false 52581815 132186 3942307 0307264645 9780307264640 55 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255801046m/3942307.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255801046s/3942307.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3942307.Spade_Archer_The_Prequel_to_Dashiell_Hammett_s_The_Maltese_Falcon 3.67 123 A convincing throwback to a lost noir era: the authorized prequel to Dashiell Hammett’s classic, The Maltese Falcon.

We know what P.I. Sam Spade is about from the first pages of Hammett’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’s wife, Iva; that his tomboyish secretary, Effie, is the only innocent in his life. What we don’t know is how Spade became who he is. Now, Spade & Archer fills in the picture.

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’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.

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