Black Mask, where it first appeared, introduced the story in this fashion: "Here's another realistic detective tale by Mr. Hammett, formerly of the Pinkerton's. It has a ring of truth in that it makes you forget that you are only reading and not actually following the San Francisco sleuth around."

When the Continental Op is hired to look into the disappearance of two sisters, he gets caught up in a bigger scheme than he could have imagined as he uncovers a string of disappearances and suicides of wealthy debutantes. As the investigation becomes more and more complex, the Op gets into sticky spots as he works tirelessly to solve a case that seems to affect him more than most. The Scorched Face is one of Dashiell Hammett’s best-loved Continental Op stories.

Librarian's note #1: this entry is for the story, Arson Plus. Entries for collections of short stories and the other individual stories can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. There are a total of 28 short stories plus one incomplete; they can all be found by searching Goodreads for: a Continental Op Short Story.

Librarian's note #2: there are also two Continental Op novels, Red Harvest (also known as The Cleansing of Poisonville), and The Dain Curse.