Samuel Dashil Hammett (1894-1961) is one of the most popular American writers, a classic of the detective genre, the creator of the literary direction, later called "cool detective". The works of this author are characterized by a dynamic development of the plot, which keeps the reader in constant tension, not allowing a single moment to distract from the book. The third volume of the Works includes the novels “The Maltese Falcon”, recognized as the best American detective of the 20th century, and “Hust”, as well as stories and stories in which the nameless “operator from the Continental” is replaced by a deft and charming Sam Spade the prototype of future supermen .