Let me introduce you to one of the coolest cats in literature - the hardboiled detective Sam Spade. He is cynical, detached, and exclusively follows his own ambiguous moral code. We follow Sam as he tries to tail a possible kidnapper before his partner gets murdered, throwing Sam into a complex web of lies, deceit, betrayal, and jewel encrusted bird statues.

This book is a fun romp through the dark gritty streets of turn of the century San Francisco. It was a little difficult to follow in the beginning - it throws a lot of characters and clues at you. Once I could wrap my head around the current state of affairs, it got really fun. The characters are all unique and distinct. The prose is punchy and concise. This was my first detective novel and overall I really enjoyed it.