The Maltese Falcon - book review
THE MALTESE FALCON (1930)
Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon is arguably one of the best detective novels ever written.
The setting is a typical San Fransisco of the 30s where money is everything and people go beyond limits to pursue their greed.
Sam Spade, a private eye and partner with Spade & Archer’s detective agency, is not surprised when the beautiful and unsuspecting Ms Wonderly walks in his office with a made-up case to find her lost sister; the rolled-bills are laid and in no time does Spade find his partner Archer killed and himself in a mire of events.
Enter Joel Cairo and to Spade’s chagrin (of not having recognized her earlier), Ms Wonderly actually turns out to be Brigid O Shaunessey…all in pursuit of the priceless Maltese Falcon, a treasure of invaluable worth. The turn of events get chillier when gangster Gutman enters the scene. The stage is then set for a series of nail-biting events mixed with some ruthless sleuthing by Spade, defining his own but questionable code of ethics.
Dashiell Hammett’s writing style, though simple, brings out the thrills and chills quite effectively and is something to be admired. So is his ability in portraying a corrupt 30s San Fransisco; nobody is spared and nobody is good. At times one would wonder if Spade is really our hero. To an avid reader, The Maltese Falcon could turn out to be unputdownable.
The book features in one of the 100 best read books and the movie version of the same doesn’t stay far. Starring Humphrey Bogart as Samuel Spade, the 1941 movie, titled same as the book, went on to become critically acclaimed, also features in the 100 best movies made in Hollywood.
Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon is arguably one of the best detective novels ever written.
The setting is a typical San Fransisco of the 30s where money is everything and people go beyond limits to pursue their greed.
Sam Spade, a private eye and partner with Spade & Archer’s detective agency, is not surprised when the beautiful and unsuspecting Ms Wonderly walks in his office with a made-up case to find her lost sister; the rolled-bills are laid and in no time does Spade find his partner Archer killed and himself in a mire of events.
Enter Joel Cairo and to Spade’s chagrin (of not having recognized her earlier), Ms Wonderly actually turns out to be Brigid O Shaunessey…all in pursuit of the priceless Maltese Falcon, a treasure of invaluable worth. The turn of events get chillier when gangster Gutman enters the scene. The stage is then set for a series of nail-biting events mixed with some ruthless sleuthing by Spade, defining his own but questionable code of ethics.
Dashiell Hammett’s writing style, though simple, brings out the thrills and chills quite effectively and is something to be admired. So is his ability in portraying a corrupt 30s San Fransisco; nobody is spared and nobody is good. At times one would wonder if Spade is really our hero. To an avid reader, The Maltese Falcon could turn out to be unputdownable.
The book features in one of the 100 best read books and the movie version of the same doesn’t stay far. Starring Humphrey Bogart as Samuel Spade, the 1941 movie, titled same as the book, went on to become critically acclaimed, also features in the 100 best movies made in Hollywood.
posted by Vikram at 8:02 PM
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