The Maltese Falcon
About this audiobook
“Don’t be too sure I’m as crooked as I’m supposed to be. That kind of reputation might be good business.”—Samuel Spade, private investigator
“Spade...is what most of the private detectives I worked with would like to have been and in their cockier moments thought they approached.”—Dashiell Hammett
The Maltese Falcon first appeared in the pages of Black Mask magazine in 1929. Almost immediately it was acknowledged as not only a great crime novel but an enduring masterpiece of American fiction. Sam Spade, its protagonist, is the archetypal tough, cynical PI, “able,” as his creator explained, “to take care of himself in any situation, able to get the best of anybody he comes in contact with, whether criminal, innocent bystander or client.” And what a client!—the irresistible and treacherous femme fatale Brigid O’Shaughnessy.
Believing the book’s vividly drawn characters and memorable dialogue cry out for theatrical treatment, Blackstone Publishing commissioned this faithful dramatization by the award-winning Hollywood Theater of the Ear, in which a brilliant cast brings to life all the excitement and suspense of Hammett’s original in the playhouse of the mind.
About the author
Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He is widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time. In addition to The Maltese Falcon, his pioneering novels include Red Harvest, The Dain Curse, The Glass Key, and the #1 New York Times bestseller The Thin Man.
Yuri Rasovsky (1944–2012) was the leading writer, producer, and director of audio drama in the United States. Also a distinguished actor, narrator, and critic, his numerous honors include two Peabody Awards, eight Audie Awards, and a Grammy.
Laura Gardner is on the faculty of the Howard Fine Studio. She appeared on Broadway in Smile and Off-Broadway in The Cocktail Hour with Nancy Marchand and Bruce Davison, Other People’s Money; and Welded, directed by José Quintero. Laura and her actor husband, Frank Collison, play recurring roles on the sitcom My Name Is Earl.
Michael Madsen (1957–2025) was an actor whose roles ran the gamut from the hippest of cult films to the biggest studio blockbusters in his career. He is probably best known for his hard-edged roles in genre films, including Reservoir Dogs, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill Vol. 2. He also wrote three books of poetry and short stories.
Sandra Oh is a two-time Genie Award-winner, Golden Globe Award-winner, and three-time Emmy Award-nominated Canadian actress. She is known to American audiences for her Emmy nominated role in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, her roles in the films Under the Tuscan Sun and Sideways, and her supporting role on HBO’s Arli$$.
Edward Herrmann (1943–2014) was one of America’s top audiobook narrators. He won multiple Audie Awards and twenty-two Earphones Awards, and his narration of the King James version of the Bible remains a benchmark in the industry.
Michael Saad, an actor, producer and writer, gained notice as a member of Chicago’s imaginative Organic Theater company. He has guest starred on numerous TV shows, including 24, JAG, 7th Heaven, and Murder She Wrote. The thriller Road to Red, which he produced, is scheduled for release in 2012.
Armin Shimerman is familiar to science fiction fans as Quark on Star Trek: DS-9 and as Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. An acclaimed stage actor, he has also cowritten four science fiction novels.
Tom Towles met Yuri Rasovsky in grammar school fifty years ago! After working with Paul Sills in the ground-breaking Story Theater, he became a cult favorite in horror movies such as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Night of the Living Dead, and House of 1000 Corpses. Recently he portrayed a vicious gang leader in the big screen adaptation of Miami Vice.
Keith Szarabajka has appeared in many films, including The Dark Knight, Missing, and A Perfect World, and on such television shows as The Equalizer, Angel, Cold Case, Golden Years, and Profit. Szarabajka has also appeared in several episodes of Selected Shorts for National Public Radio. He won the 2001 Audie Award for Unabridged Fiction for his reading of Tom Robbins’s Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates and has won several Earphones Awards.
