A treasure worth killing for. A dame who can't be trusted. A detective who plays by his own rules. When the gorgeous and mysterious "Miss Wonderly" walks into the shabby San Francisco office of Spade and Archer, she brings with her a story about a missing sister, a stack of cash-and enough trouble to get a man killed. Before the night is over, Sam Spade's partner is dead, shot down in a dark alley. The police think Spade pulled the trigger. And suddenly he's caught in a deadly game with a gang of thieves who will lie, cheat, and murder to possess a priceless statuette-the jewel-encrusted Maltese Falcon. The girl changes her name and her story. The gunsel is cold-blooded and itching to kill. The fat man smiles and schemes. And somewhere in the shadows of San Francisco's fog-shrouded streets, the black bird is hidden away with its million-dollar prize taunting those who wish to possess it. Sam Spade doesn't trust anyone-especially the beautiful woman who hired him. But in a case where everyone is lying and anyone could be the next corpse, his code is the only thing that matters. When the chips are down, will he sell out for the score of a lifetime, or will he stand by his principles-and the partner who betrayed him? Hard-boiled. Relentless. Unforgettable. Dashiell Hammett delivers a masterpiece of detective fiction-a tale of greed, murder, and betrayal that moves like a bullet and cuts like a knife. This is the novel that defined the American private eye and introduced the world to one of literature's most iconic heroes. The stuff that dreams are made of. "Hammett took murder out of the drawing room and put it back in the alley where it belongs." - Raymond Chandler *** Frank Marcopolos is a renowned audiobook narrator and author living in Florida with his dog, Sparky. He was with the 82nd Airborne Division during the war.
