I'd never read any of Hammett's short fiction before and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. These are brisk, snappy stories that are ludicrous fun to read and more on the action side of the spectrum than the sleuthing, which suited me just fine. The Golden Horseshoe and The Girl With the Silver Eyes were my favourites of the bunch, though the oddly surreal The Farewell Murder was probably the most memorable piece, with its mix of African tribal curses, Russian millionaires and a psychopathic British ex-military man. ( )

I'd never read any of Hammett's short fiction before and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. These are brisk, snappy stories that are ludicrous fun to read and more on the action side of the spectrum than the sleuthing, which suited me just fine. The Golden Horseshoe and The Girl With the Silver Eyes were my favourites of the bunch, though the oddly surreal The Farewell Murder was probably the most memorable piece, with its mix of African tribal curses, Russian millionaires and a psychopathic British ex-military man. ( )