Dashiell Hammett renovates the detective genre by popularizing hard and original detective fiction. Serializing his works in 1920s literary magazines like The Black Mask, Hammett shared his unsentimental stories of mystery, violence, and promiscuity. What began as a surveillance mission led by protagonist Sam Spade and his partner Miles Archer turns into a murder investigation, as Archer is found dead that evening. Spade is a suspect, as Archer's wife Iva and Spade are having an affair. The reader learns that the woman who requested the surveillance in the first place, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, lied to the partners. The relationship Brigid builds with Spade is built when Brigid presents a plan to sell a jewel-encrusted gold falcon to her former partners Joel Cairo, Wilmer Cook, and Casper Gutman. The meeting with Cairo takes a turn for the worst when these men seeking information about the falcon almost kill Spade. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating Archer's death and Spade's affair with his wife further. At the Cairo Hotel, Spade realizes that the falcon is probably aboard the ship La Paloma. Later, the ship's captain, Jacobi, enters Spade's office and dies while holding a package containing the falcon. Meanwhile, Spade receives a fake call from Brigid informing him that she is in trouble. Spade secures the falcon and heads to Gutman's suite. There, Spade receives partial payment and later gives the falcon to Gutman. Gutman removes the protective layer of enamel to discover that the falcon is made of lead rather than gold. Spade eventually contacts authorities about the hawk and the murders. He also reveals to Brigid that he knows she killed her partner, Archer, and hands her over to the police. The novel c...... middle of paper ......Falcon. New York: Random House, 1957. Print. Kelly, David. “Critical Essay on the Maltese Falcon.” Novels for students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne and Timothy Sisler. Flight. 21. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 198-201. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. October 14, 2011. Marling, William. “Critical Essay on the Maltese Falcon.” Novels for students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne and Timothy Sisler. Flight. 21. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 201-209. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. October 14, 2011. Symons, Julian. Dashiell Hammett. Np: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1985. 66-72. Rep. in student novels. Ed. Ira Mark Milne and Timothy Sisler. Flight. 21. Détriot: Gale, 2006. 209-212. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. October 14, 2011. “The Maltese Falcon.” Novels for students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne and Timothy Sisler. Flight. 21. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 187-192. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. October 14. 2011.