This book required a lot more suspension of disbelief than I usually can muster. It's not that the general events were so improbable, it's the omniscience of Sam Spade that got my eyes to rolling. Once I accepted that it would be "that type" of book, the story became really very enjoyable. ( )

I wanted to like this book and noticed I was defending it to myself. The descriptions were all unnecessarily "almost" or "just under", the Bay Area geography required outside knowledge, and the characters were barely enough to function for the plot. Fun, though. ( )

A prequel to Hammett's seminal hard boiled detective novel, the book details several cases over a number of years, held together as you might expect by a sinister thread. The plot is more convoluted than Hammett ever dreamed of, but the narrative and dialogue should satisfy most fans. The real fun for me was watching Spade first meeting characters we know from The Maltese Falcon, and watching him grow and change into himself. I thought it was a first rate read, and a special treat for any fans of the original. ( )

I enjoyed this homage to noir fiction, and it's obvious that the author is a devoted fan to the genre. While it wasn't written in the style normally associated with Hammett, it did stay true to the characters and settings which made it an enjoyable read. ( )

"Spade & Archer: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon" by Joe Gores is first rate and a real addition to the tradition of the hard boiled detective genre. Gores, a noted Hammett scholar and Edgar Award-winning novelist, got authorization from the Hammett estate for this novel. I am suspicious of "authorized works" because authorized novels have been disappointing in the past and tend to be bland and less than creative in the name of preserving the memory of some long dead person. Gore's work is fortunately anything but bland and is in the Hammett style.

This prequel begins seven years before Joel Cairo, Casper Guttman et al cross paths with Spade. Sam is a young man when the story begins in 1921 but he already has that special toughness we learned to love in the Maltese Falcon. Spade recovers part of a haul of gold stolen from a ship. The missing gold, the mastermind behind the heist, and a litany of characters, some of whom we know from the Falcon crop up throughout the novel weaving an interesting plot that plays itself out to a Hammett like conclusion all the while building the backstory on Spade himself. We are introduced to Miles Archer, his cheating wife Iva, the incompetent bully cop Dundy, his friendly, professional subordinate Tom Polhaus, and smart and adoring secretary Effie Perine. Unfortunately we don't learn a lot about this well know cast of characters but through them we come to know Sam Spade.

The original's gritty dialogue is back. It's as though were transported to the 1920's once again. No matter who he talks to Spade is short and to the point. The reader can feel the delivery Bogart would have given these lines. Gores delights the reader familiar Hammett with quotes from the Maltese Falcon and references to other Hammett works.

Spade & Archer is wonderful novel. Its inventive plot is entertaining and moves the story forward all the while craftily teaching us about a classic character, Sam Spade. This book is well worth the read. ( )