Who Killed Sam's Partner in The Maltese Falcon?

Brigid O'Shaughnessy killed Sam Spade's partner, Miles Archer, in Dashiell Hammett's iconic detective novel and film, The Maltese Falcon.

The Betrayal of Miles Archer

Miles Archer, Sam Spade's business partner in the Spade & Archer detective agency, met his demise early in the narrative of The Maltese Falcon. His killer was Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a mysterious and manipulative femme fatale who became the central figure in the complex web of deceit surrounding the coveted Maltese Falcon statuette.

How the Murder Unfolded

Brigid O'Shaughnessy's decision to kill Miles Archer was a calculated move within her larger scheme to acquire the legendary falcon. She had initially approached the Spade & Archer agency, hiring Sam and Miles under false pretenses. Her fabricated story involved needing their help to find a missing sister, but her true objective was to recover the valuable statuette and navigate a dangerous landscape of rival collectors and criminals.

• The Deception: Brigid led Miles Archer to a secluded location, where she shot him.
• The Motive: Her primary intention was to eliminate a potential loose end and create a distraction. By killing Miles, she hoped to shift suspicion and frame Floyd Thursby, another partner in crime whom she claimed had double-crossed her. This act was designed to serve her own interests in the pursuit of the Maltese Falcon.

Miles Archer's murder sets the entire plot of The Maltese Falcon in motion, as Sam Spade, driven by professional duty and a complex moral code, embarks on a relentless investigation to uncover the truth behind his partner's death and bring the real killer to justice, regardless of his personal feelings for Brigid.

Key Characters Involved

The table below outlines the primary individuals connected to Miles Archer's murder:

For more details on the plot and characters of this classic noir, you can refer to resources like The Maltese Falcon (novel).