The Giant Collection of the Continental Op

The Continental Op

by Dashiell Hammett, Richard Layman (Editor), Julie M. Rivett (Editor)

Before Dashiell Hammett introduced such iconic sleuths as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon or Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man, he put to work the most influential detective ever to scour America’s hard-boiled literary landscape. An operative of San Francisco’s Continental Detective Agency, the Continental Op was a world-weary, pragmatic, and inelegant company man—and though always nameless, he has remained as distinctive as a fingerprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

644 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2018

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

[Joe Noir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't pay full price for the ebook version. This is a great collection, well worth having, but the ebook version omits the fourth section of the book, “The Continental OP Novels”, and the bonus unfinished story, “Three Dimes”. These are included in the paperback version. Omitted are two four part serials that became the novels Red Harvest and The Dain Curse. The serialized versions are different from the published novel versions. The ebook loses a rating star for that. Both versions of the book include the same introduction by Julie M. Rivett, although the ebook version is reworked so the editor is writing directly to ebook readers. It is implied this version is complete, but it is not complete. Don’t pay full price, catch it on sale. I paid $2.99 for my ebook copy, and it was previously on sale for $5.99. Hey, Mysterious Press, Open Road Media, and Black Lizard, update the ebook version and make it complete, please.

[Pleasant Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story and every novel Dashiell Hammett ever wrote featuring his first--and some think best--hard-boiled detective character--the unnamed Continental Op. Fantastic collection because the editors are the two most prominent Hammett scholars anywhere, and they provide thorough commentary of how Hammett developed the character--and his writing style--by grinding out stories to make a living by writing for the pulp detective magazines of the 1920s. If you are a fan of the great 1920's and 30's noir, hard-boiled detectives, then read this collection to see how a master developed his craft that so many others tried--and failed--to imitate.

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

80% of Print Version is Here

What is here is the almost full collection of The Continental Op stories. This combines all the other collections out there. I got it in kindle form for $2.99. Today it is $25.99 for the kindle. Watch for a sale. What is not included, The Continental OP Novels. The Novels are in the paperback version which is the same price. The stories are good if you like this era and the writing style.

[BJ McSt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories

Hard to believe that some of these stories are almost 100 old. They have held up quite well and really don't feel dated for the most part. Lots of twists and turns. Good characters and economical use of words propel each story along. Nice to have them all in one volume, in chronological order.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading this book off and on for a little over a year. It is a collection of short stories and I came back to it between other books, and read it hear and there. I gave it **** but the stories within range from *** to *****, most are ****. The only story I didn’t enjoy is the only one to take place completely outside the city. It is a western. The stories range from Noir, to mystery, to crime and they form a remarkably collection. Some of the imagery and dialogue is so good you will find yourself reading some sentences multiple times. It is an amazing collection that highlights how gifted a writer Hammett was not just creatively but writing prowess as well. I am actually planning on re-reading most of them, they are just that fun and well written. I could go through e1ch story but why ruin the discovery. If you enjoy old crime books, radio dramas’ or noir movies, or short stories this is a must read! You will find yourselves in the hands of a master. It should be noted that well Hammett is not intentionally racist of misogynist a number of stories do have outdated racial stereotypes and views of women.

[Ronald Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad there aren't more of the Continental Op stories. All of them, even the minor ones, are well worth reading and deserve the status they have. It's a shame this Kindle version is missing, in addition to the eight stories that were turned into the two Op novels, Red Harvest and The Dain Curse, five other stories, "Night Shots," "Zigzags of Treachery," "One Hour," "Women, Politics and Murder" (aka "Death on Pine Street") and "Mike, Alec or Rufus" (aka "Tom, Dick or Harry"). It's not the complete collection it leads you to believe. The price of the Kindle version is much too high; good thing it's available for free as a kindleunlimited.

Now I need to read the stories that were stitched into the novels. Actually, as I read them in the paperback version, The Big Book of the Continental Op, I think I'll also read the novels to see how Hammett did his stitching.

[Denis La Force · Rating 5 out of 5]

The film noir of reading.

The argot of the time, place and participants marks the authors experience in the venue. These writings are not I technicolor, but colorful none the less.
I had heard the nam, attached to the Maltese Falcon but the movie takes on a different nuance now that I have experienced the author.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic PI stories by the master

These stories illustrate Hammett's growth as a writer of pulp fiction leading up to his novels. As his style changed it set the tone for the genre.The plots are intriguing and filled with action.The characters are well developed and believable. If you like old style detective mysteries, this collection fits the bill.

[B. Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Intro to Hammett

Never having read a Dashiell Hammett book, this serves as a great introduction and history of the authors work! Takes a while to work through, but well worth the time to read"

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beginning of the American, hard-boiled detective. The stories hold up well even after 90 years, but the reader has to recognize that detective story tropes that seem familiar were brand new when Hammett wrote these.

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating 20's era hard boiled short mysteries

Having read Hammett's novels, this completes his work for me. It was fascinating to go back in time and pick up the idioms that were used. True mysteries, really did not know the outcome, but the clues were there.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Hammet, especially his unnamed Continental Op. Great stories most of which I haven't read before.

[Dennis Ferri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of detective stories from one of the original masters of the genre.

[Emily Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm obsessed with the Continental Op.

[Kevin]

to-read

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to use one word to explain Hammett's greatness, I'd use "authenticity." Hammett not only wrote about the life of a professional detective, he lived that life. As an "op" (operative) for the famous Pinkerton Detective Agency, he learned that a successful detective gets results through long hours of tedious work, association with people most of us would avoid, and the instincts honed by years in the trenches.

When he created the Continental Op, Hammett moved away from the elegant private detective of fiction and introduced a blue-collar version. The Op is so no-frills that we never learn his name. He doesn't care what we call him. He's interested in earning his pay, not recognition. His value to his employer depends on in bringing in the bad-guys, not on how many beautiful women swoon into his arms.

He's clean enough to go to the front door when he arrives to meet a new client, but he's no glamour-boy. Not that expensive suits would make much difference. One opponent addresses him as "Short-fatty" which is rude, but accurate. Women never look at him twice. Men do, but only after they discover that he's more trouble than they anticipated. Many people underestimate the Op, but no one makes that mistake twice.

The combination of a memorable character and Hammett's brilliantly understated writing put the Continental Op novels and stories in a class by themselves. Hammett single-handedly convinced the reading public that "the pulps" could offer first-class literature. And he inspired and goaded a generation of writers to do better work than they thought they could.

It's easy to find the novels, but getting your hands on the stories is a task. I'm lucky to have bought 3 different Kindle collections of Hammett's short stories back when they were being sold at 99 each. They have some Op stories and some non-Op stories. Sadly, all three have been removed by Amazon. A shame, since they were good books.

In October, 2018, I saw this one for $2.99 and I hit the "Buy With One Click" button so hard I almost broke my finger. Now it's priced at an incredible $22.99. Is it worth it? Depends on your wallet, I suppose.

It's "giant" but not comprehensive. My cheap Kindle "collections" have five short stories and novellas that are not included in this book. And I own a paperback collection called "The Big Knockover" which has 10 Hammett stories, including one Op story that's not including in this Kindle book.

Still, this one is chock full of fine stories. If I HAD to pick a favorite, I'd say "The House on Turk Street." It includes so many elements that make the Op stories great. There are characters whose charm hides unexpected menace. There are characters who seem bizarre and exotic, but who turn out to be motivated by the same emotions that drive the human race anywhere, any time - greed, love, optimism, and foolishness. Plus, it leads into the equally good "The Girl With Silver Eyes." Has the Op met his match at last?

I hope Amazon will bring back some of the more affordable Hammett collections. He wrote some great stories that DON'T feature the Op and Kindle readers should not be deprived of them. And those six missing Op stories are a true tragedy.

[Joelendil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a weakness for hardboiled detective stories from the 1920’s-50’s, and Dashiell Hammett’s nameless Operative of the Continental Detective Agency is the character that got me hooked. He’s not as well knows as Hammett’s womanizing Sam Spade of The Maltese Falcon or pleasantly inebriated Nick Charles of The Thin Man, but I prefer the tubby little tough guy to either of them. Because he is based on Hammett’s own time as a Pinkerton operative, he’s a bit more believable, and his appearance in 20+ stories and two novels allows for some character development (even if it’s driven largely by meeting expectations of three or four different editors over his career) .

There’s nothing fancy about the Continental Op. He stubbornly plows through the evidence, stepping on toes and poking at suspects to see what happens (usually something violent). Over the years he becomes increasingly cynical and violent, getting the job done even if it isn’t tied up in a nice neat bow.

As with any pulp fiction, you have to be willing to look past some product-of-its-era prejudices, but it’s not as bad as most. The Op’s thoroughly unromantic nature eliminates most of the rapey (or otherwise troubling) womanizing that you see in some older pulp (though unfortunate racial caricatures persist in some stories).

Also, as with any pulp fiction, you probably don’t want to read through all of these too close together or they start sounding too much the same. Hammett is better than the average hardboiled writer (Raymond Chandler is probably the only one in the same league), but there’s only so much you can do with characters and plot when you write for Black Mask. This particular book provides a nice chronologically arranged collection of all the Continental Op short stories: perfect to pick up and read a story or two when you need some escapism.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 2022. Series of mystery/crime short stories about the Continental Op, the star of many of Dashiell Hammett’s earlier mystery short stories and the novels Red Harvest and The Dain Curse. A bunch of great tight premises solved and wrapped up by our hard-boiled noir detective.

“The Continental Op” (short story collection) by Dashiell Hammett.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Sam Spade there was the Continental Op, a nameless guy just doing his job. These are the stories that helped create the hard-boiled detective genre. Some are better than others but it's interesting, particularly if you know San Francisco which is where most of the stories are set.