The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 12 October 2000
by Raymond Chandler
The 1946 Bogart/Bacall movie (Screenplay by William Faulkner!) of this 1939 mystery is famous for being convoluted, but also for its intricate and witty writing. This book would help, at least a little, to decipher what is going on in the movie, but is still an intricate and complex plot. Famous Philip Marlowe (in his first appearance in a novel) is hired by old General Sternwood to take care of a blackmail plot hatched by a shady dealer in shady books. But this is only the beginning. Marlowe gets tangled up with Sternwood's two energetic and subversive daughters. They alternately entice him and disturb him. The story is much more explicit and racy than the subsequent movie was ever allowed to be, and treads on some really seedy ground. As hard-boiled as Marlowe is, he shows a surprising sensitivity, both to the daughters, Vivian and Carmen, and to the General's pride and honor. In fact, perhaps Marlowe's honesty is overplayed a little. Certainly, compared to the ugly characters in an ugly Los Angeles he has to encounter, that would be obvious. Chandler's writing isn't as gritty as, say, that of James M. Cain, and despite being dark, is still entertaining and ornate. Marlowe is a character one would want to get to know better. Chandler obliges in later novels.
Also by Chandler: [The High Window] [The Little Sister] [The Lady in the Lake] [The Long Goodbye] [Playback] [Farewell, My Lovely]