It is hard to believe that the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon was based on the only novel that legendary mystery writer Dashiell Hammett penned featuring Detective Sam Spade. That story left some big questions unanswered, and now Max Allan Collins is returning to that world in an attempt to wrap things up.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON is set in San Francisco in 1928. Collins has recreated this setting and the characters brilliantly, allowing readers to step directly into the action that would have immediately followed the original story. I defy you not to have images of Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Ward Bond and others swimming through your imagination as you are sent back into this classic noir mystery that was never truly solved.

"RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON is a work of wonder, and I enjoyed every second of it. Collins has not just inhabited Hammett’s world but breathed new life into it and made it distinctly his own."

The statue that everyone was pursuing, and dying over, in THE MALTESE FALCON was never found. Sure, there may have been facsimiles shown of the golden prize that was hidden beneath black tarnish to keep its value concealed. But where was the genuine article? Spade’s new client is Rhea Gutman, a young woman claiming to be the daughter of Casper Gutman, who lost his life in the initial pursuit of the Maltese falcon.

It is less than two weeks since Spade’s somewhat corrupt partner, Miles Archer, was killed. He is now going solo in his practice with just his able secretary, Effie Perine, to support him. It is a pleasure to walk alongside Spade as he begins his journey by speaking with his friends on the force and eventually meeting with two prominent figures from THE MALTESE FALCON who are now behind bars: Brigid O’Shaughnessy and Joel Cairo, the latter of whom claims that he has a “man” who would pay handsomely for the Maltese falcon once it’s been procured.

Spade expertly works everyone he meets for the information he needs. But he also must validate the location of General Kemidov, a mysterious Russian man who may be in possession of the statue. The entire time, Spade is being dogged by the local police chief and the district attorney, who are extremely vested in the case. This makes his continued pursuit more difficult to conceal.

Every turn Spade makes puts another figure in front of him who desperately wants the Maltese falcon --- from Chicago gangster Dixie Monahan to Brigid’s sister, Corinne Wonderly, to a museum curator from London claiming to be the true title holder of the statue. Spade collects fees from each of them but has no idea who he can trust and finds himself in dangerous situations more than a few times in this novel.

Of course, Spade’s suspicions are well founded. This is the beauty of the story as Max Allan Collins introduces plot twists and unique characters who drive the story to an explosive finale featuring all interested parties willing to do whatever it takes to nab the elusive prize.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON is a work of wonder, and I enjoyed every second of it. Collins has not just inhabited Hammett’s world but breathed new life into it and made it distinctly his own.