Red Harvest

Dashiell Hammett's "e;Red Harvest"e;, first published in 1929, is narrated by one of the author's most famous characters, "e;The Continental Op"e;, a character loosely based on the author's own experiences as an operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The story concerns the investigation of several murders in Personville, known as "e;Poisonville"e; to those who live there, a corrupt mining town in Montana. "e;The Continental Op"e; is called to the town by newspaper publisher Donald Willsson, who is murdered before the narrator can meet with him. Donald's father, Elihu Willsson, a local industrialist, finds his control of the town threatened by rival gangs whom he has invited to the town to help end a labor dispute. Soon, the town is embroiled in a gang war, and "e;The Op"e; must evade a corrupt police force while he works to restore order once again to the small town. In "e;Red Harvest"e;, we find a thrilling tale that would begin Hammett's legacy as one of the greatest authors of the "e;hard-boiled"e; mystery genre.