The Maltese Falcon by Dashiel Hammett is the quintessential detective novel with Sam Spade as the prototype detective. Hammett created a detective archetype (or at least popularized it) that survives (and even thrives) to this day. I would guess that more people have seen the movie (the Humphrey Bogart version) than have read the book. So, is the book worth reading or should people just see the movie?

Sam Spade is a private detective in a partnership with Miles Archer. He is also having an affair with Archer’s wife. When a client walks in concerned about the man her baby sister has run off with, they take the case and Archer goes to tail the man. Spade is woken up later that night to find out that Archer is dead. And then he later finds out that the man Archer was tailing is dead as well. Spade figures out pretty quickly that he was setup and soon is embroiled in a situation involving several parties all wanting a Maltese Falcon. The Falcon is rumored to be worth millions, but is encrusted with black enamel to hide its true value.

Spade is a cool, detached detective who plays goes for justice, not just the law. He willingly deals with criminals and ignores (or lies to) police to achieve the justice he feels is right. This detective is a different style than previous detectives such as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot (NOTE: I have not read any Carroll John Daly, but supposedly he has a claim to be the originator of this archetype). The characters are more realistic and we delve much more into the criminal underworld than earlier detective novels had done.

As for the style, Hammett popularized the short staccato prose that is used to this day (by great effect at times by James Ellroy) in some detective novels. The plot is convoluted, but never confusing. And you always know who is who and that Spade will always do the right thing. Raymond Chandler, who copied a lot of Hammett’s style has said that Hammett “gave murder back to the kind of people who do it for a reason, not just to provide a corpse”. If you’ve loved The Maltese Falcon movie or want to see the beginnings of the acerbic, loner private detective, then you should read The Maltese Falcon. Highly recommended.