Scan barcode
erinastin's review against another edition
4.0
About as classic as a hard-boiled detective mystery can get. Made me want a cigarette and a glass of bourbon. Sam Spade is such a fun character to read about!
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
4.0
The mysterious, alluring woman who can't necessarily be trusted. The search for an exotic, expensive item that people will kill for, literally. The detective who has strong morals but will bend the law to find the truth. All of these familiar elements of hardboiled detective novels began in 1930 with "The Maltese Falcon," which is the Big Read selection for 2012.
I really got sucked into this book! The action begins right away and is nonstop until the end. The author tells a lot of the story and develops the characters by using details to create a mental picture, and all of the details are relevant. There aren't any insignificant descriptions cluttering things up. Hammett's storytelling made the story come alive for me, and there are lots of twists in the plot that kept me interested. I'll definitely be checking out some of his other novels and short stories.
I really got sucked into this book! The action begins right away and is nonstop until the end. The author tells a lot of the story and develops the characters by using details to create a mental picture, and all of the details are relevant. There aren't any insignificant descriptions cluttering things up. Hammett's storytelling made the story come alive for me, and there are lots of twists in the plot that kept me interested. I'll definitely be checking out some of his other novels and short stories.
newdaffy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
laz_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
joshnew10987's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
2.0
I began reading [b:The Maltese Falcon|29999|The Maltese Falcon|Dashiell Hammett|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1306421260s/29999.jpg|980184] with every expectation that I would enjoy it. I have heard so many comparisons of [a:Dashiell Hammett|16927|Dashiell Hammett|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1287255332p2/16927.jpg] to [a:Raymond Chandler|1377|Raymond Chandler|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206535318p2/1377.jpg] that anything else seemed impossible. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Try as hard as I can, I cannot see where the brilliance supposedly lies. All of the ingredients are there: beautiful, lying and tragic woman; hard-boiled detective; copious amounts of booze and coffee; evil men slapping the beautiful women in the face. (Seriously, what is up with all the slapping in noir?) Somehow, despite everything, it came off less compelling than a third-rate [a:Alistair MacLean|26970|Alistair MacLean|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1238207294p2/26970.jpg]. What's up with that?
onkeltuka's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
crowsandprose's review against another edition
4.0
The writing, on a techinical level, is a bit weak; there are a lot of phrase that are quite gripping though! However, it's not the style or the skill that defined The Maltese Falcon. It's that there is only one good human being in the whole book -- the secratery!
Poor Effie has no idea about the world she lives on the fringes of. Sam Spade's foggy Noir San Francisco is steeped with corruption, vendetta and greed. You wouldn't want to live there, but it's not a bad place to visit for a while.
Had the writing been as strong as the story, this would have scored 5 out of 5. However, it's technical flaws cannot entirely br ignored.
Poor Effie has no idea about the world she lives on the fringes of. Sam Spade's foggy Noir San Francisco is steeped with corruption, vendetta and greed. You wouldn't want to live there, but it's not a bad place to visit for a while.
Had the writing been as strong as the story, this would have scored 5 out of 5. However, it's technical flaws cannot entirely br ignored.
avent1ne's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
jprocino's review against another edition
1.0
An invigorating mystery as all Hammett books are, but it was difficult to overlook the misogyny and homophobia. I know the book was written before WW1, but it really detracts from the enjoyment. If you’re looking to read Hammett, I would suggest The Thin Man.