Spade & Archer Audiobook By Joseph Gores cover art

Spade & Archer

The Prequel to The Maltese Falcon

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Spade & Archer

By: Joseph Gores
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

When Sam Spade gets drawn into the Maltese Falcon case, we know what to expect: straight talk, hard questions, no favors, and no way for anyone to get underneath the protective shell he wears like a second skin. We know that his late partner, Miles Archer, was a son of a bitch; that Spade is sleeping with Archer's wife, Iva; that his tomboyish secretary, Effie Perine, is the only innocent in his life. What we don't know is how Spade became who he is. Spade & Archer completes the picture.

1921: Spade sets up his own agency in San Francisco and clients quickly start coming through the door. The next seven years will see him dealing with booze runners, waterfront thugs, stowaways, banking swindlers, gold smugglers, bumbling cops, and the illegitimate daughter of Sun Yat-sen; with murder, other men's mistresses, and long-missing money. He'll bring in Archer as a partner, though it was Archer who stole his girl while he was fighting in World War I. He'll tangle with a villain who never loses his desire to make Spade pay big for ruining what should've been the perfect crime. And he'll fall in love - though it won't turn out for the best. It never does with dames.

Spade & Archer is a gritty, pitch-perfect, hard-boiled novel - the work of a master mystery writer - destined to become a classic in its own right.

©2009 Joe Gores (P)2009 Random House
Hard-Boiled Historical Noir Suspense Fiction Mystery
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Screen Adaptations of All Time


As the category of great page-to-screen storytelling continues to grow, we scoured our libraries, grilled audiophiles and cinephiles, and vetted the entire Audible catalog for the 100 greatest screen adaptations for watchers and listeners alike. These are the stories that inspired some of the greatest on-screen stories of all time, from Academy Award winners and cult classics to must-see TV. They're well worth the price of admission.

What listeners say about Spade & Archer

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    126
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    109
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    103
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great writing! Great read!

He did a great job of interpreting the old writing style and making a new story with his own twist and turns. if you like The Maltese falcon you'll love this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent experience

For anyone who knows and/or is a fan of Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, this book is a great treat. The author cleverly gives us a very plausible back-story to what happens in Hammett's classic; all is believable and all fits together beautifully. The reader is also first-class--Sam Spade really comes alive, as do all of the other characters as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

This is a great audiobook listen. Kept me entertained for miles and miles. Gores captures the essence of Hammet's style while adding his own touch. The descriptions of the San Francisco Bay Area in the 20s are great and it is well plotted. Highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

AWESOME story and narration.

I love the old B&W film noire detective mysteries. This story and the narrator did not let me down.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

really really enjoyable. excellent actually.

highly recommended. like watching a movie. detailed. colorful writing. I am going to listen to the entire book again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sam Spade Lives

Didn’t think I’d like this as much as I did. Dashiell would be proud and I’m delighted!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

thumbs up

thought it well done all the way around, not easy to pull off, neither the story or the reader gets in the way of Sam Spade

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Left me wanting more!

Loved this storyline it gave a perfect background history of Sam Spade and flowed nicely to the end with the beginning of Maltese Falcon.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Scott Brick and his portrayal
( not merely narration) of Sam Spade. He sounded so much like Humphrey Bogart but wasn’t over the top . It was perfection and I’m going to look for more pull type stories with him as narrator!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mirror Image

Truly when you finish this the absolute next sentence is the first sentence in Maltese Falcon. It expands the characters and gives a history and is on it's own a ripping yarn. I am impressed at this "prequel", in character, in time, pace and setting. Well done!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The greatest private eye.

What made the experience of listening to Spade & Archer the most enjoyable?

My favorite mystery story is the Maltese falcon. I always wished Hammet had written more than one novel and three short stories about the Adventures of Sam Spade. Mr Gores does a good job walking in Hammets shoes, and giving us more adventures of Spade

What was one of the most memorable moments of Spade & Archer?

The bad guy getting what he deserves in the end.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a great voice talent. I also liked his work on Its Superman.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was very upset when Spades lover was murderd.

Any additional comments?

I wish Mr Gores would write more of Spade adventures.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!