Arson Plus by Dashiell Hammett

The joys of eBooks are that many pulp novels and mysteries are becoming available. I have found a lot of buried treasures, as well as classic mysteries and sci-fi. Many were originally printed in Amazing Stories or Black Mask serials from the 1920s to the 1940s and are not available any other way.

Arson Plus is a short story first published in Black Mask in 1923 and introduces the Continental Op character by the great Dashiell Hammett, creator of detective Sam Spade and The Maltese Falcon, and Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man series. There are 28 of these stories from Black Mask, and two novels including his popular Red Harvest.

Jim Tarr, also known as the Continental Detective, deals with a suspected arson and insurance case. He's the hard-boiled, no-nonsense type, a precursor to Sam Spade. A large mansion burns, and there are several great characters diverting the investigation. The plot was well-twisted, and the case was not solved easily. I certainly didn't see the culprit until they were announced.

Nothing will beat the experience you have with a hard copy book. The quality of holding it in your hand, the feel of the pages, and the look of the type. However, with many of the titles that intrigue me being seventy to ninety years old, this is a fantastic way to preserve the author's work and offer it to a new audience. I've been discovering great authors that way.

Arson Plus is easily available online. It's a short, involving read. If you like detective noir, with bullets, action, and a tight plot, check it out. Hammett is the master of this genre.

1923 / ePub Edition / 48 pages