About the Author : Dashiell Hammett was the author of detective novels based I the 1920 s and 30s. He created 'Sam Spade ' 'Nick and Nora Charles' and of 'the Continental Op'. He wrote creelays as well as being a political activist. He grew up in Philadelphia and Baltimore and held several jobs before starting work for the Pimkerton National Detective Agency, where he became an operative between 1915-22. He had a short break when he was enlisted to serve in World War 1 in the Motor Ambulance Corps. Due to contracting Spanish flu and later tuberculosis, he spent most of his Army career as a patient.
He returned to the Agency and later became disilusioned by the agency's activities during the union strike breaking.
The Continental Op is the dispassionate fat man working for the Continental Detective Agency, modelled on the Pinkerton Agency, whose only interest is in doing his job in a world of violence, passion, desperate action and great excitement.
Mike described the book as a book of short stories and found it a comfortable read. Rob said that he felt the book was two dimensional, lacked depth. It pictured clearly the era and felt it similar to watching a Humphrey Bogart film and enjoyed the language. He felt that a private detective working with police may have been a bit far fetched. Mike said that he had never read any of his other work and the Americanisms had put him off reading any more. Some people found the language sometimes difficult as it was dated, circa '20s-30s. Imagined Cagney or James Robinson Justice and expected to read about the 'hoods'! Cathrine did not read it all but read the last story completely, there was some gender stereotyping in the characterisation of the secretary. The writing was exciting of its time and she watched 'The Maltese Falcon' which was amazing. All said that they could visualise being there, the darkness, the shadowy world, and an example of the dated language was' San Diego was gay and packed as I got off the train. ' The stories have lasted the passage of time to and were of course the earliest detective novels. He packed a lot into one chapter. Karen said that it was one of the greatest detective stories of its time, she found it interesting and hugely entertaining, as a story, however society has moved and it could be compared with NCIS or CSI 50 years on.
All remembers these stories as radio plays and thoroughly enjoyed them,. Good Choice a quick read.
The choices for this week are:-
Graham Farmelo - The Strangets Man
Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmair - Intellectual Imposterz
Tom Bingham - The Rule of Law
Mark Mazower - Inside Hitlers Greece
Charlotte Higgins - It's All Greek to Me
The Choice was the Strangets Man.
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