LIFE LIST UPDATE – No. 503: Read “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett

“The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett is not only considered possibly the greatest detective novel ever written, but it’s also arguably one of the greatest novels ever written. Knowing this, I placed “The Maltese Falcon” on my life list a couple of years ago, and I finally finished reading it last Thursday. It was awesome – so awesome that I had to fight the urge to immediately go back to the front and reread it all over again.

“The Maltese Falcon” was originally published in 1930, and the main character is Sam Spade, the quintessential hardboiled private detective. A beautiful woman hires Spade for help, and he quickly becomes enmeshed in a plot involving a rare, historic statue of a bejeweled falcon. Spade’s partner gets gunned down right out of the gate, and bullets continue to fly right up to the end of this suspenseful thriller.

As you might have imagined, this novel can be found on a number of “best of” lists. In 1990, the English-based Crime Writers Association ranked “The Maltese Falcon” No. 10 on its list of “Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time.” In 1995, the Mystery Writers of America ranked “The Maltese Falcon” No. 2 on its list of “Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time.” In 1998, the Modern Library ranked “The Maltese Falcon” No. 56 on its list of 100 best English language novels of the 20th Century.

In May 2013, one of my favorite Web sites, “The Art of Manliness” placed “The Maltese Falcon” on a list called “Fiction for Men.” Several years before that “The Art of Manliness” ranked “The Maltese Falcon” No. 90 on its list of “100 Must Read Books: The Man’s Essential Library.” In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the “Book-of-the-Month Club” published a “best of” list called “The Well-Stocked Bookcase, and ranked “The Maltese Falcon” No. 6 on that list.

Having now read “The Maltese Falcon,” I’m left wanting to do a couple of other things. I want to watch the 1941 film adaptation of the novel, a movie classic that was directed by John Huston and starred Humphrey Bogart (as Sam Spade), Mary Astory, Gladys George, Peter Lorre and Lee Patrick. Generally considered to be one of the best movies of all time, this movie can also be found on a number of “best of” lists.

I also want to read Hammett’s other novels. Including “The Maltese Falcon,” he wrote five in all – “Red Harvest” (1929), “The Dain Curse” (1929), “The Maltese Falcon” (1930), “The Glass Key” (1931) and “The Thin Man” (1934). Of those, “Red Harvest” is also considered among his very best. It’s so good that Time Magazine included it on its list of 100 Best English-Language Novels published between 1923 and 2005.

In the end, how many of you have read “The Maltese Falcon”? What did you think about it? Have you read any of Hammett’s other books? Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.