Hammett's 1930 detective novel is widely regarded as the first and finest novel of the hard-boiled private detective. Sam Spade has a cold detachment, keen eye for detail and an unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. Regarded by many as the greatest crime novel of the 20th century, it has been ranked in the top 100 of English- language novels. The Maltese Falcon has been filmed several times, most famously by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade.