The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

So that is where all of those stereotypes come from. You know, the P.I. sits in his office as a beautiful girl comes in with a case for him to solve. He calls her "sweetheart." That sort of thing.

I enjoyed The Maltese Falcon. I truly did. I enjoy most any book that can be knocked out in an afternoon. Especially one with intelligent 20th-century prose, a mildly involving plot, and fascinating characters- really a fairly simple recipe. It's a wonder more authors don't follow it.

Hammett was gracious enough to eschew describing his characters' affair. He opted rather for a "fade to black" setup. Thank goodness. I've had enough of that, thank you. He never let the reader know too much. P.I. Sam Spade's motives and loyalties were not revealed until the end. Hammett's descriptions were memorable, like the opening scene in which he rendered his protagonist a blond satan with a faceful of v shapes.

Interestingly, almost every woman in the story was a redhead. I thought that singular, considering the haircolor ratio of the general populace. Anyways, the story was pleasant and mysterious. The Maltese Falcon was a nice little trip to the '20s.