The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett is a landmark of hard-boiled detective fiction, set in the shadowy streets and offices of 1920s San Francisco. The novel follows private investigator Sam Spade, a cool-headed, sharp-tongued detective whose moral code is pragmatic rather than sentimental. When his partner is murdered while tailing a mysterious client, Spade is drawn into a dangerous web of lies, betrayals, and shifting alliances.

At the center of the intrigue is the legendary Maltese Fal...