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A review by shanehawk
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
5.0
Simply phenomenal. This was my first detective/crime/noir novel and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. The pacing was smooth as butter and the dialogue was so quotable you know I’m sharing some at the end of this review. Published in 1930 and set in Depression Era San Francisco you get a feel of aged culture through Hammett’s dialogue. He wrote this novel extremely well and it’s apparent to anyone who gives it a go. The story is essentially about a woman who needs a detective to protect her from a few hoodlums in dire search of a small bird statue and will do anything to obtain it. By the way, this novel was adapted to the silver screen and Spade was played by none other than Humphrey Bogart.
The cast of main characters here is short, but sweet. Each one offers a different and fun dynamic. The protagonist, Sam Spade, is as hard-boiled as characters come. He’s so glib he’s up there with James Bond. He plays the private investigator and doesn’t take crap from anyone. The comically named Casper Gutman is a man who is both very fat and pink. Hammett doesn’t let you forget he is fat or pink for one second. Joel Cairo is from the Middle East as Hammett repeatedly refers to him as the “Levantine.” He is somewhat effeminate and is working in conjunction with Gutman. Brigid O’Shaughnessy plays the femme fatale and lures Spade into a mess of a situation. She plays innocent but throughout the novel new details build her up to be a woman who breaks bad.
The chapters are chopped up impeccably as there aren’t any which draw on too long nor any which abruptly end. Hammett’s pacing is immaculate as said before. The entire story fits within 215 pages or so depending on which edition you find. It can be easily read in a day of leisure.
Now for some of my favorite quotes:
Joel Cairo: “You always have a very smooth explanation ready.”
Sam Spade: “What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?”
Sam Spade: “Listen, Dundy, it's been a long time since I burst into tears because a policeman didn't like me.”
Sam Spade (Talking to Cairo): “And when you're slapped you'll take it and like it.”
The cast of main characters here is short, but sweet. Each one offers a different and fun dynamic. The protagonist, Sam Spade, is as hard-boiled as characters come. He’s so glib he’s up there with James Bond. He plays the private investigator and doesn’t take crap from anyone. The comically named Casper Gutman is a man who is both very fat and pink. Hammett doesn’t let you forget he is fat or pink for one second. Joel Cairo is from the Middle East as Hammett repeatedly refers to him as the “Levantine.” He is somewhat effeminate and is working in conjunction with Gutman. Brigid O’Shaughnessy plays the femme fatale and lures Spade into a mess of a situation. She plays innocent but throughout the novel new details build her up to be a woman who breaks bad.
The chapters are chopped up impeccably as there aren’t any which draw on too long nor any which abruptly end. Hammett’s pacing is immaculate as said before. The entire story fits within 215 pages or so depending on which edition you find. It can be easily read in a day of leisure.
Now for some of my favorite quotes:
Joel Cairo: “You always have a very smooth explanation ready.”
Sam Spade: “What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?”
Sam Spade: “Listen, Dundy, it's been a long time since I burst into tears because a policeman didn't like me.”
Sam Spade (Talking to Cairo): “And when you're slapped you'll take it and like it.”