It's been a stressful week, so I looked for something very easy to read, engrossing, and well written, and this book fit perfectly. Even though I had read it before, it is such a treat to read the dialogue and the plot is so intricate that it is worth rereading, and maybe even more enjoyable the second time around.
Private investigator Sam Spade is asked by the beautiful Brigid O'Shaughnessy to shadow a man who has run away with her little sister; it turns out that the story is a lie, and Spade's partner is murdered while on the job. But Brigid always has a new story, and gradually Sam learns about a black statue of a falcon that several unsavory characters are desperately seeking; in fact, they are willing to kill for it. Along the way, Sam falls in love with Brigid, even though he knows that she lies and manipulates. Sam's job becomes a race to solve the mystery before he is arrested himself or ends up dead, all the while trying to maintain some personal integrity.
The plot is intricate and suspenseful, but the best part of The Maltese Falcon is the dialogue, some of the best I have ever read--sharp, witty, and realistic.
The first time I read this, I had not seen the movie, which starred Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade. During this second read, I could see Bogart in my head and hear his voice all the way through. What perfect casting--right up there with Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind.
I highly recommend this book. By the way, it is #56 on the Modern Library's Top 100.
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