The Continental Op
Who is this nameless, middle-aged detective,
and why do we enjoy his stories so much?
The Continental Op was the first in a long line of hard-boiled private eyes.
There have been many imitators over the years, but none have been able to
capture the true flavour of the Op. It has a lot to do with the complex,
tight plots conceived by Hammett, as well as the atmosphere and detective
expertise he was able to bring to his stories as a result of his own detective
experiences in and around San Francisco.
Tough, resourceful and dedicated, the Op searches for
the truth amid tangles of deceit and deception.
Under the strict code of the Continental Detective Agency ( Head office-
San Francisco ) and his own sense of right and wrong, the Op goes about
doing the thing he likes best - catching the bad guys.
In amongst the yeggs, grifters and hop-heads, the Op manages to separate fact
from fiction, using his favourite method of 'stirring things up'. When the
pot is stirred enough, something is bound to boil over, and the Op is on hand
to escort the suvivors to the clink. Sometimes he works with Sgt. O'Gar of
the police, sometimes with other operatives of the Agency, but he is always
following orders from the 'Old Man', head of Continental's Frisco Headquarters.
The OP's world is divided into the good and the bad, unfortunately it's not always easy to tell which is which. The Op uses his wits when he can to separate the good from
the evil, but will fall back on his skill with his fists or his gun when he
has to. But being over forty has started to take it's toll on our hero.
He would much rather talk the bad guys into shooting each other!
" Come again, sugar!" 