The Woman in the Window 

                                                                   by  A. J. Finn 

I love psychological mystery/thrillers so I was excited to read this debut novel by A. J. Finn. If you are familiar with the Hitchcock movie, Rear Window, you will see some similarities to it in this book.

Anna Fox is a mess. She lives alone in her New York City home. We learn that she is a child psychologist but has such a bad case of agoraphobia that she hasn't left her home in months. She is  also an alcoholic who takes pills for her anxiety while drinking wine and she often spies on her neighbors with her Nikon camera. She also loves classic noir movies and watches them to fill up her time. Although Anna can't seem to help herself, she helps other people suffering with agoraphobia in an online chat group.

Anna has suffered a trauma that is revealed later in the book and she is separated from her husband and child, although she talks to them daily. When the Russell family moves in across the street, they seem like the perfect family to Anna with a husband, wife and teenage son. When Mrs. Russell and her son  come over to give Anna a gift, she gets drunk with Mrs. Russell and forms a bond with her.  One day while spying on them, she sees a crime being committed in their house across the street. Or does she? Should she call the police who probably won't believe her because she has been drinking? The police don't believe her and the Russell's deny that any crime has been committed but the Mrs. Russell who talks to the police isn't the same Mrs. Russell Anna met.

This is an atmospheric story with twists and turns. I am a fan of noir movies so I loved that part of the story and it added to the tension in the book. Anna's three story house also plays a big part in the story because it is Anna's whole world now that she can't leave it. Although she is alone in the house, she rents out the basement to a young man who helps her with things around the house but can he be trusted after Anna finds out some things about him?

 I did figure out a few things but didn't figure out how they would all come together at the end of the book. I listened to it on audio and at first wasn't sure how I liked the reader but ended up liking the narration by Ann Marie Lee.

If you like psychological thrillers with twists, an unreliable narrator and noir overtones, you should give The Woman in the Window a try. It was also an Amazon Best Book of January 2018.

The Woman in the Window 

                                                                   by  A. J. Finn 

I love psychological mystery/thrillers so I was excited to read this debut novel by A. J. Finn. If you are familiar with the Hitchcock movie, Rear Window, you will see some similarities to it in this book.

Anna Fox is a mess. She lives alone in her New York City home. We learn that she is a child psychologist but has such a bad case of agoraphobia that she hasn't left her home in months. She is  also an alcoholic who takes pills for her anxiety while drinking wine and she often spies on her neighbors with her Nikon camera. She also loves classic noir movies and watches them to fill up her time. Although Anna can't seem to help herself, she helps other people suffering with agoraphobia in an online chat group.

Anna has suffered a trauma that is revealed later in the book and she is separated from her husband and child, although she talks to them daily. When the Russell family moves in across the street, they seem like the perfect family to Anna with a husband, wife and teenage son. When Mrs. Russell and her son  come over to give Anna a gift, she gets drunk with Mrs. Russell and forms a bond with her.  One day while spying on them, she sees a crime being committed in their house across the street. Or does she? Should she call the police who probably won't believe her because she has been drinking? The police don't believe her and the Russell's deny that any crime has been committed but the Mrs. Russell who talks to the police isn't the same Mrs. Russell Anna met.

This is an atmospheric story with twists and turns. I am a fan of noir movies so I loved that part of the story and it added to the tension in the book. Anna's three story house also plays a big part in the story because it is Anna's whole world now that she can't leave it. Although she is alone in the house, she rents out the basement to a young man who helps her with things around the house but can he be trusted after Anna finds out some things about him?

 I did figure out a few things but didn't figure out how they would all come together at the end of the book. I listened to it on audio and at first wasn't sure how I liked the reader but ended up liking the narration by Ann Marie Lee.

If you like psychological thrillers with twists, an unreliable narrator and noir overtones, you should give The Woman in the Window a try. It was also an Amazon Best Book of January 2018.

Sunburn  

                    by Laura Lippman         


I am a lover of noir in books and film. When I read a review of Sunburn that said it is a modern noir, I knew that I had to read it and would probably love it. I was right. This is an enjoyable psychological thriller that will keep you interested and guessing till the end.

Polly and Adam meet in a bar in Belleville, Delaware. They are both there for a reason. Polly is running away from something and someone and Dan has his own reason for being there. Both of them are just passing through this small town yet they are strangely drawn to each other. Polly's cool, quiet and aloof demeanor both excites and unnerves Adam.  Instead of moving on, they stay for the summer and are soon engulfed in an intense, steamy, passionate affair. Although Adam doesn't quite trust Polly, he can't stay away from her. As the summer progresses they begin a cat and mouse game that soon turns deadly when someone dies. Was it an accident? Neither Adam nor Polly is who they seem to be. Is Polly a cold blooded killer or a victim?  Why is Adam, an adventure seeking, globe trotting traveler, there in the small town of Belleview?

It has been said that James M. Cain's novella, The Postman Always Rings Twice, was the inspiration for this book. As in some of the Cain books I have read, the man instantly falls for the woman and will do almost anything, even murder, to keep her. Like Postman, this book is set in a diner, the female character is a femme fatale who is irresistible to men and might have been involved in planning a murder.

The twists and turns in Sunburn will keep you guessing and the ending was unexpected. If you like noir and psychological suspense, you will want to read Sunburn.

I listened to Sunburn on audio and Susan Bennett's narration was a perfect fit for the noir tone and feel of Sunburn.

Sunburn  

                    by Laura Lippman         


I am a lover of noir in books and film. When I read a review of Sunburn that said it is a modern noir, I knew that I had to read it and would probably love it. I was right. This is an enjoyable psychological thriller that will keep you interested and guessing till the end.

Polly and Adam meet in a bar in Belleville, Delaware. They are both there for a reason. Polly is running away from something and someone and Dan has his own reason for being there. Both of them are just passing through this small town yet they are strangely drawn to each other. Polly's cool, quiet and aloof demeanor both excites and unnerves Adam.  Instead of moving on, they stay for the summer and are soon engulfed in an intense, steamy, passionate affair. Although Adam doesn't quite trust Polly, he can't stay away from her. As the summer progresses they begin a cat and mouse game that soon turns deadly when someone dies. Was it an accident? Neither Adam nor Polly is who they seem to be. Is Polly a cold blooded killer or a victim?  Why is Adam, an adventure seeking, globe trotting traveler, there in the small town of Belleview?

It has been said that James M. Cain's novella, The Postman Always Rings Twice, was the inspiration for this book. As in some of the Cain books I have read, the man instantly falls for the woman and will do almost anything, even murder, to keep her. Like Postman, this book is set in a diner, the female character is a femme fatale who is irresistible to men and might have been involved in planning a murder.

The twists and turns in Sunburn will keep you guessing and the ending was unexpected. If you like noir and psychological suspense, you will want to read Sunburn.

I listened to Sunburn on audio and Susan Bennett's narration was a perfect fit for the noir tone and feel of Sunburn.

           Noir: Private Eyes, Dames, Liquor, Guns & Murder!

  (Part One)

                                                                               

I have loved Noir movies since I was a young girl but had never read any of the books these movies are based on until my book club decided to read The Big Sleep. I sure didn't know what I had been missing! This is Part One of my Noir reviews. 

First Up:  The Big Sleep and Farewell, My Lovely    

                                by Raymond Chandler                   

                                     

I reviewed The Big Sleep in an earlier review but I can't do another Noir review without mentioning it.

Raymond Chandler had a huge stylistic influence on American literature. He, Dashiell Hammett and a few other writers created the "hard boiled detective novel" as we know it today.

Chandler was an oil executive who lost his job during the Depression and, at the age of forty-four, started writing hard boiled detective novels. He wrote short stories for various crime magazines and in 1939 published The Big Sleep. His protagonist, Philip Marlowe, is a tough talking private eye with a stoic demeanor and a sharp tongue. He loves cigarettes, liquor and has a strict moral compass that saves him in many situations, especially when women are involved. There are seven Philip Marlowe books but the last few were written by other authors after Chandler died.The opening paragraph sets the scene: 

It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder blue suit, with a dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark little clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.

What a wonderful opening paragraph!

The story begins when Marlowe is called to a mansion owned by General Sternwood. The General wants to hire him to see who is behind the blackmail threats he has been receiving about his younger daughter, Carmen. The General is very ill, wheel chair bound and spends his time in a steamy orchid greenhouse because of his health. He has two grown daughters, Vivian and Carmen and they are both out of control. He mentions that Vivian is married to Rusty Regan but his son-in-law is missing. He has supposedly run off with the wife of Eddie Mars, who owns a casino where Vivian can frequently be found. The General is fond of Rusty and wants to find him but he does not hire Marlowe to look for him.

Vivian is a femme fatale with a gambling problem who doesn't like "masterful" men. Marlowe makes a great observation when he meets her:  I sat down on the edge of a deep, soft chair and looked at Mrs. Regan. She was worth a stare. She was trouble.  She wants to know if her father has hired him to find her husband, Rusty. Throughout the book everyone wants to know if Marlowe is looking for Rusty Regan.

Carmen, the younger sister, has become involved with a pornographer who is blackmailing her father, General Sternwood. Something isn't right with Carmen and Marlowe is trying to figure her out. When Marlowe begins investigating, he finds out more than he expected.

The plot is complicated with lots of symbolism and characters but the writing is unforgettable. Chandler transports the reader to 1939 Hollywood with bootleggers, pornographers, crooked cops and steamy rain soaked streets Some of the dialog isn't politically correct and some of the words might be difficult to understand in our current time but this is one terrific book! 

Farewell, My Lovely

In this second Philip Marlowe novel, that Chandler considered to be his best, we once again find Marlowe in the wrong place at the wrong time.  As he is trying to find the missing husband of a client, he sees a huge man, Moose Malloy, about to enter a bar that is for blacks only in 1934 LA. 

Even on Central Avenue, not the quietest dressed street in the world, he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.

Malloy has just gotten out of prison after eight years and he is looking for his lost love, Velma. Velma used to sing at this bar and he is desperate to find her. Marlowe tries unsuccessfully to stop him from entering the bar and he is soon coerced into finding Velma for Moose. Soon there is a shooting and Moose is on the run. When another client hires Marlowe to find some stolen jewels, there is another murder and Marlowe is in the thick of it as he becomes a target. His search for Velma gets him into all kinds of trouble.

Once again we have vintage Chandler with a wonderful setting on the streets of 1940's LA,  crooked cops, a blonde, It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window,  a murdering gang of jewel thieves, drugs, Marlowe's kidnapping, I got up on my feet and went over to the bowl in the corner and threw cold water on my face. After a little while I felt a little better, but very little. I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance. I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun. I put them on and went out of the room.

Chandler's plots can be confusing but his language is what makes his books so wonderful.

This is the second Chandler novel about Philip Marlowe that I have read and it won't be the last.

 I listened to both of them on audio and the narrator, Ray Porter, was perfect.  

The Postman Always Rings Twice

                                                   by James M. Cain

This short novel published in 1934 is a prime example of classic noir. Frank Chambers jumps off a truck at a run down diner in California. He is always one step ahead of the law and drifts from town to town.That is until he sees Cora, the sexy wife of Nick Papadakis, who owns the diner. Nick is a brutish boor and is no match for the sexy Cora. Frank is immediately attracted to Cora. Nick, a Greek Immigrant who is seeking the American Dream, sees a young man who can help him in the diner and  he hires Frank on the spot. Cora sees Nick as her ticket out of her horrible life. It isn't long before Frank and Cora are involved in a steamy affair and decide to kill Nick.  Although Frank is a big-time loser, he would never have thought of killing Nick. He wants Cora to run away with him but Cora wants him dead and she wants the diner.  As in another Cain novel I have read, the woman gets her lover to commit murder, even if he has never been the murdering type. Oh, the power of women!

When this book was first published it was banned in Boston and other cities because of the sex and violence in it. I bit her. I sunk my teeth into her lips so deep I could feel the blood spurt into my mouth. It was running down her neck when I carried her upstairs.

There are twists and turns, a trial, and an ending that might surprise you. The title of this book is puzzling to many because there is no postman or ringing, so it is left to individual interpretation. It is said that  Albert Camus used this book as inspiration for The Stranger. I have seen two movie adaptations. The first was with Lana Turner and John Garfield and the second one has Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson. both are good.

 I listened to this book on audio and Stanley Tucci really brought the story to life. 

Double Indemnity

                        by Jame M. Cain    

Insurance agent, Walter Huff, goes to a home in the Hollywood Hills to do a renewal on an insurance policy for wealthy Mr. Nirdinger. While he is there, he meets Phyllis, Mr. Nirdinger's beautiful, younger wife. Next thing you know, Phyllis is contacting him and asking questions about the policy that would be a red flag for most insurance agents. Not Walter, because he is completely enamored with Phyllis. Soon they are concocting a murder plan to get rid of poor Mr. Nirdinger, on a train, so that they can split the insurance money and be together. The story is told by Walter in the first person as he looks back on what has happened.

I had killed a man, for money and a woman. I didn't have the money and I didn't have the woman. 

Cain likes to take ordinary men and put them in a situation where they will kill for a lover, even if they have just met the beautiful woman.  I have found that to be a little bit difficult to believe in the Cain novels I have read, so far. The story line is good and the plot has twists and turns, so this is a worthwhile read. Cain is an important noir writer, so if you like noir, you shouldn't miss him.

I listened to this book on audio and the narrator, James Naughton, was very good.

Loved the movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray as Walter. Yes, that Fred MacMurray from My Three Sons, only now he is playing a killer!  Great casting.

           Noir: Private Eyes, Dames, Liquor, Guns & Murder!

  (Part One)

                                                                               

I have loved Noir movies since I was a young girl but had never read any of the books these movies are based on until my book club decided to read The Big Sleep. I sure didn't know what I had been missing! This is Part One of my Noir reviews. 

First Up:  The Big Sleep and Farewell, My Lovely    

                                by Raymond Chandler                   

                                     

I reviewed The Big Sleep in an earlier review but I can't do another Noir review without mentioning it.

Raymond Chandler had a huge stylistic influence on American literature. He, Dashiell Hammett and a few other writers created the "hard boiled detective novel" as we know it today.

Chandler was an oil executive who lost his job during the Depression and, at the age of forty-four, started writing hard boiled detective novels. He wrote short stories for various crime magazines and in 1939 published The Big Sleep. His protagonist, Philip Marlowe, is a tough talking private eye with a stoic demeanor and a sharp tongue. He loves cigarettes, liquor and has a strict moral compass that saves him in many situations, especially when women are involved. There are seven Philip Marlowe books but the last few were written by other authors after Chandler died.The opening paragraph sets the scene: 

It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder blue suit, with a dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark little clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.

What a wonderful opening paragraph!

The story begins when Marlowe is called to a mansion owned by General Sternwood. The General wants to hire him to see who is behind the blackmail threats he has been receiving about his younger daughter, Carmen. The General is very ill, wheel chair bound and spends his time in a steamy orchid greenhouse because of his health. He has two grown daughters, Vivian and Carmen and they are both out of control. He mentions that Vivian is married to Rusty Regan but his son-in-law is missing. He has supposedly run off with the wife of Eddie Mars, who owns a casino where Vivian can frequently be found. The General is fond of Rusty and wants to find him but he does not hire Marlowe to look for him.

Vivian is a femme fatale with a gambling problem who doesn't like "masterful" men. Marlowe makes a great observation when he meets her:  I sat down on the edge of a deep, soft chair and looked at Mrs. Regan. She was worth a stare. She was trouble.  She wants to know if her father has hired him to find her husband, Rusty. Throughout the book everyone wants to know if Marlowe is looking for Rusty Regan.

Carmen, the younger sister, has become involved with a pornographer who is blackmailing her father, General Sternwood. Something isn't right with Carmen and Marlowe is trying to figure her out. When Marlowe begins investigating, he finds out more than he expected.

The plot is complicated with lots of symbolism and characters but the writing is unforgettable. Chandler transports the reader to 1939 Hollywood with bootleggers, pornographers, crooked cops and steamy rain soaked streets Some of the dialog isn't politically correct and some of the words might be difficult to understand in our current time but this is one terrific book! 

Farewell, My Lovely

In this second Philip Marlowe novel, that Chandler considered to be his best, we once again find Marlowe in the wrong place at the wrong time.  As he is trying to find the missing husband of a client, he sees a huge man, Moose Malloy, about to enter a bar that is for blacks only in 1934 LA. 

Even on Central Avenue, not the quietest dressed street in the world, he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.

Malloy has just gotten out of prison after eight years and he is looking for his lost love, Velma. Velma used to sing at this bar and he is desperate to find her. Marlowe tries unsuccessfully to stop him from entering the bar and he is soon coerced into finding Velma for Moose. Soon there is a shooting and Moose is on the run. When another client hires Marlowe to find some stolen jewels, there is another murder and Marlowe is in the thick of it as he becomes a target. His search for Velma gets him into all kinds of trouble.

Once again we have vintage Chandler with a wonderful setting on the streets of 1940's LA,  crooked cops, a blonde, It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window,  a murdering gang of jewel thieves, drugs, Marlowe's kidnapping, I got up on my feet and went over to the bowl in the corner and threw cold water on my face. After a little while I felt a little better, but very little. I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance. I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun. I put them on and went out of the room.

Chandler's plots can be confusing but his language is what makes his books so wonderful.

This is the second Chandler novel about Philip Marlowe that I have read and it won't be the last.

 I listened to both of them on audio and the narrator, Ray Porter, was perfect.  

The Postman Always Rings Twice

                                                   by James M. Cain

This short novel published in 1934 is a prime example of classic noir. Frank Chambers jumps off a truck at a run down diner in California. He is always one step ahead of the law and drifts from town to town.That is until he sees Cora, the sexy wife of Nick Papadakis, who owns the diner. Nick is a brutish boor and is no match for the sexy Cora. Frank is immediately attracted to Cora. Nick, a Greek Immigrant who is seeking the American Dream, sees a young man who can help him in the diner and  he hires Frank on the spot. Cora sees Nick as her ticket out of her horrible life. It isn't long before Frank and Cora are involved in a steamy affair and decide to kill Nick.  Although Frank is a big-time loser, he would never have thought of killing Nick. He wants Cora to run away with him but Cora wants him dead and she wants the diner.  As in another Cain novel I have read, the woman gets her lover to commit murder, even if he has never been the murdering type. Oh, the power of women!

When this book was first published it was banned in Boston and other cities because of the sex and violence in it. I bit her. I sunk my teeth into her lips so deep I could feel the blood spurt into my mouth. It was running down her neck when I carried her upstairs.

There are twists and turns, a trial, and an ending that might surprise you. The title of this book is puzzling to many because there is no postman or ringing, so it is left to individual interpretation. It is said that  Albert Camus used this book as inspiration for The Stranger. I have seen two movie adaptations. The first was with Lana Turner and John Garfield and the second one has Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson. both are good.

 I listened to this book on audio and Stanley Tucci really brought the story to life. 

Double Indemnity

                        by Jame M. Cain    

Insurance agent, Walter Huff, goes to a home in the Hollywood Hills to do a renewal on an insurance policy for wealthy Mr. Nirdinger. While he is there, he meets Phyllis, Mr. Nirdinger's beautiful, younger wife. Next thing you know, Phyllis is contacting him and asking questions about the policy that would be a red flag for most insurance agents. Not Walter, because he is completely enamored with Phyllis. Soon they are concocting a murder plan to get rid of poor Mr. Nirdinger, on a train, so that they can split the insurance money and be together. The story is told by Walter in the first person as he looks back on what has happened.

I had killed a man, for money and a woman. I didn't have the money and I didn't have the woman. 

Cain likes to take ordinary men and put them in a situation where they will kill for a lover, even if they have just met the beautiful woman.  I have found that to be a little bit difficult to believe in the Cain novels I have read, so far. The story line is good and the plot has twists and turns, so this is a worthwhile read. Cain is an important noir writer, so if you like noir, you shouldn't miss him.

I listened to this book on audio and the narrator, James Naughton, was very good.

Loved the movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray as Walter. Yes, that Fred MacMurray from My Three Sons, only now he is playing a killer!  Great casting.

The Big Sleep

   by Raymond Chandler              

I have always loved the old black and white noir movies but had never read one until my book club decided to read The Big Sleep. I lead the discussion and in preparation for my "big night" as the leader of this discussion, I did some research into the author and the book. Hey, there's a reason why I am a librarian :)

Chandler had a big stylistic influence on American literature. He, Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon)  and a few other writers created the "hard boiled detective novel"  as we know it.

Raymond Chandler was an oil executive who lost his job during the depression and, at the age of forty-four, started writing hard boiled detective novels. He wrote short stories for various crime magazines of the time and in 1939 published The Big Sleep.  His protagonist, Philip Marlowe  is a tough private eye with a stoic demeanor and a sharp tongue, who loves  liquor and  has a strict moral compass that saves him in many situations, especially where women are involved. There are seven Philip Marlowe books, but the last few were written after Chandler died.

The opening paragraph sets the scene: “It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark little clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.”

What a wonderful opening paragraph!

The story begins when  Marlowe is called to the mansion owned by General Sternwood. The General wants to hire him to see who is behind the blackmail threats he has been receiving about his younger daughter, Carmen. The general is very ill, wheel chaired bound and spends his time in a steamy orchid greenhouse because of his health.  The General has two grown daughters, Vivian and Carmen and they are both out of control. The General mentions that his son-in-law, Rusty  Regan, who is married to his older daughter, Vivian,  has gone missing.  He has supposedly run off with the wife of Eddie Mars who owns a casino where Vivian can frequently be found. The General  is fond of Rusty and wants to find him but he does not hire Marlowe to look for him.

Vivian is a femme fatale with a gambling problem who doesn't like "masterful" men.  Marlowe has a great observation when he meets her. He said  “I sat down on the edge of a deep soft chair and looked at Mrs Regan. She was worth a stare. She was trouble.”  She wants to know if her father has hired him to find her husband, Rusty Regen. Throughout the book everyone wants to know if Marlowe is looking for Rusty Regen.

Carmen, the  younger sister, has become involved with a pornographer who has taken naked pictures of her and is blackmailing the General. Something isn't right with Carmen and Marlowe is trying to figure her out.   Marlowe begins investigating and he finds more than he expected.

The plot is complicated with lots of characters  but the writing is unforgettable. Chandler makes you feel like you are in 1939 Hollywood with the bootleggers, pornographers and steamy rain soaked streets. Some of the dialog is no longer politically correct and some of the words might be difficult to understand in our current time but  this is one terrific book.

Descriptions like this abound in The Big Sleep:  “I walked to the windows and pulled the shades up and opened the windows wide. The night air came drifting in with a kind of stale sweetness that still remembered automobile exhausts and the streets of the city. I reached for my drink and drank it slowly. The apartment house door closed itself down below me. Steps tinkled on the quiet sidewalk. A car started up not far away. It rushed off into the night with a rough clashing of gears. I went back to the bed and looked down at it. The imprint of her head was still in the pillow, of her small corrupt body still on the sheets. I put my empty glass down and tore the bed to pieces savagely.”

There is so much more to this book than just a simple crime story. The symbolism and motifs in the book are amazing. Marlowe is loyal and has a strict code of ethics even when it might impact him negatively. He is a great character and I cannot wait to read the next Philip Marlowe book, Farewell My Lovely.

Adult Mystery
Grade: A

The Big Sleep

   by Raymond Chandler              

I have always loved the old black and white noir movies but had never read one until my book club decided to read The Big Sleep. I lead the discussion and in preparation for my "big night" as the leader of this discussion, I did some research into the author and the book. Hey, there's a reason why I am a librarian :)

Chandler had a big stylistic influence on American literature. He, Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon)  and a few other writers created the "hard boiled detective novel"  as we know it.

Raymond Chandler was an oil executive who lost his job during the depression and, at the age of forty-four, started writing hard boiled detective novels. He wrote short stories for various crime magazines of the time and in 1939 published The Big Sleep.  His protagonist, Philip Marlowe  is a tough private eye with a stoic demeanor and a sharp tongue, who loves  liquor and  has a strict moral compass that saves him in many situations, especially where women are involved. There are seven Philip Marlowe books, but the last few were written after Chandler died.

The opening paragraph sets the scene: “It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark little clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.”

What a wonderful opening paragraph!

The story begins when  Marlowe is called to the mansion owned by General Sternwood. The General wants to hire him to see who is behind the blackmail threats he has been receiving about his younger daughter, Carmen. The general is very ill, wheel chaired bound and spends his time in a steamy orchid greenhouse because of his health.  The General has two grown daughters, Vivian and Carmen and they are both out of control. The General mentions that his son-in-law, Rusty  Regan, who is married to his older daughter, Vivian,  has gone missing.  He has supposedly run off with the wife of Eddie Mars who owns a casino where Vivian can frequently be found. The General  is fond of Rusty and wants to find him but he does not hire Marlowe to look for him.

Vivian is a femme fatale with a gambling problem who doesn't like "masterful" men.  Marlowe has a great observation when he meets her. He said  “I sat down on the edge of a deep soft chair and looked at Mrs Regan. She was worth a stare. She was trouble.”  She wants to know if her father has hired him to find her husband, Rusty Regen. Throughout the book everyone wants to know if Marlowe is looking for Rusty Regen.

Carmen, the  younger sister, has become involved with a pornographer who has taken naked pictures of her and is blackmailing the General. Something isn't right with Carmen and Marlowe is trying to figure her out.   Marlowe begins investigating and he finds more than he expected.

The plot is complicated with lots of characters  but the writing is unforgettable. Chandler makes you feel like you are in 1939 Hollywood with the bootleggers, pornographers and steamy rain soaked streets. Some of the dialog is no longer politically correct and some of the words might be difficult to understand in our current time but  this is one terrific book.

Descriptions like this abound in The Big Sleep:  “I walked to the windows and pulled the shades up and opened the windows wide. The night air came drifting in with a kind of stale sweetness that still remembered automobile exhausts and the streets of the city. I reached for my drink and drank it slowly. The apartment house door closed itself down below me. Steps tinkled on the quiet sidewalk. A car started up not far away. It rushed off into the night with a rough clashing of gears. I went back to the bed and looked down at it. The imprint of her head was still in the pillow, of her small corrupt body still on the sheets. I put my empty glass down and tore the bed to pieces savagely.”

There is so much more to this book than just a simple crime story. The symbolism and motifs in the book are amazing. Marlowe is loyal and has a strict code of ethics even when it might impact him negatively. He is a great character and I cannot wait to read the next Philip Marlowe book, Farewell My Lovely.

Adult Mystery
Grade: A