The Maltese Falcon
Short Story
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Private Detective Sam Spade and his partner, Miles Archer, are hired by the beautiful Miss Wonderly to track down her sister’s brutish boyfriend, Floyd Thursby. Spade is dubious, but the pair take the case, and when both Archer and Thursby wind up in body bags within twenty-four hours, Spade realizes that there is far more to this case than Wonderly had let on.
Sam Spade has long been considered the definitive example of a hard-boiled detective, and author Daishell Hammett effectively established the hard-boiled crime genre through his stories about detectives like Sam Spade and the hard-nosed Continental Op. "The Maltese Falcon" has been adapted several times, most famously in the 1941 film starring Humphrey Bogart in the role of Sam Spade.
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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.
