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The Maltese Falcon Audiobook
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(3.70) - 63 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
“Don’t be too sure I’m as crooked as I’m supposed to be. That kind of reputation might be good business.”—Samuel Spade, private investigator
“Spade…is what most of the private detectives I worked with would like to have been and in their cockier moments thought they approached.”—Dashiell Hammett
The Maltese Falcon first appeared in the pages of Black Mask magazine in 1929. Almost immediately it was acknowledged as not only a great crime novel but an enduring masterpiece of American fiction. Sam Spade, its protagonist, is the archetypal tough, cynical PI, “able,” as his creator explained, “to take care of himself in any situation, able to get the best of anybody he comes in contact with, whether criminal, innocent bystander or client.” And what a client!—the irresistible and treacherous femme fatale Brigid O’Shaughnessy.
Believing the book’s vividly drawn characters and memorable dialogue cry out for theatrical treatment, Blackstone Audio commissioned this faithful dramatization by the award-winning Hollywood Theater of the Ear, in which a brilliant cast brings to life all the excitement and suspense of Hammett’s original in the playhouse of the mind.
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"Wow, this was great! Sam Spade is much more of a jerk than Bogart made him seem in the movie and Peter Lorrie was absolutely PERFECT as Cairo. And, with that said - the book is really great!! I didn't want to put it down (and, I'm not a big fan of the genre of mysteries). Fantastic, really."
— Allison (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Hammett’s prose [is] clean and entirely unique. His characters [are] as sharply and economically defined as any in American fiction.”
— New York Times -
“The Maltese Falcon is not only probably the best detective story we have ever read, it is an exceedingly well-written novel.”
— Times Literary Supplement (London) -
“Dashiell Hammett…is a master of the detective novel, yes, but also one hell of a writer.”
— Boston Globe -
“As edge-of-one’s-seat captivating today as it was eighty years ago, Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon is a classic that hard-boiled mystery buffs everywhere are sure to enjoy.”
— Midwest Book Review -
“The classic noir story is given new life with this full-cast adaptation.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“They’re all here—Sam Spade, the streetwise detective; the gorgeous but dangerous dame; the squirrelly guy; and the fat man—all chasing an elusive statue of a mythical bird across the most American of literary landscapes, fog-bound San Francisco in the 1920s. Few novels have been more “noir”—or more influential. With fine talents like Michael Madsen, Sandra Oh, and Edward Herrmann, Blackstone Audio and the Hollywood Theater of the Ear have created a taut, well-paced audio production, drawn directly from the novel, first serialized in Black Mask magazine in 1929. All of Hammett’s signature descriptions and stylish dialogue are at the forefront. Sexy, darkly comic, and broodingly moral, The Maltese Falcon is like a jolt of bourbon—it wakes you up and keeps you listening.”
— AudioFile -
“Wow! Whether or not you’ve read Hammett’s classic noir detective novel or seen the 1941 movie, you will be entranced by this magnificent adaptation, which is a solid reminder of the power of audio…In this mystery rich in characters, the actors show an impeccable understanding of their roles…Voices and sounds combine with a dramatically fashioned script to create a stellar listening experience with a you-are-there feel. Those who have never experienced the pleasures of radio theater are in for a tremendous treat, as are all who experience this amazing production.”
— Booklist (starred review)
Awards
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Winner of the Audie Award for Best Audiobook Adaptation
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Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award
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A 2009 AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year for Mystery
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A Booklist Top 10 Crime Fiction Audiobook
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A Booklist Editors’ Choice, March 2009
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A 2009 Grammy Award Nominee for Best Spoken Word Album for Adults
The Maltese Falcon Listener Reviews
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Codename Eric, 2/26/2019
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" I couldn't finish this book. I think its plot's reputation preceded the book and set my expectation too high. But when I read it, it's not as engaging as I'd hope. "
— Piput, 1/21/2014 -
" Enjoyed this book! A great page turner! Will have you reading for hours on end! "
— Josh, 12/25/2013 -
" Unorthodox detective Sam Spade gets involved in search of a treasure worth committing murder for. "
— Fredrick, 12/21/2013 -
" Very well written detective fiction "
— Melissa, 12/21/2013 -
" I listened to this book as a audio drama, with sound effects and different actors playing the characters. I found this somewhat annoying, but the story was good. It was also short, which was a reminder that books don't have to be 400 pages to be good. "
— Dyan, 12/2/2013 -
" Old fashioned type of mystery with no gore. Very good characterizations of the main characters which are sometimes lacking in modern mystery novels. "
— Beverly, 10/5/2013 -
" Great novel. Glad that I'm a female human now though, and not in the first half of the 20th century. Clearly we had a bum rap for being calculating, lying, slimy bitches. "
— Kir, 9/30/2013 -
" Quick read with great characters and even better dialogue. "
— Cynthiathompson, 9/27/2013 -
" Great, snappy dialogue throughout. Quick read, enjoyable. "
— Brian, 9/21/2013 -
" Reallly good book - good story - good characters - not what a contempary private detective would be marketable as I think. I recommend it but warn younger forks not to look too hard or at all for technology. "
— Vince, 9/12/2013 -
" Okay, I get the hard-boiled detective thing, but I just didn't care about any of the characters. "
— Mara, 5/27/2013 -
" I liked the book, but I never knew Spade was such an asshole. I can't wait to see Bogart take on the role. "
— Blaine, 4/11/2013 -
" Remarkably good book with all the fun and cleverness of the movie there on the page. "
— Malcolm, 4/2/2013 -
" Excellent mystery drama. Well written and exciting. My only issue was the machismo of the main character. Too much! He makes James Bond look like a wimp. "
— Renata, 12/30/2012 -
" A classic. Oddly enough it felt like I was reading a 1930s version of The Rockford Files. Perhaps, in a way I was, seeing how this book helped define the hard nosed P.I. genre. "
— Jason, 9/23/2012 -
" I got on much better with this one than with The Glass Key. It gripped me from the start, lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing right till the end. "
— Kingfan30, 6/8/2012 -
" I'm glad that this classic was my first murder mystery read. Reminds me a lot of Walter Mosley's reads. But maybe only because they're mysteries too? OK, I should shut up. Good, enticing read. "
— Kindra, 11/19/2011 -
" I thought that it was an interesting book. although I would not reccomend it to everyone. "
— David, 11/8/2011 -
" I love this book. The hard-boiled private investigator seems kind of cheesey and trite these days -- especially after listening to Garrison Keillor's Guy Noir. But Sam Spade is a very interesting and deep character, and a total bad ass. "
— Jasonchicks, 6/23/2011 -
" Ultra-classic hard-boiled private detective story. What's not to like? "
— Scott, 6/19/2011 -
" Classic stuff from Hammett. Read several times over. "
— Andrez, 6/17/2011 -
" A very enjoyable read. Hammett's writing is punchy and unique. The conventions of the detective story are presented with authority and mastery, which makes everything else in the genre (with the exception of Chandler) seem amaturish in comparison. "
— Zach, 6/12/2011 -
" I actually couldn't finish this completely because I didn't care for the writing at all and the main character was so annoying. "
— Rachel, 6/11/2011 -
" As terrific as it was the first time I read it. Screened the 1941 John Huston film in class this morning. Bogart genius. "
— Daniel, 6/7/2011 -
" Hardboiled detective fiction at its finest. Sam Spade is just unique enough (from Philip Marlowe and the Continental Op, for example) to keep things interesting. "
— Daniel, 6/7/2011 -
" Thought I should read Dashiell Hammett sometime. Very disappointing; kind of had to slog through it. Hope the movie is better. (Did I really say that??) "
— Kathy, 6/7/2011 -
" I've read it twice and it is so fresh despite being decades old and done to death (pun intended) everywhere. More like a beloved painting that you can watch forever. "
— April, 6/4/2011 -
" A classic mystery/detective novel by Dashiell Hammett. This is exactly the type of story you'd expect from the greats of this era. Hardboiled, good pacing, and well written. "
— Michael, 6/3/2011 -
" BBC presented The Maltese Falcon in more of a radio play format. I enjoyed listening in. It made me miss the movie. If you like old radio plays and good noir, I think you will love this format. "
— MG, 6/3/2011 -
" OK - too confusing for too long, never got into it. "
— Emilie, 5/26/2011
About Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He is widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time. In addition to The Maltese Falcon, his pioneering novels include Red Harvest, The Dain Curse, The Glass Key, and the #1 New York Times bestseller The Thin Man.