I like Dashiell Hammett and these stories though not famous or popular are good non the less These stories were taken out of magazines or periodicals way before he became famous, but you can see his natural talent. I found this book to be an enjoyable read.

And So It Begins

We all know "The Maltese Falcon" and Sam Spade, and we say DashiellHammettRaymondChandler as though it's just one long name. Maybe you remember bits about Hammett's life, Lillian Hellman, blacklisting, and so on. Like me, you probably knew that Hammett started, more or less, with his Continental Op detective stories for Black Mask. But, have you ever had a chance to read crisp, clean, well-formatted and nicely edited and annotated versions of those stories? Well, now you can.

This book consists of the first three Op stories - "Arson Plus", "Crooked Souls", and "Slippery Fingers". They are basically detective procedurals - restrained, tight, and dry in a just-the-facts-maam fashion. But, from story to story you can see Hammett developing and honing his craft, and laying the groundwork for what was to come. The upshot is that you get three perfectly fine mysteries, you get a fascinating trip back to the 1920's, (these are, after all and unintentionally, what would be called "historical fiction" if written now), and you get to see a masterly writer as a work in progress. That's a nice package.

But wait, as Ron Popeil would say, "[T]here's more!". This volume, (the first of a proposed nine volume set that will include all 28 Op stories), opens with an excellent foreword, (by editor Julie M. Rivett), that traces the convoluted publishing history of the Continental Op stories and provides an outline history of Hammett's later book successes. This is followed by "Introduction - The Early Years: 1923-1924", a brief publishing/writing Hammett bio by editor Richard Layman. Both of these articles are informative, entertaining, and worthwhile.

So, if you're a Hammett completist, if you're curious, or if you just like a solid procedural, this is a nice choice. (Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

'Arson Plus and Other Stories: Collected Case Files of the Continental Op: The Early Years, Volume 1' by Dashiell Hammett is a book with three stories featuring the Continental Op.

Hammett was known for Sam Spade, but he started with these stories of a nameless detective and he wrote a bunch of them. His style of writing is economical and cinematic. The stories evoke a mood of someone trying to hide a crime and a relentless detective in pursuit of the answer. In 'Arson Plus', the first story featuring the Continental Op, a house has gone up in a fire, but what was the cause? There are plenty of suspects, to be sure.

'Crooked Souls' deals with a kidnapped heiress and 'Slippery Fingers' deals with a man found dead in his library. The money paid out of his account points to blackmail, but why?

I've been a Hammett fan for a long time, and it's great to see his work still in print. The Foreword and Introduction are interesting pieces on where these early work came from, and Hammett's inspiration for them (he worked for Pinkerton's National Detective Service for a while). There are only three stories here, but there are many other collections in the series. Check one out and enjoy a good mystery or three.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Mysterious Press.com, Open Road, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.