The Maltese FalconThe Maltese Falcon
Score Classic
What it's about
A beautiful woman hires San Francisco private detective Sam Spade and his partner to follow a man. That night, Spade's partner is shot dead. Spade is soon caught up with a crowd of dangerous people all hunting for a priceless jewel-encrusted statue of a falcon: the woman, a perfumed criminal named Joel Cairo, a fat man named Gutman, and a young gunman.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels and is one of the founding books of hard-boiled crime. The 1941 film with Humphrey Bogart is a classic.
You'll love it if you liked
The Big Sleep
Red Harvest
The ClosersGood to know
It's short. Spade is coldly ambiguous, and there's period homophobia.
By the numbers
- Readers19 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller26 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #232 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #442 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1514 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Gripping
More by Dashiell Hammett
If you like this, read next
The Godfather
The Pillars of the Earth
In Cold Blood
Rebecca
Crime and Punishment
The Name of the RoseExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Maltese Falcon worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels and is one of the founding books of hard-boiled crime. It ranks #1,514 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 68.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Maltese Falcon about?
A beautiful woman hires San Francisco private detective Sam Spade and his partner to follow a man. That night, Spade's partner is shot dead. Spade is soon caught up with a crowd of dangerous people all hunting for a priceless jewel-encrusted statue of a falcon: the woman, a perfumed criminal named Joel Cairo, a fat man named Gutman, and a young gunman.
How long does it take to read The Maltese Falcon?
About 5 hours (213 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Maltese Falcon?
If you liked it, try The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett or The Closers by Michael Connelly.