The Maltese Falcon · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The book is dedicated to Jose.
Chapter 2
The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade, a private detective in San Francisco, is hired by a woman calling herself Miss Wonderly, who is actually Brigid O'Shaughnessy. She involves him in a dangerous search for a priceless statuette, the Maltese Falcon. Spade's partner, Miles Archer, is murdered, and Spade navigates a web of deceit involving Brigid, Joel Cairo, Casper Gutman, and Wilmer Cook, all seeking the falcon. After the falcon is revealed to be a fake, Spade turns Brigid over to the police for Archer's murder.
Chapter 3
Spade & Archer
The chapter introduces Sam Spade and his partner Miles Archer in their San Francisco detective agency. A new client, Miss Wonderly (later revealed as Brigid O'Shaughnessy), hires them to find her younger sister Corinne, who has run off with a dangerous man named Floyd Thursby. Spade and Archer accept the case, with Archer volunteering to personally shadow Thursby that evening.
Chapter 4
Death in the Fog
Police detectives Dundy and Polhaus visit Sam Spade at his apartment to question him about the murder of Floyd Thursby, who was shot four times in the back shortly after Miles Archer's death. Spade deflects their suspicions, maintains his innocence, and refuses to disclose his client's identity, leading to a tense standoff that ends with the detectives leaving without making an arrest.
Chapter 5
III: Three Women
Sam Spade arrives at his office to find Iva Archer waiting for him. She accuses him of killing her husband, Miles, but he dismisses her suspicions. Effie Perine reports that the police suspect Spade of shooting Thursby. Spade visits the St. Mark hotel to inquire about Brigid O'Shaughnessy (registered as Miss Wonderly) and learns she has checked out, leaving a forwarding address in Los Angeles. He returns to the office, where Effie relays a message from Brigid, now using the alias Miss Leblanc, asking to meet him at the Coronet.

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Dedication

The Maltese Falcon

Spade & Archer

Death in the Fog

III: Three Women