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smithjasont01 's review for:
The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"I distrust a man that says when. If he's got to be careful not to drink to much it's because he's not to be trusted when he does."
Sam Spade a San Francisco detective and his partner take on a case of a missing sister. It is only when his partner gets killed and the man who killed him also ends up shot that Spade realizes that the woman who hired him has more secrets than she is letting on. This leads us on a chase for the ancient and priceless artifact that is the Maltese Falcon. Spade has his work cut out for him as he tracks down the artifact, with both the police and criminals on his tail.
The start of the hard boiled crime genre this is a quick and fun read. The characters all have distinct personalities and play off each other really well. The descriptions throughout the novel also really paint the scenes, everything from Spade rolling a cigarette, to the way the characters look. The writing very tell not show which works well for the crime novel as then we are forced to learn things when the characters are figuring things out and makes the ending of the book better.
You can see where some of the various noir cliches come from this being one of the first books like this. It is a product of its time so late 20s early 30s stereotypes do pop up but aren't overbearing or take you out of the story.
Overall an enjoyable read and change up from the usual genres I read.
Sam Spade a San Francisco detective and his partner take on a case of a missing sister. It is only when his partner gets killed and the man who killed him also ends up shot that Spade realizes that the woman who hired him has more secrets than she is letting on. This leads us on a chase for the ancient and priceless artifact that is the Maltese Falcon. Spade has his work cut out for him as he tracks down the artifact, with both the police and criminals on his tail.
The start of the hard boiled crime genre this is a quick and fun read. The characters all have distinct personalities and play off each other really well. The descriptions throughout the novel also really paint the scenes, everything from Spade rolling a cigarette, to the way the characters look. The writing very tell not show which works well for the crime novel as then we are forced to learn things when the characters are figuring things out and makes the ending of the book better.
You can see where some of the various noir cliches come from this being one of the first books like this. It is a product of its time so late 20s early 30s stereotypes do pop up but aren't overbearing or take you out of the story.
Overall an enjoyable read and change up from the usual genres I read.