The Maltese Falcon

'I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble.' One of the most iconic hardboiled detective novels in history, The Maltese Falcon is a gripping 1930s noir which was the inspiration behind the 1941 film classic staring Humphrey Bogart. It is 1928, San Fracisco, where greed lurks behind every smile and trust is nothing but a fatal mistake. When beautiful stranger, Miss Wonderley, walks into the office of private detective Sam Spade asking for help, he is suddenly thrown into a deadly hunt for a priceless and keenly sought black statuette of a falcon. With every step of the investigation, another body is found, another betrayal is unveiled and another motive shifts into something else entirely. But Spade, with his cynical code of conduct, grit and sharp mind, is determined to uncover the falcon – no matter the cost. Pacey, brilliantly ruthless and ambiguous at every turn, The Maltese Falcon remains one of Hammett's masterpieces – and for good reason. Dashiell Hammett (1894 – 1961) was an American novelist, screenwriter and left-wing activist. He was renowned for his detective fiction and mystery writing, and had a profound influence on the hardboiled crime and noir genres. His works are consistently ranked as some of the best English-language novels from the twentieth century.