The Continental Op

by Dashiell Hammett, John K. Snyder III (Artist), Hank Kanalz (Editor)

Noir at its finest, lavishly illustrated by John K. Snyder III. This is a collection of the first five stories in Hammet’s series of shorts, including Arson Plus, Crooked Souls, Slippery Fingers, It, and Bodies Piled Up. The Op investigates arson, kidnapping, murder, and theft, defining the “hard-boiled detective” character Hammet would later pattern for his best-known character, Sam Spade. Presented here in Clover Press’s prestigious hardcover format, along with 10 beautifully illustrated art plates by John K. Snyder III, The Continental Op is sure to thrill any mystery fan. Also includes a foreword by Alex Segura.

Genres: Short Stories

120 pages, Hardcover

Published November 15, 2022

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

[KDS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great palette-cleanser. Short, punchy stories which set the template for modern hardboiled detective stories. They're mostly very predictable and one dimensional, but a lot of fun. The sorbet of crime fiction.

[Colin P McMahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 short stories from the 20s. Fun seeing where the entire genre came from. Ready to dig into more Hammett.

[Bmj2k · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Hammett Op. How can this not be 5 stars? The illustrations are a perfect fit.

[Ben Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great hard boiled noir because it's Hammett

[Robert Greenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was aware of Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op, I had never read any of the adventures. Thankfully, Clover Press rectified this by collecting the first five appearances from Black Mask magazine, October-December 1923. This slim volume is attractively illustrated with ten pieces, two per story, by my former Suicide Squad artist John K. Snyder III.

Each case is interesting and the Op is an unnamed, overweight figure, far from the dashing hardboiled private dick we think of when it comes to pulp detectives. The writing doesn't quite crackle as later Hammett stories do but, but it's a nice glimpse into an earlier era.