Status Updates From The Big Knockover: Selected...

Just the story actually called 'The Big Knockover' left, and one called '$106,000 Blood Money'. I have stashed away a vintage paperback by Hammett called Blood Money, and I think it's linked to '$106,000 Blood Money'...either they're the same, or the Blood Money paperback is some kind of longer version (unless they've put other short material at the back of that). Not sure, yet.

‘Corkscrew’ was wonderful.

I got to play a gumshoe once, in a role-playing game called Gumshoe. It seemed inspired most by Dashiell Hammett's stuff. The player is a shamus in 1930s San Francisco, a two-week time frame, with cases coming up as you're supposed to solve the last one. I went to bed one night puzzling a case out, woke up in the middle of the night with the solution. It was weird, and I respect when PI's suddenly see things clearly.

‘The crazier the people you are sleuthing act, as a rule, the nearer you are to an ending of your troubles’. Almost perfect private eye fiction. Glad I fit it into Private Eye July late.

One of the best of all, no doubt.

I've been skipping some Introductions lately, to avoid spoilers, or else to avoid an over-long Intro that grinds me down before I get to even the first story. But I just couldn't skip Lillian Hellman's Introduction to this book. Of course she almost made me cry. On to the magical fiction!

Sort of a bonus book I’ve added to Private Eye July. The Simple Art of Murder by Chandler was looking good, but I don’t see any actual private eye material among what it contains. Have also added a fifth book to do with Giallo July - one set in Italy.