You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Once I recovered from learning the Sam Spade has blond hair, I really enjoyed the book. It seems to be a bit different from the movie in some details, but it's well-told and has the swagger that I find so hard to disassociate from Humphrey Bogart.
I really enjoyed reading Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon." I had already seen the movie so the plot wasn't exactly a surprise-- but the overall tone and pacing of the book that it is fun to read.
Detective Sam Spade is in his office when the pretty Miss Wonderly comes marching in with a problem that needs solving. Spade's partner ends up dead and he becomes mixed up with criminals on the hunt for the mysterious falcon.
This is the novel that was responsible for launching the era of the hard-boiled detective, whose eye for detail helps him solve crimes and have his way with the ladies. I can see why others took the idea and ran with it -- this novel is really great.
Detective Sam Spade is in his office when the pretty Miss Wonderly comes marching in with a problem that needs solving. Spade's partner ends up dead and he becomes mixed up with criminals on the hunt for the mysterious falcon.
This is the novel that was responsible for launching the era of the hard-boiled detective, whose eye for detail helps him solve crimes and have his way with the ladies. I can see why others took the idea and ran with it -- this novel is really great.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The hardboiled P.I. model
Sam Spade may have been predated by Hammett's [b:The Continental Op|30004|The Continental Op|Dashiell Hammett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1168050300s/30004.jpg|414172] but the anonymous nature of the Op agent doesn't leave the same firm picture in your mind that Sam Spade does. That image is also indelibly linked to the iconic Humphrey Bogart in the onscreen role.
There are so many later stereotypes fixed in place by this one novel that to look back on it now can make you think it is a parody of the style rather than the original boilerplate. I've read it several times now and this late revisit was due to an opportunity presented by the Audible Daily Deal. The reading by [a:Eric Meyer|14825|Eric Meyer|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was excellent, especially for the boss-man role of Casper Gutman, the sidekick Mr. Cairo and the gunsel Wilmer Cook.
Sam Spade may have been predated by Hammett's [b:The Continental Op|30004|The Continental Op|Dashiell Hammett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1168050300s/30004.jpg|414172] but the anonymous nature of the Op agent doesn't leave the same firm picture in your mind that Sam Spade does. That image is also indelibly linked to the iconic Humphrey Bogart in the onscreen role.
There are so many later stereotypes fixed in place by this one novel that to look back on it now can make you think it is a parody of the style rather than the original boilerplate. I've read it several times now and this late revisit was due to an opportunity presented by the Audible Daily Deal. The reading by [a:Eric Meyer|14825|Eric Meyer|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was excellent, especially for the boss-man role of Casper Gutman, the sidekick Mr. Cairo and the gunsel Wilmer Cook.
Not really my cup of tea but I had never read a detective novel. It's just how I imagined it would be.