false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255801046m/3942307.jpg 3942307 3 <p>A convincing throwback to a lost noir era: the authorized prequel to Dashiell Hammett&#8217;s classic, <i>The Maltese Falcon</i>.<br><br>We know what P.I. Sam Spade is about from the first pages of Hammett&#8217;s iconic book: straight talk, no favors, a protective shell he wears like a second skin. We know that his late partner, Miles Archer, was a son of a bitch; that Spade is involved with Archer&#8217;s wife, Iva; that his tomboyish secretary, Effie, is the only innocent in his life. What we don&#8217;t know is how Spade became who he is. Now, <i>Spade & Archer </i>fills in the picture.<br><br>In 1921, Spade sets up his own agency in San Francisco. The next seven years see him dealing with booze runners, banking swindlers, gold smugglers, bumbling cops, and the illegitimate daughter of Sun Yat-sen; with murder, other men&#8217;s mistresses, and long-missing money. He eventually takes on Archer as a partner, though there are plenty of reasons he shouldn't. Gores gives us a persuasive back story, a terrific book in its own right.</p> 3987921 10 2 2009 Spade & Archer: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon total:119|5:19|4:54|3:40|2:6|1:0| 119 443 217 53 4 7 false false Sun Feb 22 22:25:41 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 22:26:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Thu Dec 11 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 00:34:07 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 10:22:13 -0800 2008 In the middle of THE MALTESE FALCON, which has been called the first existential detective novel, Sam Spade tells Brigid O'Shaugnessy about a case involving a man named Flitcraft, who disappeared from his affluent life in Tacoma, only to be tracked down ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 10 23:22:29 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 23:22:38 -0700 2009
This book gives you everything you expect from a Sam Spade novel - mysteries, keen detective work, shootings,...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 15:10:17 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 15:10:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Feb 25 15:35:25 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 20:38:00 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 15 12:44:10 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 12:44:10 -0700 2009 Nearly all critics begin their reviews with one, head-scratching question: Why? The pages of book sections are littered with excoriating reviews of prequels to classics like Gone With The Wind and The Godfather. So it's an even greater tribute to Gores's achievement that, but for one glaring excepti...

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The author is inarguably an expert on Hammett: his work, his life, his style, his quirks. Still, it's damn creepy how closely he hit natural tone and flow Hammett in this piece.

Amy ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 14:36:54 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 14:37:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 21:43:12 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 22:22:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 00:24:39 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 19:15:30 -0800 2009
I think that Gore does indeed have the Hammett style down fairly pat. This is not a tribute work.

Plotwise, I have to agree that this is pure pulp... right down to the habit of having Spade jump to conclusions and rely on coinci...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 15:39:51 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 15:43:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 19:21:53 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 09:33:59 -0700 2009
Not that this was a Hammett tome, but it did get me to read the Maltese Falcon (listed under Currently Reading...) ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 11:57:46 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 12:03:34 -0700 2009
If you're read Hammett, or seen the film a dozen times, it will be fun to read about how Sam Spade...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Mar 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 08:28:20 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 08:31:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3942307