The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

In The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, a gritty San Francisco detective, Sam Spade, is pulled into a deadly hunt for a jewel-encrusted falcon. Betrayal, greed, and femme fatales define this noir classic. In this landmark novel of detective fiction, Sam Spade investigates the murder of his partner and gets entangled with a cast of dangerous characters, all searching for a legendary, jewel-studded artifact: the Maltese Falcon. As lies pile up and loyalties shift, Spade maintains a cool, calculating demeanor that hides his moral ambiguity. Hammett’s sharp dialogue, atmospheric setting, and morally complex protagonist helped shape the modern hard-boiled detective genre. The novel is a masterclass in narrative tension, featuring a memorable villain and an unforgettable femme fatale.