Sam Spade

Sam Spade (Samuel Spade) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett. The Maltese Falcon, first published as a serial in the pulp magazine Black Mask, is the only full-length novel by Hammett in which Spade appears. The character, despite his scant appearances, is widely cited as a crystallizing figure in the development of hard-boiled private detective, such as Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. Spade was a departure from Hammett's nameless and less-than-glamorous detective, the Continental Op. Spade combined several features of previous detectives, most notably his detached demeanor, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice.