They didn't shun violence, they embraced it, used it to their advantage. Their mannerisms were unrefined, their language was pungent. They moved with ease among the lawless. Their reactions to events were instinctive, not reasoned. They sacrificed love and sentiment for principle. Like the lone Western heroes before them, they adhered to their professional codes and lived by their gunsand fists. The book is written in a sparse, objective narrative, devoid of excess verbiage. Not merely a landmark detective novel that profoundly influenced later detective novels,
The Maltese Falcon stands on its own merits as a quality literary work.
When a Miss Wonderly retains the Spade/Archer agency to trail the mysterious Thursby, Miles Archer—believing that she might possibly be another sexual conquest—takes the case. When Archer is killed and then, shortly thereafter, Thursby is found shot to death, Spade is propelled into a complex web of mystery occupied by a cast of characters who plumb the depths of moral corruption and betrayal. Shortly after Archer's death, Spade is visited by Joel Cairo, an effeminate, gardenia-scented thief, who retains him to find a jewel-encrusted statuette, the Maltese Falcon. Spade discovers a connection between Cairo and Miss Wonderly, whose real name is Bridget O'Shaughnessy.
This is a free page. This page contains 199 words. This
article contains 1,829 words (approx. 6 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our The Maltese Falcon Access Pass.
