The definitive masterpiece of the hard-boiled detective genre, The Maltese Falcon first appeared in the pages of Black Mask magazine in 1929 and was almost immediately acknowledged as not only a great crime novel but an enduring masterpiece of American fiction. Tough, cynical PI Sam Spade--a man who, as his creator explained, is "able to take care of himself in any situation, able to get the best of anybody he comes in contact with"--is hired by the story's irresistible femme fatale, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, to locate the ...
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The definitive masterpiece of the hard-boiled detective genre, The Maltese Falcon first appeared in the pages of Black Mask magazine in 1929 and was almost immediately acknowledged as not only a great crime novel but an enduring masterpiece of American fiction. Tough, cynical PI Sam Spade--a man who, as his creator explained, is "able to take care of himself in any situation, able to get the best of anybody he comes in contact with"--is hired by the story's irresistible femme fatale, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, to locate the client's sister by tailing her companion. Spade's partner, Miles Archer, takes on the assignment, and quickly both he and the man he was shadowing are murdered. As Spade pursues the mystery of his partner's death, he is drawn into a circle of colorful characters--all of them after a legendary statuette of a falcon fashioned long ago for King Charles of Spain. Made of gold and encrusted with jewels, the falcon is worth a fortune. Missing for centuries, it resurfaced in Paris in 1911, covered in black enamel to disguise its value, and then disappeared again until it was traced to Constantinople--and now, it would seem, to Spade's own backyard.
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Had not previously read this Classic, and it truly was hardboiled! Not to my usual taste but was an introduction to the genre and 1930's attitudes, and I did enjoy being off my usual beaten path!
Marilynne B
Oct 3, 2013
The Maltese Falcon
It arrived as promised in excellent condition. I know the story and have not read the this copy. MJB
michael s
May 2, 2013
Maltese Falcon
Anyone wanting to read the definitive private detective novel,this is the book for you.Even if you have seen Humphry Bogart as Sam Spade in the movie or not,this story is a great tale of greed ,murder,and "The stuff dreams are made of". San Francisco in the 40's, with some of the greatest dialog ever written,will keep you glued to the page.
Heather P
Jan 11, 2013
Purchased for my daughter as she needed it for her AP English class, wanted her to have her own copy. Fast shipment and service, thanks!!
dekesolomon
Oct 18, 2009
An oldie but a goodie, still one of the best.
Read 'The Maltese Falcon.' Watch the Bogart movie. Read the book again. One thing that should strike you is the fact that there is scarcely one spare word in either creation. Working with Hammett's book in one hand, John Huston must have slapped his screenplay together in about 30 minutes.
Hammett's 'Falcon' is tight as a drumhead. The characters are not drawn but chiseled. The action is as fast as any speeding bullet. Every word of dialog sparks blue and crackles with electricity while it speeds things along. Nothing is wasted. 'The Maltese Falcon' is lean and mean, 100 percent nonfat.
Chandler's Marlowe is more cerebral. Every once in a while he even notices what somebody is wearing. In recent memory, only Gus Hasford's Dowdy Lewis is so hard, so fast, so smooth, and cracks so wise. Hammett's Spade, by contrast, doesn't horse around. He just walks into the room and goes for the throat.
Philosophical issues are fun to ponder. It's nice to be able to think about big issues when, every once in a while, one gets the chance. That's the stuff that typically wins prizes in literary circles, and that's as things should be. Even so, anybody can write a good, hard-boiled dick deserves (and gets) my respect.
Dashiell Hammett gave us Sam Spade, and there are none better anywhere. Read 'The Maltese Falcon.' You will never be sorry.
