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Quick answer: If you loved The Maltese Falcon, try Red Harvest, The Thin Man, The Glass Key, The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely and The Long Goodbye. Each one offers hardboiled detectives, double-crosses and dark city streets.
Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel follows Sam Spade, a tough San Francisco private detective. After his partner is murdered, Spade is pulled into a deadly hunt for a jewel-encrusted statuette of a falcon, sought by the alluring Brigid O'Shaughnessy, the fussy Joel Cairo and the enormous Casper Gutman. Readers love its tough talk, its twists and its morally gray hero. These books share its noir mood and its cynical detectives.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Detective | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Harvest | Dashiell Hammett | The Continental Op | readers who want more Hammett |
| The Thin Man | Dashiell Hammett | Nick and Nora | readers who want witty detectives |
| The Glass Key | Dashiell Hammett | Ned Beaumont | readers who like political noir |
| The Big Sleep | Raymond Chandler | Philip Marlowe | readers who want Chandler |
| Farewell, My Lovely | Raymond Chandler | Philip Marlowe | readers who want more Marlowe |
| The Long Goodbye | Raymond Chandler | Philip Marlowe | readers who want Chandler's best |
| Double Indemnity | James M. Cain | Insurance man | readers who like fatal plots |
| The Postman Always Rings Twice | James M. Cain | Drifter | readers who like doomed lovers |
| Devil in a Blue Dress | Walter Mosley | Easy Rawlins | readers who want fresh noir |
| The Chill | Ross Macdonald | Lew Archer | readers who like family secrets |
| L.A. Confidential | James Ellroy | LAPD | readers who like dark corruption |
| I, the Jury | Mickey Spillane | Mike Hammer | readers who want pulp |
| Kiss Me, Deadly | Mickey Spillane | Mike Hammer | readers who want more pulp |
| The Friends of Eddie Coyle | George V. Higgins | Crooks | readers who love crime dialogue |
| Gun Monkeys | Victor Gischler | Crooks | readers who like darkly funny noir |
1. Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
A detective pits gangs against each other.
Best for: readers who want more Hammett.
2. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
A retired detective and his wife solve a murder.
Best for: readers who want witty detectives.
3. The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett
A gambler investigates a murder for his boss.
Best for: readers who like political noir.
4. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Marlowe takes on a blackmail case.
Best for: readers who want Chandler.
5. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
Marlowe hunts an ex-convict's lost love.
Best for: readers who want more Marlowe.
6. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
Marlowe helps a friend accused of murder.
Best for: readers who want Chandler's best.
7. Double Indemnity by James M. Cain
A man helps a woman kill her husband.
Best for: readers who like fatal plots.
8. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
A drifter and a wife plot murder.
Best for: readers who like doomed lovers.
9. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
A veteran hunts a missing woman in 1948 LA.
Best for: readers who want fresh noir.
10. The Chill by Ross Macdonald
Archer searches for a missing bride.
Best for: readers who like family secrets.
11. L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy
Cops in 1950s Los Angeles.
Best for: readers who like dark corruption.
12. I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane
A detective hunts his friend's killer.
Best for: readers who want pulp.
13. Kiss Me, Deadly by Mickey Spillane
Hammer gets mixed up in a deadly secret.
Best for: readers who want more pulp.
14. The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins
A small-time crook tries to stay out of jail.
Best for: readers who love crime dialogue.
15. Gun Monkeys by Victor Gischler
A hitman's job goes wrong.
Best for: readers who like darkly funny noir.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Maltese Falcon: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to The Maltese Falcon. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For more Hammett, read Red Harvest for violence and The Thin Man for wit. Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye are essential noir. If you love double-crosses, Double Indemnity is short and deadly. Devil in a Blue Dress brings fresh energy to the genre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Maltese Falcon about?
Private detective Sam Spade hunts a valuable falcon statuette after his partner is killed.
Who is Brigid O'Shaughnessy?
A lying, alluring woman who hires Spade.
Is there a movie?
Yes. The 1941 film starred Humphrey Bogart.
Was the falcon real?
It is fictional, though Hammett based its backstory on the real Knights of Malta.
How does it end?
Spade turns Brigid in for his partner's murder.
Is it hard to read?
No. It is short and full of sharp dialogue.
What should I read next?
The Big Sleep.