The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett
I read this only recently and I don't know why I waited so long. I couldn't help picturing Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, even thought I've never seen the movie. Tough, stoic detective, gorgeous heroine with scarlet red lips and deceptively innocent appearance, trusting and faithful secretary, potentially crooked cops. The stuff that all good detective stories are made of. I had lots of fun reading this. The stereotypes were part of the fun. The blueprint for all the detective stories that have been written since.
I read this only recently and I don't know why I waited so long. I couldn't help picturing Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, even thought I've never seen the movie. Tough, stoic detective, gorgeous heroine with scarlet red lips and deceptively innocent appearance, trusting and faithful secretary, potentially crooked cops. The stuff that all good detective stories are made of. I had lots of fun reading this. The stereotypes were part of the fun. The blueprint for all the detective stories that have been written since.