Re: RARA-AVIS: Continental Op

From: davezeltserman (Dave.Zeltserman@gmail.com)
Date: 24 Sep 2009

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    Yep, just finished reading all the Op stories in the Continental Op, Big Knockover and Nightmare Town anthologies. In The Big Knockover, the Op blurs the line a bit in one he does to get Red taken back to his accomplices, but what he does in $106,000 Blood Money is really quite something. Spoilers below:

    SPOILERS

    SPOILERS

    In Big Knockover, the Op shoots Red O'Leary in the back, staging it so looks like some other crook shot him, and this is done so that a critically wounded O'Leary is brought back to his accomplices.

    In $106,000 Blood Money, the Op is left with an unenviable choice--have a fellow op (and one who tried to kill him) go free or be exposed as a crook and embarrass the agency, and the Op solves this by setting things up so the crooked op and a criminal (who's been playing ball with the Op) are both killed.

    --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Brian Thornton <bthorntonwriter@...> wrote:
    >
    > Dave-
    >
    > Have you read "The Big Knockover" yet? Put together with "$106,000 Blood
    > Money," it makes another "novel," since both are long shorts, practically
    > novella-length.
    >
    > Speaking as a long-time fan of Hammett's work, I think that I prefer the Op
    > in short stories. "Dead Yellow Women," "The House on Turk Street," "The
    > Girl With the Silver Eyes," and my favorite of his shorts, "The Scorched
    > Face" all really worked well with the Op in them. Much better than THE DAIN
    > CURSE turned out.
    >
    > YMMV-
    >
    > Brian
    >
    > On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 4:31 PM, davezeltserman
    > <Dave.Zeltserman@...>wrote:
    >
    > >
    > >
    > > Like Mario I've been rereading the Continental Op stories of late, and it's
    > > just great stuff, $106,000 Blood Money in particular. Unlike Big Flora,
    > > first time around I missed the full extent of what the Op sets up at the
    > > end, and for hardboiled fiction it's about as ruthless and cynical as it
    > > gets.
    > >
    > > --Dave
    > >
    > >
    > >
    >
    >
    > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
    >



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