Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter

8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter

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The Maltese Falcon Plot

Summaries by Chapter

by Dashiell Hammett

Chapter 1: Spade & Archer

Miss Wonderly hires Sam Spade, a private

detective, to reunite her ith her sister,

Corinne, ho is ith !loyd "hursby, ho

is described by Miss Wonderly as

dan#erous$ Also, the sister has a dar%past$

"he plan is or Miss Wonderly to meet

"hursby at ni#ht at the hotel, and or

Miles Archer, Spade's partner, to ollo

"hursby, ith the hope o bein# led to

Corinne$

Chapter (: Death in the !o#

Miles Archer is shot in the chest )*pump+

heart- rom close ran#e by one *pill+

)bullet-$ He brea%s throu#h the ence

railin# and alls don the hill$ His #un

and cash are still on his body, hichcomes to rest in an alleyay ).urritt

Street-, o/ .ush and Stoc%ton Streets in

donton San !rancisco


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Same Spade tells "om Polhaus, the

investi#atin# police o0cer )the *#ood+

cop-, about the ob or Miss Wonderly$

"hen, ater tellin# Polhaus not to crodhim, Spade leaves )12-$

Spade instructs his secretary, 30e

Perrine, to notiy Miles' ie, 4va, ho

Spade ants to avoid$

50cer Polhaus comes to Spade's

apartment, ith 6ieutenant Dundy )the*bad+ cop-, ho is suspicious o Spade$

Ater pressin# Spade, the to o0cers

inorm him that !loyd "hursby as shot

outside a hotel in the middle o the ni#ht$

He as shot our times in the bac%, ith a

$77 or $78, rom across the street$ "here

ere no itnesses$ "hursby as earin#

a 6u#er in a shoulder9holster$ He had

been at the hotel a ee%$

Spade claims to have no %noled#e o

"hursby$ 6ieutenant Dundy tells Spade

*$ $ $ you'll #et a suare deal out o me,

and most o the brea%s+ )(8-$

Chapter ;: "hree Women


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4va Archer, Miles' ie, is aitin# at

Spade's o0ce$ 30e Perrine recounts to

Sam her visit to 4va per his instructions$

She says that 4va had ust arrived homehen 30e #ot there, due to her clothes

and bed sheets$ Sam insists, hoever,

that 4va did not %ill Miles$

Sam sees 4va in his o0ce$ 4t is clear that

Sam and 4va have been havin# an a/air,

and thus each had a motive to %ill Miles$Ater 4va leaves, 30e and Sam discuss

Sam's predicament


4/27

tourin# car$ "he orardin# address as

the Ambassador, 6os An#eles$

Spade returns to his o0ce to =nd that

Miss Wonderly called, ants to seeSpade, and is at the Coronet Hotel on

Caliornia Street, apartment 11, under

the name Miss 6eblanc$ Spade burns the

paper ith the ino, and leaves$

Chapter 7: "he .lac% .ird

At the Coronet, Miss Wonderly admits her

real name is .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy and

that the story about a sister as a lie$

Spade says he didn't believe the story,

only her ($ When 5'Shau#hnessy

pleads ith Spade or help and bemoans

the death o Miles Archer, Spade responds

by notin# that .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy is a

#ood liar and a dan#erous person$

5$ recounts hat happened the previous

ni#ht: She ent to dinner ith !loyd

"hursby, returned to the hotel, then

atched Miles Archer ollo "hursbydon the street$ She o%e the neEt

mornin#, ent to brea%ast, sa the

nespaper headline o Miles death, then

returned to her hotel$ She mentions that


5/27

her room had been searched the previous

day hile she as at Sam Spade's o0ce$

Spade says he needs to %no more i he

is to help her$ 5$ indicates that she met!loyd "hursby in the 5rient, and came

ith him to San !rancisco rom Hon#

Fon# the previous ee%@ and that

"hursby betrayed her, thou#h she on't

#ive the details$ She describes "hursby

as alays armed and careul insae#uardin# his room beore retirin# to

bed, and she states "hursby is certainly

the one ho %illed Miles$

5$ does indicate that her lie is at sta%e,

but she on't #ive Spade anythin#

beyond that$ Spade ma%es to leave but

then sits bac% don and as%s ho much

money 5$ has$ He ta%es it all and tells

her to hoc% her eelry$

Spade sees a man about the possibility o

not cooperatin# ith police under the

#uise o privile#ed secrets beteen him

and his client$

Spade returns to the o0ce ith optimism$

30e tells Spade to trust Miss

5'Shau#hnessy, and arns him not to

bleed her dry o money$


6/27

Goel Cairo arrives in Spade's o0ce$ He

has 6evantine eatures, a hi#h9pitched

thin voice, sits primly, dresses neatly and

eEtrava#antly, and carries a scent ochypre, a perume that ori#inates in the

Mediterranean$ )Chypre is !rench or

Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean$-

Alon# ith other characteriations o Goel

Cairo, he has a eminine uality$

Cairo eEpresses his condolences orArcher's death, then indicates he ould

li%e to pay Spade 8 or the recovery

o a blac% statuette$

Ater 30e says #oodni#ht and leaves,

Cairo pulls a pistol on Spade$

Chapter 8: "he 6evantine )"his ord

su##ests a Middle 3astern ori#in, such as

6ebanon, Syria, or 4srael$-

Spade ta%es the #un aay and punches

out Cairo, then eEamines the contents o

Cairo's poc%ets$ 4tems such as Arabic

ritin# and Chinese coins su##est orldtravels$ Cairo also has a nespaper

article on the deaths o Archer and


7/27

"hursby, as ell as Spade's o0ce and

home addresses$

Cairo re#ains consciousness$ Spade

a#rees to or% or Cairo: 8 i Spadecan =nd the blac% statuette$ 4n the

course o the conversation, another

unnamed person is mentioned as involved

in the pursuit o the blac% statuette$

Chapter : "he Indersied Shado

6ater on, Spade leaves his o0ce and isolloed by an *undersied youth o

tenty or tenty9one+ )87-$

At a theatre, Cairo says that he does not

reco#nie the youth, so Spade posits that

the youth *mi#ht be one o the others+

)8J-$

Spade sha%es the tail, and #oes to .ri#id

5'Shau#hnessy$ A lon# conversation

ensues in hich 5$ plays the part o the

ea%, vulnerable #irl, hich Spade sees

throu#h as a pretense$

He tells 5$ about Cairo's o/er o 8

or the blac% bird, his =rst mention o thestatuette, hich upsets 5$, ho acts as i

Spade %ne all alon# she as pursuin#

the bird$ 5$ then accuses Spade o bein#


8/27

disloyal@ on the other hand, Spade is

rustrated by her lac% o candor and trust

Spade and 5$ arran#e to meet Cairo at

Spade's apartment$ At the apartment,the youth is standin# on a corner$ 4va

Archer is in a sedan$ Spade spea%s ith

4va, ho ants to come up$ Spade says

no, so 4da drives o/$

Chapter J: K in the Air

Spade tells 5$ the story o a man named!litcrat, ho let his amily and suburban

lie ater he as almost hit by a beam

allin# rom a buildin#$ Ater comin# to

San !rancisco, he *andered around and

then drited bac% to the >orthest+ )-$

"hereater, he married another oman,

started another amily, and settled bac%

into the same predictable suburban lie$

Cairo arrives$ Discussion turns to the

*alcon$+ 5$ as%s Cairo i he is prepared

to #ive them 8 no i they )5 and

SpadeL- turn over the alcon$ 5$ says that

"hursby had hid it beore he as %illed,and that she thin%s she %nos here it is$

.ut both Cairo's payment and 5$'s

%noled#e are compromised hen each is


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as%ed or promises to do the deal

immediately$

Cairo indicates he or%s or the bird's

oner, hose name is noted as K$ 5$ saysshe is sellin# to #et rid o it so she

doesn't end up li%e "hursby$

Cairo and 5$ snipe at each other over the

youth or *boy$+ 4t is su##ested they

ou#ht over the boy's a/ections, and

Cairo on$ 5$ slaps Cairo, ho slaps herbac%$ Spade #rabs Cairo by the throat

and disarms him, at hich point the door9

bell rin#s$

Dundy and Polhaus are at the door$ "hey

as% Spade i he as havin# an a/air ith

4va Archer$ He denies it, but Dundy calls

him a liar$ Ater conversation around the

li%elihood o Spade havin# %illed Archer

andor !loyd "hursby, Spade reuses to

let the o0cers in, but a scream rom

ithin leads to their enterin# Spade's

apartment$

Ch$ 2: Horse !eathers

Ipon enterin#, a lon# conversation occurs

amon# all involved$ Cairo truthully

recounts events, but bac%s o/ hen he is


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as%ed to tal% about the bi# picture$

Spade ultimately says the three ere

playin# a o%e on the to o0cers, hich

ould be hard to disprove i the threestic% to the story$ Iltimately, Cairo ants

to leave, Dundy as%s hy Cairo is so

ri#htened to stay, and Spade as%s or

*his #un,+ hich is Cairo's but Spade has

said he lent to Cairo or the o%e$ Spade

#ets the #un$"his odd scene seems to ed Spade to

5'Shau#hnessy, a#ainst Cairo@ to

intereave Spade urther ith the

outstandin# uestions o the murders and

the blac% bird@ and to set up Spade as a

chie suspect and enemy o the police$

Ch$ B: .ri#id

Ater chec%in# to see i the youth is still

donstairs, Spade returns to his

apartment and as%s .ri#id 5$ to tell him

about the alcon$

5$ says =rst Cairo, then "hursby hado/ered her money to help each #et

possession o the alcon rom a Nussian

named Femidov$ Ater she discovers that

Cairo has no intention o payin# her, she


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oins "hursby in cuttin# Cairo out o the

deal, only to =ne "hursby intends to cut

her out =rst$ She indicates that is hy

she came to Spade, or him to help her=nd the alcon$

Spade calls 5$ a liar, she admits she is,

then %isses Spade$

Ch$ 1: "he .elvedere Divan

Ater spendin# the ni#ht ith .ri#id,

Spade aa%ens and ta%es a %ey rom thesleepin# .rid#id's clothes$ He #oes to the

Coronet Hotel and searches every suare

inch o her room, loo%in# or but not

=ndin# the !alcon$ "hen he returns ith

brea%ast$

Ater droppin# o/ 5$ at home, Spade #oes

to the .elvedere Hotel, but Cairo is not in$

He sits don in the lobby neEt to the

youth, ho doesn't ant to tal%$ Spade

drops hints about antin# to spea% ith

K$ Ater the youth curses Spade, Spade

has 6u%e, the hotel detective, order the

youth outside$ "he youth leaves butpromises to remember the to o them$

4n the lobby, Spade intercepts Cairo, ho

has spend the ni#ht uestioned by Dundy$

Spade indicates Cairo and he should


12/27

attempt to =nd out the location o the

alcon rom .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy$

Spade returns to his o0ce in the

mornin#, here 5$ aaits him$ Privately,30e Perine tells Spade that K$ has called

and ill call a#ain$

.ri#id tells Spade that someone has

searched her apartment and, thin%in# it

mi#ht have been the youth or Cairo, she

is araid to return to her room$ Spade,ho is the real culprit, arran#es or her to

stay ith 30e Perine$

Ch$ 11: "he !at Man

Spade returns to his o0ce and

immediately receives a call that seems to

pertain to meetin# Mr$ Kutman )*K+-

4va Archer is aitin# or Sam$ She says

that Phil Archer, Miles' brother, %nos

about the a/air beteen Sam and 4va$

She also admits she called the police to

stir up trouble or Sam$ !inally, she

claims she as home the ni#ht 30e cameto notiy her o Miles' murder$ Spade

sends 4va to Sid Wise to =#ure out ho to

deal ith the police hen they come see

her$


13/27

Spade #oes to see Kutman$ "he youth

ho has been olloin# Spade opens the

door$

Spade and Kutman share ci#ars anddrin%s$ Kutman voices approval at

Spade's attitude and orthri#htness$

"he to discuss the .lac% .ird's value<

ell beyond 1,$ Kutman says he

%nos hat it is@ Spade counters that he

%nos here it is$ "hen they discusshether Goel Cairo and .ri#id

5'Shau#hnessy %no hat it is$ "he

implication is that Kutman ill pay Spade

more than the others or the bird because

Kutman %nos its true value$

Spade declines to tell Kutman here the

.lac% .ird is@ Kutman declines to tell

Spade hat it is$

Spade rants, seemin#ly pretendin# he is

rustrated ith Kutman's lac% o

cooperation$ Spade says San !rancisco is

his tur$

"he youth interrupts Spade's tirade, andSpade threatens to %ill the youth i he

#ets in Spade's ay$ "hen Spade #ives

Kutman a deadline o 8:; to cooperate$


14/27

He leaves as the youth's curses, his voice

*not loud+ but *bitter+ )117-$

Ch$ 1(: Merry9Ko9Nound

Spade #oes to the o0ce o Sid Wise, ho

has uestioned 4va Archer$ We learn that,

accordin# to her, 4va olloed Miles the

evenin# he as murdered because she

thou#ht Miles as #oin# on a date$

4nstead, she sa him ollo a man andoman, the latter someone she sa ith

Sam Spade$ Presumably, this as .ri#id

5'Shau#hnessy and the man as !loyd

"hursby$ Ater trips to Spade's

apartment, the movies, her home,

Spade's apartment a#ain, and a

restaurant, 4va =nally returns home ust

beore 30e Perine arrives$ Spade does

not completely trust Sid Wise$ Spade's

anEiety mi#ht be shoin#$

Spade returns to his o0ce and =nds 30e

upset because .ri#id never made it to

30e's house$ Spade blos up at 30e,then apolo#ies$

Spade trac%s don the cab driver ho

pic%ed up .ri#id )Spade had been in the

cab or a part o the trip$-, ho says he


15/27

#ot her a copy o the nespaper The Call ,

then she redirected him to ta%e her to the

!erry .uildin#$

Spade combs throu#h a copy o "he Call$Several crimes are noted, and Spade

chec%s the obituaries loo%in# or clues$

Spade searches 5's apartment, and =nds

the eelry boE is empty$ Perhaps she

hoc%ed her eelry to raise money$

"he youth orces Spade at #unpoint to #oto the apartment o Caspar Kutman$

.eore enterin#, Spade disarms the

youth$

Ch$ 1;: "he 3mperor's Kit

Kutman tells Spade about the history o

the blac% bird$ "he story is convoluted$

"he outline is as ollos: Durin# the

Crusades )1s-, the 5rder o St$ Gohn

as established in the Holy 6and by

mon%s or the care o Christians on

pil#rima#e$ 6ater, the 5rder became

%ni#hts to deend these Christians romattac%$ 3ventually, the 5rder as

eEpelled rom Gerusalem, Oed to the

Mediterranean, and ultimately as #iven

control o three islands, one o hich as


16/27

Malta$ As a #it to 3mperor Charles, the

5rder made a alcon encrusted ith

valuable eels$ "his alcon as passed

rom hand to hand over the centuries, ata certain point covered ith enamel, and

=nally or#otten as to its true nature$

Caspar Kutman mi#ht be the only one let

ho %nos its true nature, and no

Samuel Spade does as ell$

As the conversation continues, Kutmano/ers Spade either to payments o

8, )one no and one later-, or one9

uarter o the ultimate value o the bird$

Spade continues to drin%$ Dru##ed, he

becomes obbly$ "he youth


17/27

tremendous memory$- 30e is eEcited by

the mystery o it all$ Spade sends 30e to

read the history to her cousin, a historian

at .er%eley, to =nd out i there isanythin# to the story$

Spade #oes to the AleEandria, here he is

told Kutman has not chec%ed out and had

arrived 1 days earlier$

Spade #oes to the .elvedere and

searches Cairo's room, here he =nds apiece o the Call nespaper torn out in

the section listin# ship arrivals$ He #ets a

copy at the Call o0ce and narros it

don to siE ships, then underscores the

one arrivin# rom Hon#%on# )rom here

Cairo had his hat manuactured-$

Spade uses the phone to arran#e

meetin#s ith Ser#eant "om Polhaus and

ith Mr$ .ryan, the District Attorney, then

calls Sid Wise to chec% on him to ma%e

sure Spade is o%ay ater the meetin# ith

.ryan$

30e tells Sam her brother says all theacts o the .lac% .ird history seem

authentic$ 30e tells Sam that upon her

return by erry, a ship as on =re and in

the process o bein# toed out to see$ 4t


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as named 6a Paloma, hich is the ship

that had been scheduled to arrive rom

Hon#%on#$

Ch$ 18: 3very Crac%pot

Spade meets ith "om Polhaus$ Polhaus

says that "hursby shot miles, as proven

by the match beteen the a uniue

Webley seen in "hursby's room by a

bellhop the mornin# o the murders, andthe bullet that %illed Miles Archer$

Spade and Polhaus #o bac% and orth as

to Dundy's suspictions o Spade's

involvement in the murders$

Polhaus says they du# up "hursby's

record: He as a St$ 6ouis #unman as

part o the 3#an mob, as imprisoned or

robbery and pistol9hippin# a oman$

"hen he ent to or% as a body#uard or

DiEie Monahan, ho as in the #amblin#

business and didn't pay some debts$

Spade discovers that Cairo as not

interro#ated by the police *all ni#ht,+ butor less than a couple o hours$

Spade, as a#reed, meets Mr$ .ryan, the

District Attorney, ho tells Spade that all

he needs to crac% the case is the name o


19/27

the person ho hired Spade$ Spade

on't tal%$

.ryan pursues the an#le o "hursby bein#

Monahan's body#uard$ He has severalpossible motives or the murder o

"hursby$

Spade belittles these theories, reuses to

#ive inormation, and states his only

chance o clearin# himsel ith the police

is to solve the murders himsel$ Spadeleaves in a hu/$

As ar as 4 can see, none o these theories


20/27

Neturnin# to his o0ce, Spade recounts to

30e hat he discovered on the ship: that

.ri#id had a meal ith Captain Gacobi,

ho had earlier done some businessupton$ "hereater, they ere oined by

Kutman, Cairo, and the ?outh "here as

an ar#ument and a #unshot, and then

they all =ve let around midni#ht$ "he

Captain did not return, missin# an

appointment on board ship$

Suddenly, a man enters, ounded and

carryin# a pac%a#e rapped in bron

paper and tied ith a rope$ He alls to

the Ooor, dead, shot several times in the

chest$ Spade unraps the bundle to =nd

*the oot9hi#h =#ure o a bird, blac% as

coal and shiny here its polish as not

dulled by ood9dust and ra#ments o

eEcelsior+ )1;-$

30e and Sam are mesmeried by the

reco#nition that this is the Maltese

!alcon, so much so that Spade does not

realie he is standin# on the dead man'shand$ At that moment, the phone rin#s$

30e relates to Sam that it as .ri#id

5'Shau#hnessy, ho as in distress and

#ot cut o/, but as able to say that she


21/27

as at the AleEandria )Kutman's hotel-$

30e insists Spade #o to help her$ .eore

leavin#, Spade ill ta%e care o the

!alcon, and leaves eEplicit directions<ell9thou#ht out99 or 30e as to ho to

handle the body and the police hen they

arrive$

Ch$ 1J: Saturday >i#ht

Spade puts the Maltese !alcon in a saetyboE at a terminal, then mails the tic%et

or the boE to a post o0ce boE$

Spade #oes to the AleEandria, here he

=nds Kutman's dau#hter dru##ed$ She is

able to tell him that .ri#id needs his help

at ( Ancho in .urlin#ame$

Ater callin# the 3mer#ency Hospital

about the #irl, Spade hires a car, #oes to

.urlin#ame, and =nds a dar% house that

has not been visited in ee%s$ Sensin# a

ild #oose chase, he returns to the hotel

to =nd that there as no #irl ound in the

room ater Spade let$

Spade tells 30e hat happened$ 30e

tells Spade everythin# ent ell ith the

police and the dead body, but hen she

as ta%en to the police station, she sa


22/27

the youth there, ho Spade describes as

*a bad e##, that lad


23/27

murderer$ Spade ma%es an ar#ument or

#ivin# Wilmer, the youth, to the police$

Wilmer #ets a#itated, and threatens to

shoot Spade, ho uses his %noled#e othe hereabouts o the .lac% .ird to hold

Wilmer o/$

When Kutman resists the idea, Spade

su##ests to #ive the police Cairo, thou#h

Cairo is not as stron# a candidate as

Wilmer$ Cairo, in turn, su##ests .ri#id5'Shau#hnessy, hich Spade is illin# to

accept i .ri#id *can be ri##ed or the

part+ )12B-$

At a standstill, Cairo then hispers in

Kutman's ear


24/27

Ch$ 1B: "he Nussian's Hand

3veryone aits or the mornin#$ 4n the

meantime, Spade insists that Kutman

relate hat happened so he can orm acredible story or the police$

4n brie, Kutman says Wilmer, the youth,

%illed "hursby )ater "hursby presumably

%illed Miles Archer- because Kutman

believed that ould ma%e .ri#id

5'Shau#hnessy, havin# lost herprotection, consider oinin# Kutman in

pro=tin# rom the .lac% .ird$ )Previously,

.ri#id had #iven the alcon to Captain

Gacobi o the ship 6a Paloma, and she too%

a aster ship ith Cairo rom Hon#%on# to

the San !rancisco$-

Cairo oined orces ith Kutman$ Cairo

had seen a notice in the nespaper o the

arrival o 6a Paloma and recalled that

.ri#id and Captain Gacobi had been seen

to#ether in Hon#%on#, and put to and

to to#ether$

Kutman, Wilmer and Cairo indeed ent to6a Paloma$ Kutman thou#ht he had an

a#reement ith 5'Shau#hnessy to turn

over the alcon, but she and Gacobi

slipped aay ith the bird$ )Durin# the


25/27

meetin# on the ship, Wilmer had searched

the ship or the bird, and, accidentally or

not, set the ship on =re$-

Kutman and Wilmer located 5$ and Gacobiat 5$'s apartment, but this time Gacobi

slipped out the indo ith the alcon$

Wilmer, ho had been sent donstairs,

shot Gacobi, but a police o0cer appeared,

so Wilmer bac%ed o/ and Gacobi #ot aay

in a car$ )Wilmer ends up at the policestation, seen by 30e ater she noti=ed

the police about the body$- "hen Kutman

*persuaded+ .ri#id to reveal that she

as%ed Gacobi to ta%e the .lac% .ird to

Spade, at hich point .ri#id called Spade

and sent him on a ild #oose chase,

hopin# to %eep Gacobi rom deliverin# the

bird$

Kutman as%s or the 1, bac% rom

.ri#id beore she #oes inside, and

discovers one 1 bill is missin#$

Spade, ater havin# .ri#id strip, ma%es

Kutman admit he palmed it )in an attemptto create a disa#reement beteen Spade

and .ri#id-$

"he mornin# comes and 30e Perine

delivers the statuette$ "he bird is


26/27

unrapped and a poc%et %nie is used to

chip aay the enamel coverin#, only to

reveal that the alcon is made o lead$

4t's a a%e$Ater Cairo berates Kutman or his

stupidity, Kutman, philosophical, resolves

to #o on to Constantinople to continue his

pursuit o the Maltese !alcon$ 4t is noted

that Wilmer has slipped aay durin# the

drama$

Kutman insists on retainin# the 1,,

thou#h Spade does #et 1 or his

trouble$

Kutman and Cairo depart, leavin# Spade

and .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy alone$

Ch$ (: 4 "hey Han# ?ou

Spade calls the police and tells Polhaus

about Kutman and the others so Polhaus

can arrest them beore they Oee$

Spade tells .ri#id they have to spea%

about hat happened beore the police

arrive, because they are both acin# the#allos$ Iltimately, Spade #ets .ri#id to

admit that she %illed Miles Archer$ "o

.ri#id's horror, Spade tells her she is the

all9#uy, and i she doesn't han# by her


27/27

pretty nec%, he ill ait or her@ i she

does han#, he ill alays remember her$

Spade and .ri#id have a lon#

conversation about their love, throu#hhich e see Spade as, =rst and

oremost, a detective hose

responsibility is to =nd the %iller o his

partner$ Also, e sense Spade has had

emotional trauma, perhaps ith a oman,

in the past99this is a uniue moment inthe novel

Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter

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