The Golden Horseshoe - a Continental Op Short Story - #13

The Continental Op

by Dashiell Hammett

In Black Mask mystery magazine of November 1924, the editor introduced this story this way, "In our recent voting contest of favorite 'Black Mask' authors, Dashiell Hammett received thousands of votes because of his series of stories of the adventures of his San Francisco detective. He has created one of the most convincing and realistic characters in all detective fiction. The story, herewith, is one of his best to date. We know you'll enjoy it to the last word."

A local attorney, Vance Richmond, asks the Op to find Norman Ashcroft on behalf of his estranged wife. They had quarreled in England four years earlier and, in a huff, he skipped to America. She had heard nothing since then - until he was involved in a recent shooting of a hotel burglar in Seattle.

Librarian's note #1: this entry is for the story, The Golden Horseshoe. Entries for collections of short stories and the other individual stories can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. There are a total of 28 short stories plus one incomplete; they can all be found by searching Goodreads for: a Continental Op Short Story.

Librarian's note #2: there are also two Continental Op novels, Red Harvest (also known as The Cleansing of Poisonville), and The Dain Curse.

25 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1924

About the author

Also 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...

Reviews

[Jack Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars. Did you catch the introduction Black Mask topped this short story with? They conducted a poll of readers as to their favourite author in the crime magazine. Now they didn't say who placed first, but did remark that Hammett "received thousands of votes." His Continental operative, in all his unnamed and short rotundness, had captured a huge audience. Horseshoe appeared in November 1924; I enjoyed it in The Big Book of the Continental Op of 2017. Attorney Vance Richmond apologizes to the Op, "I haven't anything very exciting to offer you this time." Wrong. It had excitement in spades - twists, new scenery and memorable characters. Richmond's client is a wealthy woman from England looking for her husband. The two had a spat four years ago and he ran off to America. Drugs, women, and gambling beckoned. The Op's detecting techniques are always innovative; you'll enjoy how he traces the woman's monthly cheques from General Delivery, San Francisco to the Golden Horseshoe bar in Tijuana, Mexico. What a town that was a century ago! I didn't agree with the ending's philosophy; you'll see. But the rest? Splendid. (De2020/Jun2026)

[tj_infiniti · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️