A Partner’s Death and a Wife’s Grief

The Maltese Falcon

Iva Archer’s mourning and Spade’s concealed affair make the consequences of Miles Archer’s death personal as well as professional.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Last Assignment The Last Assignment from "The Maltese Falcon". The Last Assignment A routine partnership Miles Archer joins Sam Spade in taking Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s assignment to follow Floyd Thursby.

The Last Assignment from "The Maltese Falcon". The Last Assignment A routine partnership Miles Archer joins Sam Spade in taking Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s assignment to follow Floyd Thursby.

The Last Assignment A routine partnership Miles Archer joins Sam Spade in taking Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s assignment to follow Floyd Thursby. Unseen danger Archer accepts a job that appears manageable, unaware that it places him among competing criminals and a client who has already begun manipulating events.

The Alley Murder The Alley Murder from "The Maltese Falcon". The Alley Murder A sudden end Archer is shot and falls through a broken fence into the slope below. His body is found by a police officer on his beat.

The Alley Murder from "The Maltese Falcon". The Alley Murder A sudden end Archer is shot and falls through a broken fence into the slope below. His body is found by a police officer on his beat.

The Alley Murder A sudden end Archer is shot and falls through a broken fence into the slope below. His body is found by a police officer on his beat. A life reduced to evidence His gun is unfired, his coat is buttoned, and money remains in his clothes. These details become clues, while his human life is quickly overshadowed by the investigation.

News Reaches Iva News Reaches Iva from "The Maltese Falcon". News Reaches Iva A difficult notification Spade calls Effie Perine rather than telling Iva directly, asking Effie to break the news and keep her away from the…

News Reaches Iva from "The Maltese Falcon". News Reaches Iva A difficult notification Spade calls Effie Perine rather than telling Iva directly, asking Effie to break the news and keep her away from the…

News Reaches Iva A difficult notification Spade calls Effie Perine rather than telling Iva directly, asking Effie to break the news and keep her away from the office. Grief and secrecy The choice reflects Spade’s discomfort with Iva and their affair. Even the announcement of her husband’s death becomes entangled with the private bond between widow and partner.

The Widow’s Suspicion The Widow’s Suspicion from "The Maltese Falcon". The Widow’s Suspicion A question without comfort Iva asks Spade whether he killed her husband.

The Widow’s Suspicion from "The Maltese Falcon". The Widow’s Suspicion A question without comfort Iva asks Spade whether he killed her husband.

The Widow’s Suspicion A question without comfort Iva asks Spade whether he killed her husband. Spade reacts with shock and anger, then resumes a gentler manner to send her home. A divided response Her suspicion shows that grief cannot be separated from the affair or the unanswered murder. Spade neither confesses nor supplies the emotional reassurance she seeks.

The Unanswered Visit The Unanswered Visit from "The Maltese Falcon". The Unanswered Visit A return to the office After Brigid is taken away, Iva appears at Spade’s office again.

The Unanswered Visit from "The Maltese Falcon". The Unanswered Visit A return to the office After Brigid is taken away, Iva appears at Spade’s office again.

The Unanswered Visit A return to the office After Brigid is taken away, Iva appears at Spade’s office again. Effie tells him she is there, and he orders her admitted. An unfinished personal story The novel closes without showing their conversation. Iva’s future with Spade remains uncertain, even as the public mystery of Archer’s death has been resolved.

The first evening

Early the next morning

Before dawn after the murder

The following morning

Monday morning