And as for the so-called good guys, policemen turn out to be dishonest, and most importantly, the hero of our story, the Continental Op, has his own fair share of flaws and weaknesses. So even though the villains are definitely corrupt, we sometimes find ourselves sympathizing with them when we're reading a Hammett novel. So we expect our heroes to be model citizens who fight for justice, and we hope to see murderous criminals sent off to prison by novel's end, right?īut Hammett wasn't a fan of that clear black-and-white separation between good and bad. We'd all like to think that in a detective novel, the wicked will be punished and the good will prevail. What is Red Harvest About and Why Should I Care? So strap yourselves in for a wild ride back in time to the rough and tough world of 1920s America, where mobsters and bootleggers ruled the cities, and honest men and women were few and far between. Dashiell's work at the detective agency gave him inspiration for his writing, and he drew on the locations and events he experienced as a Pinkerton operative to create the realism and authenticity of Red Harvest. The Pinkertons, as they were called for short, were the largest private law enforcement agency in America during the late-18th and early-19th centuries. The dashing, dapper Dash worked as an operative for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency from 1915 to 1922. A few words about "Dash" as his close friends called him. It's a lonely battle to take on the big shots and beat them at their own game, but it's a challenge that the Op is ready for.Īnd if you want a job done, the Op is the one to do it.ĭashiell Hammett is the one you want spinning this yarn, too. The only honest citizen in Personville has been brutally murdered, and it takes the dedication of a steely stranger to expose the corruption and purge the city of crime.
Set in Prohibition-era America when organized crime was at its peak, Red Harvest was published in 1929 and offers a cynical portrayal of the kind of corruption that could be found in countless cities across the county. He's a gritty, no-nonsense, tough-as-nails detective on a mission to rid Personville of its corrupt riffraff. As the private eye investigator in Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest, the nameless Continental Op enters the novel as a stranger in a new city called Personville. The Continental Op isn't one for warm handshakes and friendly chitchat. 38 pistol in the other.Ĭome shake hands with the Continental Op.Īctually, a quick nod of the head and passing hello would be wiser. Picture this: a mysterious man in a fedora, smoking a cigarette, standing beneath a flashing neon sign, with a flask of scotch tucked in one pocket and a.
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