Review: The Maltese Flacon by Dashiell Hammett

The Maltese Flacon by Dashiell Hammett

Sam Spade, a private detective in San Francisco has just found the most interesting case of his career. It started with the mysterious death of his partner, Miles Archer, who links him to three mysterious clients looking for one thing: The Falcon. Sam is asked to find the Falcon, promised a large sum of money if he can find it. Can Sam find the Falcon while finding out who killed his partner?

The Maltese Falcon is a very confusing, hard-boiled detective novel. The narration is very confusing giving little detail into the mind of Sam and what goes on around him. The audience is left confused and questioning what is happening in the book with a number of stereotyped female characters. I read this book in my Studies in Literature Class, and I still don't know how I feel about it. It isn't a bad book, it actually has a very good plot. But it's written so oddly. Give it a try if you like mystery novels, I've heard many different opinions on this book.


~ Sarah