For those of us that learned all we know about Dashiell Hammett's work by watching the Humphrey Bogart classic, "The Maltese Falcon" (Warner Brothers 1941), we missed the depth of the character Sam Spade. Being a big fan of the movie, I would watch every time it came on television, pre cable days, and actively seek it out once we got cable. But I always thought Bogart played Spade too cliche, flawed for sure but too much of an upstanding citizen. In the movie Spade is portrayed as a good guy trying to help those in need. I always figured it had something to do with the way movies were made during that time. After watching the movie for the zillionth time a month back, I decide to read the book. Although I couldn't find a screen writing credit for Hammett, I was surprised at how close the movie followed the book. But what the movie was missing is how Spade really isn't a good guy. He was in it for himself. Movies rarely compare well to the book they were based on and this is true for the Maltese Falcon. Given the choice, read the book. It's worth the time. I'm looking forward to reading Hammett's, The Thin Man.