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trilbynorton's review
2.0
A Sam Spade wannabe is transported to a Hollywood backlot version of Dark Ages Britain. The first half is a comprehensive recreation of The Maltese Falcon in Camelot, with entire conversations sometimes lifted directly from that book. Problem is, instead of finding any similarities between mid-twentieth century hardboiled detective fiction and Arthurian legend, the author contorts the latter so out of shape to fit the former that it resembles nothing more than a film noir set at a shoddy Renaissance fair. The second half is an original mystery, and the difference in quality between this and the Dashiell Hammett rip-off is noticeable and not in the author's favour.
jandi's review
3.0
Fun, light hearted noir. Fortunately I have very bad memory, and while the first half of the book is pretty much a dead on retelling of "The Maltese Falcon", with Arthurian window dressing, all the twists and turns are unexpected. Sam Sparrow is whisked away to King Arthur's Court by Merlin in the middle of the shoot out, and asked to watch over the place while Merlin goes away on some short quest. Damsels in distress, gangsters, sergeants (aka knights) and a valuable avian all appear. Don't expect legendary or historical accuracy - it is a lot more faithful to the 1941 movie than to Arthurian lore. The second half is a different mystery, with another plot in the present to round things up.
Spoiler
I was a bit disappointed that Merlin used a spell to make Sam's gun never run out of bullets, but the gun never plays a role in the mysteries in Arthur's time, just in a little side plot in the present. Oh well.bhagestedt's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
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