The Maltese Falcon

De: Dashiell Hammett

Narrado por: Robertson Dean

The definitive masterpiece of the hard-boiled detective genre, The Maltese Falcon first appeared in the pages of Black Mask magazine in 1929 and was almost immediately acknowledged as not only a great crime novel but an enduring masterpiece of American fiction.

Tough, cynical PI Sam Spade - a man who, as his creator explained, is "able to take care of himself in any situation, able to get the best of anybody he comes in contact with" - is hired by the story's irresistible femme fatale, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, to locate the client's sister by tailing her companion. Spade's partner, Miles Archer, takes on the assignment, and quickly both he and the man he was shadowing are murdered. As Spade pursues the mystery of his partner's death, he is drawn into a circle of colorful characters - all of them after a legendary statuette of a falcon fashioned long ago for King Charles of Spain.

Made of gold and encrusted with jewels, the falcon is worth a fortune. Missing for centuries, it resurfaced in Paris in 1911, covered in black enamel to disguise its value, and then disappeared again until it was traced to Constantinople - and now, it would seem, to Spade's own backyard.

©2018 Dashiell Hammett (P)2018 Blackstone Publishing

The ultimate private-eye noir classic

I mean, who hasn’t heard of The Maltese Falcon, right? And for most of us it’ll mean instant memories of Humphrey Bogart in the role of Sam Spade, the ultimate private eye. You’ll also remember Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, the fantastic plot, and the dialogue, man, that dialogue it’s, you know, the stuff that dreams are made of.

Well, there’s that film and, frankly, if that’s all you’ll ever know about The Maltese Falcon, you’re wonderfully served. But did you know, for example, that several Maltese Falcon films were made? But now about the novel. Dashiell Hammett wrote it in serialized form in the late 1920s, it was then published as a novel in 1930.

If you’re a screenwriter like me then this novel will feel to you like a screenplay. Screenplays are extroverted. In them you read what happens on screen, what is seen, what is said, what is heard. Novels, most often, are introverted. They’ll come with a lot of character musings, we get to be in their heads, read about their thoughts, get to know them beyond their external actions. Not so in script, there’s not a single line in a screenplay about what’s happening inside a character’s head - there is only what they say, what they do, how they act and react. In Hammett’s novel then, he does just that - there’s nothing about what characters feel or think. Made me feel right at home as a screenwriter and, frankly, John Huston (who directed and also wrote the screenplay) must have felt the same way.

Aside from the novel being very script-like, it was also startling to me just how faithfully the iconic film follows the novel. For much of the novel I could just see Bogie and Mary Astor and the rest of the amazing cast - the lines were there, word for word, the actions, the big things, the little things - seemingly all there. Obviously, a number of things had to be cut to pack it all into the film, but, again, faithful as can be.

However, that iconic line I mentioned in the opening paragraph? “The Stuff that dreams are made of” - that awesomely epic line - is not in the novel (legend has it that Bogie himself suggested that line). I’m sure Hammett didn’t mind that particular addition! Oh, since we’re on the topic of Humphrey Bogart - he was nothing like the Sam Spade Hammett had created in his novel. The original Sam Spade was a blond hulking pack of muscles with - get this - eyes that often appear yellow! The novel’s Spade is also a lot meaner, spiteful, occasionally petty, downright cruel. Bogart plays all of that to some degree, but he gave us a Sam Spade who’s tough as nails while, underneath, we can always feel that there’s a cool and mature soul with, ultimately, the heart in the right place.

Well then, should you ever feel like going down the Maltese Falcon rabbit hole, then know that watching the Huston/Bogart film is a great starting point. Now pick up the novel and know that it’ll be like watching the movie, but it still offers a few surprises - such as the “Flitcraft Parable” … at some point in the novel this feels like the author’s giving us a break, a time-out, an intermezzo from the twisted plot. Sam Spade hangs out with Bridget O’Shaughnessy and tells her the story of a man name Flitcraft, who, after almost being killed by a falling beam, just leaves his family behind and vanished. It certainly is an unusual element in The Maltese Falcon. Clearly, the story means something to Sam Spade, he likes that “He adjusted himself to beams falling, and then no more of them fell, and he adjusted himself to them not falling.”

And when you’re done reading the novel, then why not check out the other Maltese Falcon movie adaptations? The first was made in 1931 (10 years before the Bogie version) and pretty much vanished for many years because it censors denied approval as the film was considered to contain lewd elements. The second film followed in 1936 and was called Satan Met a Lady - it starred Bette Davis and was more of a comedic take on the novel. Another ‘funny’ adaptation came about in the seventies, a film called The Black Bird, starring George Segal as Sam Spade. I have to say, I haven’t seen these three films, but now that I’m writing about them, I really want to!

Good Story--Mediocre Listen

I have been listening to Poirot and decided to branch out in the dectective/mystery genre. After years of hearing how great The Maltese Falcon and the Thin Man (both by the author) were, I figured this would be a delight, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping.
The story is solid, but the main character felt one-dimensional. Not sure if that was the reader or the author's choice to constantly talk about his "V-shaped mouth" and smiles/grimaces.
In favor of the book, I will say the noir atmosphere really paints a picture. I liked that. In favor of the reader, he does LOTS of recognizable voices--easy to follow.
But the pacing of this was off somehow.

Absolutely Fantastic

Not only (especially being a nut for the era in which this was written) was this a fantastic read, it gives me a greater appreciation for the film (Bogart/Astor Version). The way the characters unfold through dialogue and action lead me to believe it was a PERFECTLY cast film. If you’re a nerd for history and the era this one is a MUST.

Fantastic narration. Story a star underwhelming.

Having seen the film 7 or 8 times, this first (and last) go of the novel was most definitely underwhelming.

The ending felt very anticlimactic compared to the film, as I was waiting to hear Sam Spade say, "It's uhh....the things dreams are made of."

Narration was excellent.

A classic

I’ve heard about this book and this author for a long time and of course I saw the movie. This was exactly what I expected.....even a little more hard boiled.

Classic

The best work of detective fiction ever. Totally engaging from the get go. Emotional, engaging, conflicted, dangerous, and breathtaking. Sam Spade, Miles Archer, Brigid Shaunessy, Gutman, Joel Cairo, Vilmer, Effie are all still alive and well. Sad, heroic. Well written, well narrated.

Not the detective you’d expect

This story Is great. The detective does all the things that the best story book detectives do and he also does all the things they never do. Sam spade is a super interesting character. I highly recommend reading this story it will keep you guessing until the very end.

There’s a reason why this is a classic

I picked up this title on a bit of a whim. I’ve never seen the movie, but I grew up in San Francisco. It just felt like a good idea as a bit of a diversion.

Wow, what a great decision.

The book is gripping from start to finish. It has all the feel of a 1920s Detective story. There are plenty of twists, and turns to the book, with the usual climactic ending.

Dean's narration is spot on. I don’t know what Sam Spade would really sound like, but I would say that Dean has him down cold.

Too drawn out?

I felt that some sections of the book just went on and on. The story was ok, this was perhaps my first detective book, and probably the last; not my cup of tea.

The narration though, was excellent. Probably the one thing that drew me in to the book was the narrator.

Intriguing From The Beginning

Couldn't put it down, so to speak! It grabbed me from start to finish. Plan to find the movie next.