The House in Turk Street explained

"The House in Turk Street" is an early short story by Dashiell Hammett,^[1] featuring the Continental Op.^[2] It was first published in Black Mask in April 1924.^[3] This story indicates Hammett was turning towards themes of increasing violence in his stories,^[4] and its savagery has been commented upon,^[5] particularly the massacre which occurs at the end.^[6]

The story was loosely adapted into the film No Good Deed, directed by Bob Rafelson.^[7]

Plot

On a routine canvass of Turk Street in San Francisco, the Continental Op is invited into the home of the Quarres, an elderly couple. The Op is given a cup of tea and a cigar, but his interview of the Quarres is suddenly interrupted by a man with a gun, who believes he is the target of the Op's search. The Op is bound and gagged, but overhears the aftermath of a plot to steal $100,000 in bonds, as the conspirators try to decide what to do with him.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hard-Boiled Heaven - The New York Sun.
2. Book: LeRoy Lad Panek. Reading Early Hammett: A Critical Study of the Fiction Prior to The Maltese Falcon. registration. 8 September 2004. McFarland. 978-0-7864-1962-3. 117–.
3. Book: Mitzi M. Brunsdale. Icons of Mystery and Crime Detection: From Sleuths to Superheroes. 26 July 2010. ABC-CLIO. 978-0-313-34530-2. 643–.
4. Book: LeRoy Lad Panek. Reading Early Hammett: A Critical Study of the Fiction Prior to The Maltese Falcon. registration. 117. 8 September 2004. McFarland. 978-0-7864-1962-3.
5. Book: Robert Sampson. Yesterday's Faces: The Solvers. January 1987. Popular Press. 978-0-87972-415-3. 229–.
6. Book: Yan Zi-Ling. Economic Investigations in Twentieth-Century Detective Fiction: Expenditure, Labor, Value. 9 March 2016. Routledge. 978-1-317-14617-9. 77–.
7. Book: John Grant. Noir Movies Facts, Figures & Fun. September 2005. AAPPL. 978-1-904332-39-8. 13–.