The Maltese Falcon

Dashiell Hammett's penultimate work gives detective Sam Spade the perfect platform to do his thing. The role made famous by Humphrey Bogart, Hammett's writing made it easy to create the character, drawing on his many years of work for the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

Establishing the mystery detective noir, this classic brings the reader front and center into the tail end of the Great Depression, and the heady 1930's. The story is told entirely from a third person narrative, with very little revealed in the character's thought processes.

The story has been adapted into film form several times, with the most popular of these efforts being the 1941 production starring Humphrey Bogart.

Most fascinating is how each of the characters operate within the recognizable structure of a guided moral code, except for Same Spade, who exists within his own moral code.

The book is an adventure in words, guaranteeing to draw the reader in, and hold them fast.

A book worth reading, with characters and a story plot worth revisiting.