Good show, orlok. I think you'll enjoy the book, although I don't believe it's available yet as an ebook. You can, however, download the audiobook for free at
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-faltese-malcom. Donations are accepted, and after listening I shelled out the recommended donation of $9.99, but that's purely voluntary.
Solomon Paid ("S. Paid") is, of course, Sam Spade. Toward the end of the novel, Joshua Punch—the fellow who's been swapping bodies and timelines with S. Paid—speculates that if anyone ever decided to write an account of his and S. Paid's adventure involving the Maltese Falcon, they would probably change the names.
