The Maltese Falcon
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3.9 • 22 Ratings
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- $0.99
Publisher Description
Who shot Miles Archer? It doesn’t really matter. The characters and dialogue in The Maltese Falcon are so vivid that this question is ignored throughout most of the story. The novel's atmosphere is dense as a San Francisco fog, and its descriptions of locations are so accurate that many can been pinpointed on a map.
Sam Spade, like the Continental Op, was a San Francisco private detective. Unlike the Op, he didn’t work for a big agency; he also lacked the Op’s hard-and-fast ethical code. For a great deal of the story, it’s hard to tell which side he’s on.
Although Hammett never managed to write the "serious mainstream novels" that he had hoped to, many consider The Maltese Falcon to be a classic in its own right.
Falcon debuted in serial form in five issues of Black Mask, between September 1929 and January 1930. The hardback edition became available in February 1930.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The classic noir story is given new life with this full-cast adaptation. When a damsel in distress steps into Sam Spade's office spinning a yarn of a kidnapped sister and shady older man, Spade is doubtful but intrigued. Soon, he's pulled into an international hunt for a bird made of gold that leaves a trail of dead bodies, including his partner. Michael Madsen initially comes on a bit strong as Spade with a tone and growl that goes beyond previous renditions, but by the end, he has appreciatively mellowed. The supporting cast (including Sandra Oh and Edward Herrmann) are fine but unmemorable. The sound effects fading in and out of the production prove so subtle that it's often hard to determine if one is hearing them from the story or from the real world. The occasional musical score is reminiscent of old-time radio and used sparingly. A Vintage paperback.
