Meh. Okay, but not great. The author tried to be a little too cute with the ending, but it's a political twist, not a science fiction twist.
Well, it's certainly true that conservatives, or at least, conservatives in office, talk big on the free market but still act to use the power of government intervention.
But the real problem with this book is Baker's mistaken idea that political policies of any kind can "harness the market" in ways that are better than what an unfettered market itself can provide. "Hands off" is the best government policy towards the market, not the excessive intervention that we have now.
A pretty good hard-boiled detective story. The dialogue is rather stilted, but the plot and characters work well, with a decent resolution. An enjoyable read.
It's only a short story, but it is a true classic of detective fiction, and a clear precursor to Sherlock Holmes. Well worthwhile!