Restaurant owner replaces stolen Maltese Falcon statue

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nine months after someone stole a Maltese Falcon statue from a San Francisco landmark, the restaurant owner is touting a new bird made famous by Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel and Humphrey Bogart’s 1941 film noir classic.

John Konstin of John’s Grill said the 150-pound, 17-inch statue made of lead and bronze will be bolted down, locked in a case and eyed constantly by security cameras. The predator looks more fierce and realistic than the 50-pound plaster replica it replaces.

John’s Grill, which celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, is the haunt of Hammett’s most famous character, detective Sam Spade. In the 1920s, Hammett worked next door and was a frequent patron.