Hardboiled American Crime and Worldwide Noir Fiction discussion

This topic is created for more in depth discussion of the three stories we are reading this month and therefore may include spoilers, as needed.

So, what do you think of these early stories by the founding father of our genre? Do they stand up to the three we read these last three months, or are they primitive? If they are more primitive, are they too primitive, or are they still worth reading? Will you be seeking out more Race Williams stories to read?

I finished reading these three short stories. All of them were quick, easy, and worth the time. None were outstanding classics by any means. My three-star review (meaning I liked the collection) is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read the first volume of short stories a few months ago and like you say they were enjoyable but not outstanding. In a genre in which there are so many great short stories, in particular I love Hammett Continental Op collections, these do seem to be a level below that. It is good to see where the typical private detective started though and I do love to read stories from that era.

I believe the author did produce some novels aswell as the short stories so I would be interested in reading those if I could track any down, just to compare those to the classic novels which followed his work in the genre .