Spade & Archer

Scott Brick fights the urge to apply a Bogart-like tone to this prequel to Dashiell Hammett's classic, THE MALTESE FALCON. It's 1920s San Francisco. Brick's perfect pacing draws the listener into the world of antihero gumshoe Sam Spade, before he hired his secretary and joined forces with Miles Archer. This time, instead of a jewel-encrusted statue of a falcon, it's a treasure of gold that needs to be found, and Spade delivers. Brick's voice wears the gritty dialogue and minimalist description like paint on a flagpole. Lovers of hard-boiled detective adventures will want to stand up and salute. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine