Dashiell Hammett. Woman in the Dark (1951) 128 pp.
Contents: *Arson Plus; *Slippery Fingers; *The Black Hat That Wasn’t There; *Woman in the Dark; *Afraid of a Gun; *Holiday; *The Man Who Stood in the Way.
This volume features several of Hammett’s earliest published stories, including the first Continental Op story, “Arson Plus.” In “Arson Plus,” the Op investigates a possible arson outside of Sacramento; the victims have San Francisco connections. In “Slippery Fingers,” the son of a murdered San Francisco millionaire hires the Op to look into his father’s death; he uncovers a fingerprint-altering plot that disguises the killer’s identity. The Op is hired by a stockbroker to find his partner, who is missing with $100,000 worth of bonds, in “The Black Hat That Wasn’t There.”

*1st book publication

Baird & Greenwood 1041
Layman A18