armoore1231 's review for:

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

3.5

dark tense slow-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

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More of a genre establishing entry than a mastery of the genre noir, the intrigue isn’t that intriguing, the mystery isn’t that mysterious, and the main character isn’t nearly as fuckable as Dashiell Hammett thinks he is. I had some very clever ideas for twists that I will whisper to the ghost of DH in seance in case he wants to use them (I am not sure how temporality works in the spirit world). I thought the frame-up was on Spade, which would have been rewarding. I also thought Effie mod podged the fake-o falcon and kept the real one at her mom’s so the gang could double cash in. Either of these would have been more satisfying endings! 

Extra . 25 star for the extremely horny description of rolling a cigarette in Chapter 2.