Maltese Falcon Book Summary
A classic that helped change the way writers told detective stories the maltese falcon is a classic case that contains all th.
Maltese falcon book summary. The maltese falconis a slim novel that moves along at a rapid pace and feels almost as fleeting as watching the iconic film adaptation starring humphrey bogart as its world weary private detective sam spade. Dashiell hammett s the maltese falcon chapter summary. Plot summary a quick reference summary. The novel has been filmed four times twice under its original title.
In san francisco during the late 1920s the beautiful miss wonderly arrives at samuel spade and miles archer s detective agency. She asks the detectives to follow a man named floyd thursby who she claims has run off with her younger sister corinne. Her only hope of protection comes from sam who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. It turns out she s a knockout with money.
It is a detective novel set in 1928 in san francisco featuring protagonist sam spade who also appears in three other lesser known short stories. It is an early example of the hardboiled detective novel which departs from novels in the romantic tradition that heavily emphasize characters emotions and instead introduces a cynical and. There s kasper gutman with his enormous girth and feigned civility. When gutman summons him back to his hotel suite spade learns that the falcon is an ancient ornament made in malta encrusted with precious gems and later in its bloody history covered with black.
The maltese falcon by dashiell hammet was originally published serially in the magazine black mask in five parts between 1929 and 1930. A concise biography of dashiell hammett plus historical and literary context for the maltese falcon. The maltese falcon 1931 the first version a pre code production starring ricardo cortez as sam spade and bebe. Set in depression era san francisco and introducing the world to samuel spade hammett s the maltese falcon became a detective story that many in the genre still try to measure up to today.
Find summaries for every chapter including a the maltese falcon chapter summary chart to help you understand the book. More murders are yet to come and it will all be because of these dangerous men and their lust for a statuette of a bird. And she wants to hire the services of a private detective to find her missing sister who supposedly ran off with a crook named thursby. The novel begins when the knockout miss wonderly walks into spade s office.
The maltese falcon summary.