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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
The writing is good but the characters are not intriguing to me. A quarter of the way through and I have no desire to go further.
The second book in Ian Rankin’s 50 Greatest Thrillers well deserves its place in history as a classic hardboiled novel. The main character, Sam Spade, is a loveable rogue that the audience can’t tire of trying to work out. His morals and personal life are more than a little questionable, but the reader is left rooting for him to the end. He is supported by a stellar supporting cast of unforgettable characters, including the rich and clever Joel Cairo, hilariously cartoon-like Gutman and the femme fatale that is Brigid O’Shaughnessy. Stealing the show is Wilmer Cook, who becomes hysterical as the hopeless and stupid stooge.
The plot is fast-paced, and the reader must work for their money to follow the twists. As those vying for the falcon change their stories, and allegiences, constantly, full marks to Hammett for constructing a story that gives the brain a good workout.
Sharp dialogue, cunning plot twists (and screams of frustration to discover O’Shaughnessy has lied again!) all add up to make The Maltese Falcon a priceless piece, not only for the characters in the book seeking the statue, but for the reader of the tale of the same name.
The plot is fast-paced, and the reader must work for their money to follow the twists. As those vying for the falcon change their stories, and allegiences, constantly, full marks to Hammett for constructing a story that gives the brain a good workout.
Sharp dialogue, cunning plot twists (and screams of frustration to discover O’Shaughnessy has lied again!) all add up to make The Maltese Falcon a priceless piece, not only for the characters in the book seeking the statue, but for the reader of the tale of the same name.
Deserves it's reputation as one of the noir greats but good God are the protagonists attitudes dated. Also features stock standard offensive stereotypes towards gay men. If you are willing to accept these as an unfortunate consequence then there's an excellent mystery and a well paced story with convincingly awful characters to be found, however if not they will absolutely ruin the book for you.
I love crime novels. I love novels that are completely insane. I love over the top detective tropes. This is straight up my alley.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up because I wanted something different. I don't read that many mysteries, but this was such a classic, and it wasn't that long, so I thought I'd give it a go. Somehow, I've never seen the movie, but I will have to see it now. Plus, I found out the author is originally from Maryland.
This is a real mood book. I mean, I didn't know the exact plot, but I knew the gist of the story, and more importantly, I knew the characters of Sam Spade (the cold and calculating detective) and the femme fatale Brigid character. It was fun to read this book and see where so many tropes of these type of characters for this type of story came from originally.
I won't spoil the plot or anything, but I think it starts out well but doesn't finish as well as it might. The characters and the mood/tone of this book are what make it. So if you need a departure read that will make you feel like you are back in early 20th century San Francisco amidst an interesting set of shady characters, pick up this book.
This is a real mood book. I mean, I didn't know the exact plot, but I knew the gist of the story, and more importantly, I knew the characters of Sam Spade (the cold and calculating detective) and the femme fatale Brigid character. It was fun to read this book and see where so many tropes of these type of characters for this type of story came from originally.
I won't spoil the plot or anything, but I think it starts out well but doesn't finish as well as it might. The characters and the mood/tone of this book are what make it. So if you need a departure read that will make you feel like you are back in early 20th century San Francisco amidst an interesting set of shady characters, pick up this book.
This is probably my favorite of the classic noir novels I've read in the past few years. Try to read it without hearing Humphrey Bogart's voice in your head. I bet you can't
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:
No