Meet New Books
Meet New Books
Book Cover

Red Harvest

Book 2 in the series:Continental Op

Save:
Find on Amazon

In 'Red Harvest' by Dashiell Hammett, the Continental Op is summoned to Personville, a town overrun by corruption and violence. Upon arrival, he finds his client murdered and embarks on a mission to clean up the town by manipulating the various criminal factions to turn against each other. The narrative is fast-paced, filled with brutal action, double-crosses, and a high body count, all set in a gritty and corrupt environment. The writing style is hard-boiled and direct, with sharp language and a focus on the relentless pursuit of justice amidst a morally bankrupt society.

Characters:

The characters are deeply flawed and mostly corrupt, culminating in a cast that is unsettling yet compelling, inhabited by an antiheroic detective.

Writing/Prose:

Hammett's writing style is characterized by its brevity, cynicism, and engaging first-person narrative, effectively conveying the story's dark themes.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative follows a detective's quest to cleanse a corrupt town, using cunning to incite violence among its criminal leaders.

Setting:

The setting of a corrupt and violent mining town enriches the story's dark themes and amplifies the sense of hopelessness.

Pacing:

The novel's pacing is brisk and relentless, designed to keep readers engaged in the unfolding chaos and action.
I first heard Personville called Poisonville by a red-haired mucker named Hickey Dewey in the Big Ship in Butte. He also called his shirt a shoit. I didn’t think anything of what he had done to the ci...

Notes:

Red Harvest is written by Dashiell Hammett and was published in 1929.
The story is set in a corrupt town called Personville, nicknamed Poisonville.
The main character, known as the Continental Op, is an unnamed private detective.
The Continental Op's mission changes from solving a murder to cleaning up the entire town of corruption.
Hammett drew on his experiences as a detective for the Pinkerton Agency to craft the story.
The novel is credited with Americanizing the crime novel genre, differentiating it from British murder mysteries.
The book features a significant body count, with at least 17 murders mentioned in the text.
The Continental Op uses manipulation and deception to turn criminals against each other instead of pursuing legal justice.
This novel influenced films like Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo and Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars.
The character of the Continental Op is portrayed as an anti-hero, engaging in morally questionable actions.
Red Harvest presents a cynical view of justice, suggesting that true change can only come through violence and death.
The novel contains elements of a bloodbath and critiques the rampant corruption of the 1920s in America.
Hammett's dry humor and vivid prose style contribute to the dark and gritty atmosphere of the book.
The femme fatale in the story, Dinah Brand, is depicted as a dangerous character, contributing to the novel's noir elements.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The novel contains high levels of violence, including multiple murders and general themes of corruption and crime.

From The Publisher:

Detective-story master Dashiell Hammett gives us yet another unforgettable read in Red Harvest: When the last honest citizen of Poisonville was murdered, the Continental Op stayed on to punish the guilty-even if that meant taking on an entire town. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain.

Ratings (7)

Loved It (4)
Liked It (2)
It Was OK (1)

Reader Stats (12):

Read It (7)
Want To Read (4)
Not Interested (1)

About the Author:

Samuel Dashiell Hammett was born in 1894 in St. Mary's County, Maryland, and his family moved to Baltimore when he was five. He dropped out of high school after his freshman year and held a series of odd jobs-messenger boy,…

 
Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.