All Over the Board… » Entries tagged with "detective fiction"
(Formerly) on my Bookshelf: The Continental Op
I just finished Dashiell Hammett’s collection of short stories titled The Continental Op. They were published individually in pulp fiction magazines like Black Mask beginning in 1923. The central figure in the stories is The Continental Op, a middle-aged private investigator who works for The Continental Detective Agency. Unlike Sam Spade, the Op is under a more stringent policy and often enlists the aid of other Continental agents. These stories are matter-of-fact, emotionless, and gritty. I’ll end with this passage from “The Whosis Kid” that describes the Op’s thoughts while hanging out with a pretty woman waiting for inevitable trouble to make its way to her apartment. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Reads, Screens, and Sounds
The Glass Key redux
I finished The Glass Key last night with a martini by my side. I checked out some articles on it and it turns out that Ned Beaumont was the inspiration for Gabriel Byrne’s character in Miller’s Crossing. For those of who have read (or conversely, never plan to read) the novel already, here is a great article by a lit professor at Case Western Reserve University. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Reads, Screens, and Sounds