Which novel by Dashiell Hammett introduced Sam Spade?

The Dashiell Hammett novel that introduced Sam Spade is The Maltese Falcon. Hammett’s hard-boiled detective novel first appeared in book form in 1930 after being serialized in Black Mask magazine from 1929 to 1930.

Sam Spade is a San Francisco private investigator drawn into a dangerous search for a jewel-encrusted statuette known as the Maltese Falcon. His partner, Miles Archer, is murdered early in the story, forcing Spade to navigate competing criminals, deception, and pressure from the police. Unlike Hammett’s earlier Continental Op, Spade is a named protagonist with a distinct, coolly self-protective personality.

The novel helped define modern hard-boiled detective fiction. Its best-known film adaptation, the 1941 version starring Humphrey Bogart, made Spade one of cinema’s most recognizable private eyes. The other options are also Hammett novels, but none introduces Sam Spade: Red Harvest and The Glass Key feature different protagonists, while The Thin Man centers on Nick and Nora Charles.