The Maltese Falcon

Dashiell Hammett’s detective novel in which Sam Spade, a San Francisco private detective, is drawn into the hunt for a jewelled statuette of a falcon after his partner is shot dead on a case.

Start reading21 chapters, about 68,000 words

Famous quotes

• I distrust a man that says when. If he’s got to be careful not to drink too much it’s because he’s not to be trusted when he does.

  Chapter 11In context

  • Character

• I distrust a close-mouthed man. He generally picks the wrong time to talk and says the wrong things. Talking’s something you can’t do judiciously unless you keep in practice.

  Chapter 11In context

  • Talking

• I’m a man who likes talking to a man that likes to talk.

  Chapter 11In context

  • Talking

• The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter

  Chapter 12In context

  • Clever Jabs
  • Talking

• I won’t play the sap for you.

  Chapter 20In context

• When a man’s partner is killed he’s supposed to do something about it. It doesn’t make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you’re supposed to do something about it.

  Chapter 20In context

  • Friendship
  • Justice
  • Responsibility

Contents

1. Dedication
2. Chapter 1Spade & Archer
3. Chapter 2Death in the Fog
4. Chapter 3Three Women
5. Chapter 4The Black Bird
6. Chapter 5The Levantine
7. Chapter 6The Undersized Shadow
8. Chapter 7G in the Air
9. Chapter 8Horse Feathers
10. Chapter 9Brigid
11. Chapter 10The Belvedere Divan
12. Chapter 11The Fat Man
13. Chapter 12Merry-Go-Round
14. Chapter 13The Emperor’s Gift
15. Chapter 14La Paloma
16. Chapter 15Every Crackpot
17. Chapter 16The Third Murder
18. Chapter 17Saturday Night
19. Chapter 18The Fall-Guy
20. Chapter 19The Russian’s Hand
21. Chapter 20If They Hang You