a lot cheaper than buying moldering old pulp issues.
May 29, 2020
Enjoyable reading. Recommended.
April 10, 2017
And So It Begins
We all know "The Maltese Falcon" and Sam Spade, and we say DashiellHammettRaymondChandler as though it's just one long name. Maybe you remember bits about Hammett's life, Lillian Hellman, blacklisting, and so on. Like me, you probably knew that Hammett started, more or less, with his Continental Op detective stories for Black Mask. But, have you ever had a chance to read crisp, clean, well-formatted and nicely edited and annotated versions of those stories? Well, now you can.
This book consists of the first three Op stories - "Arson Plus", "Crooked Souls", and "Slippery Fingers". They are basically detective procedurals - restrained, tight, and dry in a just-the-facts-maam fashion. But, from story to story you can see Hammett developing and honing his craft, and laying the groundwork for what was to come. The upshot is that you get three perfectly fine mysteries, you get a fascinating trip back to the 1920's, (these are, after all and unintentionally, what would be called "historical fiction" if written now), and you get to see a masterly writer as a work in progress. That's a nice package.
But wait, as Ron Popeil would say, "[T]here's more!". This volume, (the first of a proposed nine volume set that will include all 28 Op stories), opens with an excellent foreword, (by editor Julie M. Rivett), that traces the convoluted publishing history of the Continental Op stories and provides an outline history of Hammett's later book successes. This is followed by "Introduction - The Early Years: 1923-1924", a brief publishing/writing Hammett bio by editor Richard Layman. Both of these articles are informative, entertaining, and worthwhile.
So, if you're a Hammett completist, if you're curious, or if you just like a solid procedural, this is a nice choice. (Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
We all know "The Maltese Falcon" and Sam Spade, and we say DashiellHammettRaymondChandler as though it's just one long name. Maybe you remember bits about Hammett's life, Lillian Hellman, blacklisting, and so on. Like me, you probably knew that Hammett started, more or less, with his Continental Op detective stories for Black Mask. But, have you ever had a chance to read crisp, clean, well-formatted and nicely edited and annotated versions of those stories? Well, now you can.
This book consists of the first three Op stories - "Arson Plus", "Crooked Souls", and "Slippery Fingers". They are basically detective procedurals - restrained, tight, and dry in a just-the-facts-maam fashion. But, from story to story you can see Hammett developing and honing his craft, and laying the groundwork for what was to come. The upshot is that you get three perfectly fine mysteries, you get a fascinating trip back to the 1920's, (these are, after all and unintentionally, what would be called "historical fiction" if written now), and you get to see a masterly writer as a work in progress. That's a nice package.
But wait, as Ron Popeil would say, "[T]here's more!". This volume, (the first of a proposed nine volume set that will include all 28 Op stories), opens with an excellent foreword, (by editor Julie M. Rivett), that traces the convoluted publishing history of the Continental Op stories and provides an outline history of Hammett's later book successes. This is followed by "Introduction - The Early Years: 1923-1924", a brief publishing/writing Hammett bio by editor Richard Layman. Both of these articles are informative, entertaining, and worthwhile.
So, if you're a Hammett completist, if you're curious, or if you just like a solid procedural, this is a nice choice. (Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
January 13, 2017
'Arson Plus and Other Stories: Collected Case Files of the Continental Op: The Early Years, Volume 1' by Dashiell Hammett is a book with three stories featuring the Continental Op.
Hammett was known for Sam Spade, but he started with these stories of a nameless detective and he wrote a bunch of them. His style of writing is economical and cinematic. The stories evoke a mood of someone trying to hide a crime and a relentless detective in pursuit of the answer. In 'Arson Plus', the first story featuring the Continental Op, a house has gone up in a fire, but what was the cause? There are plenty of suspects, to be sure.
'Crooked Souls' deals with a kidnapped heiress and 'Slippery Fingers' deals with a man found dead in his library. The money paid out of his account points to blackmail, but why?
I've been a Hammett fan for a long time, and it's great to see his work still in print. The Foreword and Introduction are interesting pieces on where these early work came from, and Hammett's inspiration for them (he worked for Pinkerton's National Detective Service for a while). There are only three stories here, but there are many other collections in the series. Check one out and enjoy a good mystery or three.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Mysterious Press.com, Open Road, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Hammett was known for Sam Spade, but he started with these stories of a nameless detective and he wrote a bunch of them. His style of writing is economical and cinematic. The stories evoke a mood of someone trying to hide a crime and a relentless detective in pursuit of the answer. In 'Arson Plus', the first story featuring the Continental Op, a house has gone up in a fire, but what was the cause? There are plenty of suspects, to be sure.
'Crooked Souls' deals with a kidnapped heiress and 'Slippery Fingers' deals with a man found dead in his library. The money paid out of his account points to blackmail, but why?
I've been a Hammett fan for a long time, and it's great to see his work still in print. The Foreword and Introduction are interesting pieces on where these early work came from, and Hammett's inspiration for them (he worked for Pinkerton's National Detective Service for a while). There are only three stories here, but there are many other collections in the series. Check one out and enjoy a good mystery or three.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Mysterious Press.com, Open Road, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
June 5, 2016
I received this ebook from NetGalley.
An excellent little volume including three of Hammett's early Continental Op stories that appeared in Black Mask magazine, along with some correspondence between Hammett and his editor that lends a little bit of insight into the author's personality. The prose is spare and straightforward, setting the style of hard-boiled detective stories (not just fiction) for decades to come. These early entries, from a time just before the Roaring Twenties gave way to the Great Depression, catch the steady growth of San Francisco from a keen viewpoint. As the early model for Sam Spade and Nick Charles, the Continental Op maintained his apparent (though not entirely convincing) emotional detachment while finding satisfaction in a job well done, catching crooks even if it means taking a beating along the way. These are smart, quick, and entertaining stories, and I'm looking forward to reading the other volumes in this release of the Continental Op collection.
An excellent little volume including three of Hammett's early Continental Op stories that appeared in Black Mask magazine, along with some correspondence between Hammett and his editor that lends a little bit of insight into the author's personality. The prose is spare and straightforward, setting the style of hard-boiled detective stories (not just fiction) for decades to come. These early entries, from a time just before the Roaring Twenties gave way to the Great Depression, catch the steady growth of San Francisco from a keen viewpoint. As the early model for Sam Spade and Nick Charles, the Continental Op maintained his apparent (though not entirely convincing) emotional detachment while finding satisfaction in a job well done, catching crooks even if it means taking a beating along the way. These are smart, quick, and entertaining stories, and I'm looking forward to reading the other volumes in this release of the Continental Op collection.
October 31, 2018
Mysterious Press has republished Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op short stories in a 8 volume set. Those stories were originally published in Black Mask pulp magazine between 1923 to 1930. Arson Plus is the first book in the republished series. This book has only three stories: Arson Plus, Crooked Souls and Slippery Fingers. Stories that were originally published between 1923 and 1924. The book came with a great introduction to the history of Hammett and his body of work, and explained why for many years has book has not been available. I really like Dashiell Hammett's book. His reputation as the pioneer of the hard boiled school is well deserved.
June 24, 2016
Perfect little collection of Continental Op stories with the bright, hard Hammett style in full glory. The reader will probably unravel the mysteries before he does, but that's not why Hammett is a master. He gives you the criminal underworld with a stiff martini and fog horns by the Golden Gate. Bay Area noir at its very best; give to those who aren't sure if they'd like Hammett as these three short reads are the perfect gateway drug for The Glass Key, The Maltese Falcon, and beyond.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 31, 2016
If you have not read any of the Continental Ops stories, you are in for a treat. This is the first volume of the collected Ops stores in electronic form. You will get to read Arson Plus, Crooked Souls, and Slippery Fingers. You have to solve murders, find missing persons, and figure out a what really happened at a mysterious fire. If you enjoy this set, there are seven other volumes to peruse for your entertainment!
June 18, 2016
Originally published in 1923, period colloquialisms make these stories quaint. This is the first of a seven-book series of Hammett’s detective stories. Included in this volume are Arson Plus, Crooked Souls, and Slippery Fingers. Arson Plus was the first story Hammett wrote about Continental Op, the detective with no name. At 100 pages, the book is a short, brisk read. I found these detective stories to be predictable; read them for Hammett’s style.
May 6, 2016
Continental Op yarns that I hadn't seen before. What a pleasure to read unfamiliar stories written by the same man and in the same voice as classics like The Gutting of Couffignal and Dead Yellow Women..
May 8, 2016
Fantastic, fun read, have fun trying to figure out the ending on these stories. Highly recommend for all mystery lovers.
February 26, 2017
Quick, enjoyable read. It's Hammett so it's good.
February 25, 2020
Short mystery stories with more of a twist than you'd expect and more characterization than you'd imagine in a nameless hero, the Continental op.
May 7, 2020
Mostly interesting from the perspective of seeing Hammett's growth as a detective story writer from the early days.
December 20, 2020
The first three Continental Op stories. A fun, quick read.
October 25, 2024
From the mid 1920's to the early 1930's Black Mask, a pulp magazine, sought out and encouraged writers in many genres. Their group of Mystery Writers included Earl Stanley Gardner, Paul Cain, Carrol John Daly, Raymond Chandler, and of course Dashiell Hammett. Together they introduced and polished the Hardboiled Detective. These characters still used Poirot's "Little Gray Cells" but were not afraid to throw fists or bullets at their adversaries or to take a punch when necessary. Their cases were messy and violent, in contrast to writers like Christie and Sayers. After their time at Black Mask many became novelists and books like Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon" and Chandler's "The Big Sleep" were not only successful but were accepted as literature, standing with "The Great Gatsby" and "Huckleberry Finn" as prime examples of American writing.
But it was the early years at Black Mask that shaped them. Their short stories, often sold for a penny a word, gave them room to stretch and grow. Sadly, until recently, these early tales were neglected. This collection presents Hammett's short stories in chronological order so you can see his progression as a writer. Unfortunately, they are out of peint and I regret not collecting them when they were available. Luckily there are several fine alternate collections now on the market. If you have an interest in mystery fiction that extends beyond modern cozies, these stories are a must read and you should seek them out.
But it was the early years at Black Mask that shaped them. Their short stories, often sold for a penny a word, gave them room to stretch and grow. Sadly, until recently, these early tales were neglected. This collection presents Hammett's short stories in chronological order so you can see his progression as a writer. Unfortunately, they are out of peint and I regret not collecting them when they were available. Luckily there are several fine alternate collections now on the market. If you have an interest in mystery fiction that extends beyond modern cozies, these stories are a must read and you should seek them out.
December 18, 2022
Three very short crime/mystery stories taken from serialisations during the 1920's in America. Although it is intersting to read about past times (cars are regularly referred to as 'machines') and to get a historial flavour, these are just a very easy read when you need one. That has some value, but for the modern world, there are no real mysteries to be found in this collection.
August 7, 2021
The first two stories in this collection have similar resolutions, but other than that little quibble these are well-written Hammetts and a good introduction to the series and very of their time.
May 15, 2016
Thanks to Open Road Media and MysteriousPress.com for a free copy of this book for an honest review.
"Arson Plus and Other Stories" is the first in a series of short story collections about Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op private detective. This first book in the series not only has the first 3 published stories, but also includes a small biography about Dashiell Hammett and his writing of these stories.
Each story is enjoyable and in total these stories are significant for the early development of the private detective story. The unnamed Continental Op is hired in all 3 stories to help out either to avoid getting the police involved (as in the kidnapping of the second story, "Crooked Souls") or to help when the police are too slow or unable to solve the crime.
The first story, "Arson Plus", was issued in the October 1, 1923 issue of Black Mask. under the pseudonym of Peter Collinson. The Continental Op is hired by the insurance company to look into the fire that destroyed a building and caused the death of the owner. The police were quick to determine that the fire was caused by arson with gasoline but so far were unable to find out who did it. The Continental Op uses his straightforward and thorough approach to determine who was responsible.
This story and the other two are similar in that the stories are told from beginning to end and the reader gets to learn how the Continental Op processes the information and develops plans to ultimately solve the crime. These stories are enjoyable and likely as much for learning more about the early writing of Dashiell Hammett as in learning how the Continental Op solves crimes.
"Arson Plus and Other Stories" is the first in a series of short story collections about Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op private detective. This first book in the series not only has the first 3 published stories, but also includes a small biography about Dashiell Hammett and his writing of these stories.
Each story is enjoyable and in total these stories are significant for the early development of the private detective story. The unnamed Continental Op is hired in all 3 stories to help out either to avoid getting the police involved (as in the kidnapping of the second story, "Crooked Souls") or to help when the police are too slow or unable to solve the crime.
The first story, "Arson Plus", was issued in the October 1, 1923 issue of Black Mask. under the pseudonym of Peter Collinson. The Continental Op is hired by the insurance company to look into the fire that destroyed a building and caused the death of the owner. The police were quick to determine that the fire was caused by arson with gasoline but so far were unable to find out who did it. The Continental Op uses his straightforward and thorough approach to determine who was responsible.
This story and the other two are similar in that the stories are told from beginning to end and the reader gets to learn how the Continental Op processes the information and develops plans to ultimately solve the crime. These stories are enjoyable and likely as much for learning more about the early writing of Dashiell Hammett as in learning how the Continental Op solves crimes.
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