Arson Plus Illustrated

This is an early Hammett story featuring the nameless Continental Op, a stout, middle-aged operative for a private detective agency. Published in the pulp magazine Black Mask in 1923, it follows an insurance-related investigation into suspicious fires and the people who may profit from them. The story shows the plain, observant method and dry tone that Hammett later brought to his novels. It is short and brisk, and it is valued as an early example of the hard-boiled detective tale and of the Op character.