The Big Book of the Continental Op

Hammett's unnamed Continental Detective Agency Operative is a staple of the golden age of pulp mysteries. All but two of 28 individual stories as well as two serialized novels (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse) collected here were first published in Black Mask magazine between 1920 and 1930. Described as a "busy, middle aged detective" in the story "Arson Plus," the Continental Op was an everyman, lacking the sophistication, ruthlessness, and sex appeal of other fictional detectives of the time. The stories range from the simple, nonviolent variety to longer, more complex plots featuring guns blazing and fists pounding. However, it is Hammett's turn of phrase that sets these tales apart, such as "sharp-eyed, sharp-faced, with lips thin as knife-edges" in "The Big Knock-Over." The selections here are organized by the Black Mask editors for whom Hammett wrote, with separate sections for each novel. Each section includes an introduction, and some feature letters written by the author in response to reader or editor comments.