- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Orion; UK First Edition; 1st printing. edition (19 Nov 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 140911323X
- ISBN-13: 978-1409113232
- Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 3 x 23.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 935,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Spade & Archer
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Review
'A stunning prequel to Dashiell Hammett's classic The Maltese Falcon, penned by a veteran US author who wrote a novel featuring Hammett some decades ago (filmed by Wim Wenders). A minor delight that will attract a raft of reviews' (THE BOOKSELLER )
Review
'A stunning prequel to Dashiell Hammett's classic The Maltese Falcon, penned by a veteran US author who wrote a novel featuring Hammett some decades ago (filmed by Wim Wenders). A minor delight that will attract a raft of reviews' THE BOOKSELLER
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
I came to this book really expecting not to like it, so much so in fact that several times, it got bumped down my pile of "to be read and reviewed" books. Part of the reason was the bland orange cover that looked cheap and uninspiring to me - I couldn't find any images of this orange coloured book jacket online so I'm wondering if that's just the cover for the proof copies. The second and main reason is the phrase proudly displayed on the front cover -"The prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon". I have never read The Maltese Falcon and have never had any desire to do so, thinking - for some reason - that it was a war novel. It turns out I was completely wrong and it's a classic detective novel, featuring private detective Sam Spade. The Maltese Falcon was published in 1930 by Dashiell Hammett, who died in 1961, so we'll never know what he would have thought of this prequel, but I have to say I loved it.
We meet Sam Spade - who reminds me a lot of TV detective Columbo - when he's just starting out as a private detective in 1921. The book is split into three parts, each one dealing with a separate case a few years after the previous one, but all of which are linked together by an evil criminal mastermind - Sam's "one that got away" who is out to get Sam as much as Sam is out to get him, so the cat-and-mouse game goes on throughout the years.
The writing effectively transports us back to the shady 1930's underworld of San Francisco and even if (like me) you have never read The Maltese Falcon, you can really get a feel of who Sam Spade is. It works perfectly as a standalone novel, even without the added prestige of being a prequel to the great classic. There seems to be a huge amount of cigarette-rolling, cigar-smoking and "hooking of hips" over the corner of someone's desk, but I can only assume this is an attempt to mimic the tone, language and atmosphere of Dashiell Hamett's writing.
At times, the tone reminded me of a Famous Five novel - for example when they all jump into a boat and follow a map to a mysterious island to dig up treasure ! - but in the 1930s, there were less guns, drugs and technology than today so the criminal masterminds all seem a bit childlike and naive by toay's standards.
Even the minor characters, like Sam's secretary Effie Perine, are well developed and have their share of the action. The plot is intricately woven and held more than a few surprises - I didn't see the end coming. The fact that it is so well-written and atmospheric has actually made me want to go on and read The Maltese Falcon, so I hope I'll find that as interesting and well-written as Joe Gores' writing. That in itself must be the best praise I can give to Gores' novel.
We meet Sam Spade - who reminds me a lot of TV detective Columbo - when he's just starting out as a private detective in 1921. The book is split into three parts, each one dealing with a separate case a few years after the previous one, but all of which are linked together by an evil criminal mastermind - Sam's "one that got away" who is out to get Sam as much as Sam is out to get him, so the cat-and-mouse game goes on throughout the years.
The writing effectively transports us back to the shady 1930's underworld of San Francisco and even if (like me) you have never read The Maltese Falcon, you can really get a feel of who Sam Spade is. It works perfectly as a standalone novel, even without the added prestige of being a prequel to the great classic. There seems to be a huge amount of cigarette-rolling, cigar-smoking and "hooking of hips" over the corner of someone's desk, but I can only assume this is an attempt to mimic the tone, language and atmosphere of Dashiell Hamett's writing.
At times, the tone reminded me of a Famous Five novel - for example when they all jump into a boat and follow a map to a mysterious island to dig up treasure ! - but in the 1930s, there were less guns, drugs and technology than today so the criminal masterminds all seem a bit childlike and naive by toay's standards.
Even the minor characters, like Sam's secretary Effie Perine, are well developed and have their share of the action. The plot is intricately woven and held more than a few surprises - I didn't see the end coming. The fact that it is so well-written and atmospheric has actually made me want to go on and read The Maltese Falcon, so I hope I'll find that as interesting and well-written as Joe Gores' writing. That in itself must be the best praise I can give to Gores' novel.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is billed as the prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. It took some while for Joe Gores to get permission to write this novel. He eventually persuaded Hammett's daughter and grand-daughter that he was a suitable candidate to undertake the task. Like Hammett himself, Gores has been a private investigator. Born in 1931 in Minnesota, he has also written a series featuring `Dan Kearny and Associates', and in the process won three Edgar awards.
In the original novel - The Maltese Falcon - Spade's partner, Miles Archer, who he doesn't like very much, is murdered early on. Then the man who Archer had been tailing is found dead. Lieutenant Dundy suspects Spade himself. Even Archer's wife, Iva, suspects him, because they had been having an affair. Spade kicks her out when she suggests he might have killed her husband so they can be together. From that point the complex story of the black bird kicks off.
In Spade and Archer, Gores opens with a neat homage to Hammett. It is 1921, and Spade has been asked to trace a missing husband, who has been spotted after a number of years. Spade tracks down the man now calling himself Charles Pierce, and accuses him of being Mr Flitcraft, the missing husband. Flitcraft tells a story of nearly being killed by a falling beam. The randomness of the experience changed his life, but curiously he has rebuilt his new life pretty much along the lines of his old one. This is a famous element in The Maltese Falcon, where Spade tells a woman the so-called Flitcraft parable as a way of explaining himself. Its meaning was obscure, and remains a source of debate for Hammett enthusiasts. Having taken on Ellie Perine as his secretary, and more reluctantly Miles Archer as his partner, Spade is asked to find a runaway heir called Henny Barber. His investigations land him in the midst of a gold coin heist, which he solves. This incurs the wrath of a shadowy figure, who dogs Spade's steps for the rest of the story. In two other neat section set in 1925 and 1928, Spade encounters banking swindlers, and the illegitimate daughter of Sun Yat-Sen. Each time the shadowy malefactor from the opening story lurks in the background.
Gores neatly parcels up the slick and terse Hammett style. Spade is recorded as noted for detachment, having an eye for detail and a determination to apply his own sense of justice. Gores text is detached and cool, with lots of incidental detail, but studiously avoids internal examination of characters' motivations. Just like Hammett's own style. The Flitcraft parable is a prime example. Spade tells the story to Archer's killer Brigid O'Shaugnessy, but does not explain it, leaving everyone puzzled and intrigued. Indeed, why is Flitcraft's new name Charles Pierce rather akin to a real-life American philosopher, mathematician and scientist calle Charles Peirce? You can make of that what you will, and Gores revels in carrying on the deception. The novel is a worthy successor (or is it ancestor?) to the original.
Ian Morson
In the original novel - The Maltese Falcon - Spade's partner, Miles Archer, who he doesn't like very much, is murdered early on. Then the man who Archer had been tailing is found dead. Lieutenant Dundy suspects Spade himself. Even Archer's wife, Iva, suspects him, because they had been having an affair. Spade kicks her out when she suggests he might have killed her husband so they can be together. From that point the complex story of the black bird kicks off.
In Spade and Archer, Gores opens with a neat homage to Hammett. It is 1921, and Spade has been asked to trace a missing husband, who has been spotted after a number of years. Spade tracks down the man now calling himself Charles Pierce, and accuses him of being Mr Flitcraft, the missing husband. Flitcraft tells a story of nearly being killed by a falling beam. The randomness of the experience changed his life, but curiously he has rebuilt his new life pretty much along the lines of his old one. This is a famous element in The Maltese Falcon, where Spade tells a woman the so-called Flitcraft parable as a way of explaining himself. Its meaning was obscure, and remains a source of debate for Hammett enthusiasts. Having taken on Ellie Perine as his secretary, and more reluctantly Miles Archer as his partner, Spade is asked to find a runaway heir called Henny Barber. His investigations land him in the midst of a gold coin heist, which he solves. This incurs the wrath of a shadowy figure, who dogs Spade's steps for the rest of the story. In two other neat section set in 1925 and 1928, Spade encounters banking swindlers, and the illegitimate daughter of Sun Yat-Sen. Each time the shadowy malefactor from the opening story lurks in the background.
Gores neatly parcels up the slick and terse Hammett style. Spade is recorded as noted for detachment, having an eye for detail and a determination to apply his own sense of justice. Gores text is detached and cool, with lots of incidental detail, but studiously avoids internal examination of characters' motivations. Just like Hammett's own style. The Flitcraft parable is a prime example. Spade tells the story to Archer's killer Brigid O'Shaugnessy, but does not explain it, leaving everyone puzzled and intrigued. Indeed, why is Flitcraft's new name Charles Pierce rather akin to a real-life American philosopher, mathematician and scientist calle Charles Peirce? You can make of that what you will, and Gores revels in carrying on the deception. The novel is a worthy successor (or is it ancestor?) to the original.
Ian Morson
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
being a fan of detective novels and old films i was very interested to read of this book in the daily mail book reveiw so naturrally i had to have it. I was not disappointed and could not put the book down. As i was reading i could imagine Humphrey Bogart and was truley enthralled. All in all a great read highly recoomened. We need more like this.
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