communication breakdown

Book Review: The Maltese Falcon (1929)

[ 7 / 10 ] Dashiell Hammett's classic novel is the quintessential detective story, a thrilling tale about murder, greed and deception. Written in 1929, it was a trailblazing novel whose influences on the mystery/crime genre are unavoidable. Popular first as a book, then later as an adapted film, it is a story which is hard not to enjoy. The Maltese Falcon focuses on the life of Sam Spade, a rogue detective with good looks, foolish bravado, and a recklessly adventurous spirit. When he picks up the trail of the Falcon, a mysterious relic of immeasurable value, he stumbles onto a trail bound to end in mayhem...

The story begins harmlessly enough: Spade, sitting in his office calmly rolling a cigarette (which he does throughout the novel, something which is about as iconically cool as you can get), is paid a visit by a Miss Wonderly, who wants to have a man followed. However, as with most things in The Maltese Falcon, things are not quite as they seem. It is not long before people start dying, at which point Spade is hopelessly stuck in the middle of a volatile situation. What begins as a simple detective crime turns into something much more, once the falcon is thrown into the mix.

The novel rests on the (quite broad) shoulders of Sam Spade, and this is precisely why it succeeds. Spade is one of the all-time great characters in modern literature, and it is little wonder that his name and style became famous. Take just about any detective from the countless films noir of the 1940s, and it's a safe bet that the character borrows in some way from Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon was, in fact, one of the defining entries of the film noir genre). On one hand, he is the ultimate playboy, exhibiting complete control over every woman in the book. From his secretary, to his partner's wife, to his clients, if they are not sleeping with him, they are at least at his beck and call. He has a marvelous ability to emerge victorious from any debate or argument, simply by swooping in, gently caressing his target, and giving her a soft kiss on the neck. Combine this with his endless penchant for rolling and smoking cigarettes, and you have in Sam Spade the epitome of cool.

If that weren't enough, Spade has quite a way with words. He is forceful and sharp, with biting sarcasm and a caustic wit. And he is true to this throughout the novel, irregardless of the gravity of his situation. Whether he's joking with his secretary, or staring down the barrell of a gun, he always finds a way to keep people off-guard with a sarcastic jab. He is the source of all comedic relief in the novel, which is frequent enough to be noticeable, yet not enough to be overwhelming.

The story itself is simple, yet captivating. The Maltese Falcon, a statue lost ages ago, only to resurface recently, is up for grabs - and everyone wants to get their hands on it. It is the link between almost every character in the novel. As you might expect, an object so valuable will drive people to do just about anything - as such, the falcon is surrounded by acts of jealousy, betrayal, greed, and murder. Spade stumbles into the middle of the situation, but once he figures out what he's dealing with, he is determined to get a piece of the action. To do so, he must wade through the lies and the mystery to get to the truth. There were several turns that completely took me by surprise, which is something that doesn't happen often.

Given all the nice things I've said about The Maltese Falcon, you might be wondering why I only gave it a moderately-favorable rating. I've thought a lot about this, because to be honest, it left a lukewarm feeling in my mouth, yet I couldn't immediately determine why. For me, I think the problem was that, despite the interesting story and great protagonist, the rest of the supporting cast was fairly worthless. None of them are given sufficient detail or depth, and as such, they all feel like bit players in the overall scheme. One great character does not a good novel make. The "villains", in particular, were very shallow and not very menacing - the danger to Spade seems minimal, as Hammett does not take care to instill Spade's adversaries with great power or authority.

The Maltese Falcon is an essential read, particularly for those with an interest in the mystery/crime/detective genre (such as myself). It succeeds in making a very simple story into a highly entertaining read. However, what it creates in excitement, it lacks in depth. Compared to other great entries in this genre (particularly those by Agatha Christie), most of the characters seem one-dimensional and mediocre in their illustration. Despite this, I believe that you will be hard-pressed to find the reading of this novel to be anything but time well spent.