One of the most well known novels (and films) of the noir genre by one of its most influential writers. The Sam Spade of the book is not as charming as Humphrey Bogart, but more sinister and devilish. Relying on the cunning and sharp tongue of Spade, you won’t get the shock value of gruesome murder sequences, overblown action scenes, or surprise twist after twist like you see in more modern crime stories; instead you have a straightforward murder case with a handful of equally motivated suspects which plays out like a chess game. Smart and gritty, it is one of the reasons the Hardboiled Crime genre earned itself a place on the map of the American Literary Canon.