Fire and Knowledge

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, 188 pages.

The other night I started The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin. I read for a few pages and struggled to pay attention. My thoughts wandered. There was nothing there to hook me. It was boring. I put it down.

The next day I started The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. I was hooked by the second page. I stayed up late to finish it.

The book is about Sam Spade, a detective agent in San Francisco. Spade is hired by multiple people to find a statue falcon and results in murder, double-crossing, and betrayal. You know, all that good stuff. It is said to be one of the best detective mysteries written, but I don’t read enough of them to know. I do know it was very good.

It’s not a profound book. It doesn’t deal with many “great ideas.” It’s not going to change your life, but it will be a great experience.