Awesome book, one of my favorites. I plan on reading more by Hammett; the style was clean and engaging. Even having seen the movie first didn't stop the book from holding my attention in the slightest. ( )

This is THE defining work of the 20s era private investigator mystery. Sam Spade must track down his partner’s killer as he tries to help the beautiful Brigid find the illusive Maltese Falcon. But the bodies begin to add up and Spade realizes he cannot believe anything anyone is telling him (tough guy that he is), least of all Brigid. The writing is incredibly descriptive, the story line so unpredictable, and the characters so intriguing that this book is an amazingly fast read that was hard to put down. I never knew what was going to happen next (I love when that happens) and most of all, I just ache for Spade in the decision he makes at the end. It’s like Casablanca, only better…cause it’s a book. ( )

I've always loved the movie but, never took the time to read the book. I'm sorry I didn't read it sooner. I'll be reading it again. ( )

Read 'The Maltese Falcon.' Watch the Bogart movie. Read the book again. One thing that should strike you is the fact that there is scarcely one spare word in either creation. Working with Hammett's book in one hand, John Huston must have slapped his screenplay together in about 30 minutes.

Hammett's 'Falcon' is tight as a drumhead. The characters are not drawn but chiseled. The action is as fast as any speeding bullet. Every word of dialog sparks blue and crackles with electricity while it speeds things along. Nothing is wasted. 'The Maltese Falcon' is lean and mean, 100 percent nonfat.

Chandler's Marlowe is more cerebral. Every once in a while he even notices what somebody is wearing. In recent memory, only Gus Hasford's Dowdy Lewis is so hard, so fast, so smooth, and cracks so wise. Hammett's Spade, by contrast, doesn't horse around. He just walks into the room and goes for the throat.

Philosophical issues are fun to ponder. It's nice to be able to think about big issues when, every once in a while, one gets the chance. That's the stuff that typically wins prizes in literary circles, and that's as things should be. Even so, anybody can write a good, hard-boiled dick deserves (and gets) my respect.

Dashiell Hammett gave us Sam Spade, and there are none better anywhere. Read 'The Maltese Falcon.' You will never be sorry. ( )

Sit down, sir, no need to stand there. We are civilized people here, not barbarians. But in civilization, sir, some people are rulers and some people are pawns. Sometimes pawns need to be sacrificed. But, I digress, sir. Have a drink while I tell you about the bird and the hunt for it.

Where it comes from and where it goes is of no consequence. The only thing that matters is the story. And, sir, let me say, what a story it is. Absolutely archetypical in the telling, in the characterizations and the execution. Forgive my little pun there. Force of habit, you know. Yes, I dare say that by now, you know all these characters, the hard boiled cops, the grieving cheating widow, the philanderous partner; you can anticipate all the crosses and double crosses; you know who ends up clean and who ends up dead. But remember, sir, the type was perfected here.

Yes, it is not so much about goal, but the road to the goal, and what a road it was. The road does not exist anymore. It was antiquated, so it was redressed, it was modernized, it was polished to look like new and renamed repeatedly, but none of the modern versions have the charm of the original. These modern versions still have diversions on the road to tempt and charm you, but none, sir, have the power the original had. Truly a one-of-a-kind creation.

If you like your detective stories and your whiskey raw and straight up, this is the story for you. If you pride yourself on collecting originals, not cheap imitations, let us negotiate for a deal, sir, one we can both live to enjoy. If you, sir, are astute enough to know there is not an original sin in the world, only the manner the sins are committed, you will appreciate this recounting of what one bard may call the most unoriginal sin.

Good day, sir, and may you enjoy your journey as much as I did. ( )

I've read this & "The Thin Man" before, but not for many years, so no rating yet. I'm due to re-read it for a book group soon. Probably more fair to rate it then as the book & the movie have melded in my head. I remember liking both quite a bit, but it says something that I haven't re-read the book.--------Jan09, I'm reading it again with an entirely new appreciation of it. The story line was great. It's a mystery with a tough PI in it. He's a tough, but flawed man, which makes the story even more suspenseful since you're not quite sure what he's going to do next. It's set in 1929, the year it was first published, but isn't particularly dated except by some of the police procedures. Things were a lot more loose then. Some of the descriptions are a bit odd. There's some extreme detail about things most wouldn't bother to describe now. Other times, it was the opposite.All in all, I enjoyed it very much. It was well worth re-reading. ( )

My favorite classic mystery, definitely Hammett's best work in novel form. ( )

An international quest for the Maltese Falcon, an alcoholic detective, and a femme fatale make for a purely enjoyable read. Doesn't hurt that it got made into a Humphrey Bogart movie either. ( )

I seem to have trouble liking classics. I had heard that [The Maltese Falcon] was Dashiell Hammett's finest work, but if t is, I don't want to read another. I got through this book, that's about all I'll say because I felt that the writing was poor and that there was too much repetition of the actions and words that were used. If I read one more time about how he rolled a cigarette, I was closing the book and quitting right there. Besides the fact, I didn't think that it was much of a mystery.
I hope that this year I can find at least one new classic that I can enjoy. ( )

I finally understand why people like this author! This is a great mystery, with lots of twists and guessing who's telling which parts of the truth. Sam Spade is a great main character who's easy to root for and I loved his secretary, Effie. Highly recommended for any mystery-lover. ( )

The Maltese Falcon reads like a photo (if this metaphor makes sense) - the imagery is well-rendered without being overly-descriptive, and it really puts the reader into the scene, as it were. It was a quick read, full of action and enigmatic characters, and it's easy to see how much it contributed to the film noir genre. ( )

Hammett's descriptive prose is remarkable. His depiction of The Fat Man is unforgettable. "The fat man was flabbily fat with bulbous pink cheeks and lips and chins and neck, with a great soft egg of a belly that was all his torso, and pendant cones for arms and legs". ( )

The Maltese Falcon is one of those stories that's dripping with cliches, and yet at the same time it isn't, because it's the story that invented those cliches in the first place. Sam Spade, hardboiled private eye in 1930s San Francisco, is embroiled in a mystery surrounding the whereabouts of a priceless artifact from the Crusades. There are swooning dames, murders on foggy nights, criminals discussing business over hard liquor, strangers hailing from the Orient and the Levant, and vital clues found cut from the shipping news. Perhaps I was just giving him the benefit of the doubt, but Hammett manages to make all of this reek with style, even to a 21st century mind that has been plastered with these genre tropes over and over again. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, or even a particularly great book, but I enjoyed reading it well enough even though it's older than my grandparents, and that has to count for something. ( )

I know the movie well, and it's great to read/listen to the novel to spot the places where it diverges. Bogart and Astor weren't good physical matches for their characters, but their performances perfectly captured Hammett's creations. ( )

Just about as good as it gets

Just about as good as it gets

http://geekylibrarian.wordpress.com/2... ( )

A modern classic that was a surprisingly light read. I would have rated it higher if the climax and ending had been different. Still this was well worth the time spent reading it and would have been a promising series instead of a one shot classic. ( )

Because I’m such a Chandler fan, I always compare any “noir” PI to Philip Marlowe. Sam Spade is a different animal altogether. Of course I couldn’t help picturing Bogart in my head at first, but by the end, the blonde Satan took over and I think that fits Spade’s borderline-sociopath nature better.

Spade is more ruthless and cruel than Marlowe and more devious and intellectual than Hammer. He’s manipulative and has questionable motives for the things he does. During this latest ensnarement (I didn’t really think of this as a case, more of a trap) he knew the extent of how much he was being played pretty much from the start. Instead of trying to rectify things, he just turned the tables and set people up, some in needlessly cruel ways. It didn’t make him likable in the way Marlowe and even Hammer are likeable, but he is interesting to watch. ( )

I had of course already seen the movie when I read this, and, in case you're wondering, the movie (as I remember it - it's been a while) is practically exactly the same as the book. No doubt Sam Spade is one of the most bizarre characters in a book I've ever read, and he's made more bizarre by the fact that Hammett never really explains his motivation; the narration is strictly external and descriptive, so the reader is left to guess what Spade is up to. While Spade does sometimes explain his actions, Spade is not a particularly honest man, so we don't know what is and is not true - nor do we even know if Spade knows what is and is not true. I'm not sure it's great literature, but it's enigmatic enough to make me come back for more. ( )

Who can not have a romantic thought towards the Noir genre. Shady detectives, femm fatals, gangsters, and a treasure thrown in for good measure, this story is an entertaining ride. However, it is not a crime or mystery novel that I think most people would assume it to be. As one poster put, most of the story is about bargaining. How will Spade out wit the police and the bad guys. The prose is short crisp and economical. Hammett does not waste words to create his world or characters. The reader feels more than sees what is going on. Overall, it is a fun book, and a good starter for anyone wanting to dive into the Noir genre. ( )

Great read. Hard not to imagine the movie. ( )

I needed a break from difficult science books so I delved into a slender noir detective story. Quite possible the most cynical book I’ve read, but it keeps you turning the pages. Hammet succeeds in developing the unexpected without using cute little SHOCKING plot twists common to the genre. In fact, a lot of the book is just talking and bargaining. In a sense there’s less of a mystery to solve and more of a question in how Sam Spade will outwit his foes. The ending was a bit dull, but overall I was impressed by this nov ( )

At first I found Hammett's prose to be as abrasive as his main character, Sam Spade. Slowly, however, I found myself being drawn into Hammett's world, until by the end I couldn't put the book down. And while I ultimately prefer the simpler style of Chandler, Hammett is certainly better at creating characters that haunt and plot lines that beguile. Definitely one of the best Noir books I have ever read. ( )