Two Envelopes And A Phone’s Reviews > The Big Knockover: Selected Stories and Short Novels > Status Update

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.