I just finished Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon." Mr. Hammett truly is the genius of hard-boiled American detective fiction. It reads fast (like detective novels should read) and by all means, if you haven't seen the film, then read the book first. Not to take anything away from Bogey (who does a clean-up job playing Sam Spade) but Hammett's novel is one of those books that you just don't want to finish because it is so good. I recommend it. It's a classic.