Crime · Classics
The Maltese Falcon
When his partner is shot on a stakeout, San Francisco private eye Sam Spade is drawn into a hunt for a priceless black statuette. Everyone who wants it is lying to him, and he trusts none of them.
- First published
- 1930
- Pace
- fast
- Length
- short
- Format
- Standalone
Read this if you like hard-boiled detective stories with clipped dialogue and nobody quite honest.
Skip this if you want a gentle puzzle or a detective with a warm heart.
The feel
Content warnings
Where to get it
| Store | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow free | ||
| Libby / OverDrive | Free with a library card | Borrow free with Libby from Libby / OverDrive |
| Print, new | ||
| Bookshop.org | Check price | Buy new from Bookshop.org |
| Amazon | Check price | Buy new from Amazon |
| Barnes & Noble | Check price | Buy new from Barnes & Noble |
| Print, used | ||
| AbeBooks | Check price | Buy used from AbeBooks |
| ThriftBooks | Check price | Buy used from ThriftBooks |
| Ebook | ||
| Kobo | Check price | Buy ebook from Kobo |
| Google Play Books | Check price | Buy ebook from Google Play Books |
| Audiobook | ||
| Libro.fm | Check price | Buy audiobook from Libro.fm |
| Audible | Check price | Buy audiobook from Audible |
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If you loved The Maltese Falcon
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The Big Sleep
Another landmark of 1930s American hard-boiled fiction, with a wisecracking investigator and a plot that tangles fast.
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The Cuckoo's Calling
A modern private-detective series with a battered hero and a long, careful investigation, less cynical in tone.
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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Same disillusioned worldview, moved from city streets to Cold War espionage.
Crime
