His skin was pale and he needed a shave. He would always need a shave.

Raymond Chandler may not have invented the hard-boiled detective genre, but he sure perfected it. And that perfection owes less to the usual ingredients of any good story--plot, atmosphere, characters--than a single character through which this dark and gritty world is scrutinized. I'm compelled to start with the hero of these novels, because like a Sherlock Homes, Socrates, or Wonka, it's really one titular character that binds everything together. The difference here is that, unlike the others I've mentioned, Chandler's novels don't have a Watson, Plato, or Bucket to regulate the reader's exposure to greatness. These stories are first person POV, so that every detail, every conversation, and every emotion comes to us through that warped perspective that any good artist has. That artist is of course Philip Marlowe.

I build him up because you love him already. He's the lone wolf detective navigating a world of crime with quippy one liners, whisky, and a ragged code of honor. He invariably meets--and spurns--gorgeous blondes. He's sapped every few chapters. And no matter that he solves every case (often for millionaires) he's always a poor bachelor making his way in an irredeemable 1930s LA. This place and time period, while not too far off the mark historically, is still mythological. Much like Batman's inability to save Gotham, Marlowe's losing battle in LA makes him a bit of a tragic figure. He's heroic in the sense of always knowing what to do in every situation, but his personal cynicism and nonrecognition prevent him from being a "superhero" as we now know them. He's also quaintly sexist. Women for Marlowe are either snares or rewards, and even for the 1940s this struck me as pathetic.

I've known people who argue that these novels are more than this character. Indeed there's an entire genre of the stuff, with plenty of excellent successors (I rather enjoy the film Sin City). But I can't say I agree. As a rule genre fiction is rated as a comparison within that genre, not from without. Chandler's novels, like other famous trend-setters, escape the mold and compete with actual literature. I don't think that would be true for these works outside of the hero. Not only are the plots famously convoluted (Chandler's himself didn't understand them) but there are no meaty ideas here outside of the (now overworked) hero-in-a-shitty-world theme. Evidence of this can be seen in the almost endearing laziness of the book's titles and cringy finishing lines in an attempt at profundity. I don't care about crime, or detectives, or 1930s LA. What I care about is the way Marlowe internalizes the world around him. This is what makes these books worth reading.

I'll go over them briefly. Of the three Farewell My Lovely is the best, and I recommend that to new comers. Here there is a perfect balance between all elements of the narrative--the mystery, the side-characters, and Marlowe's swagger. This novel alone satisfied me, so I would only recommend the others if you still hunger for more. The Big Sleep, Chander's first and most famous book (the film starring Humphrey Bogart is fun but doesn't do it justice) is good enough, but less refined. The High Window is too convoluted and required a solid two page rant by Marlowe, and a further one page rant by the police, to explain the resolution (like a bad Sherlock Holmes story). If I were to read another addition (I won't) it would be the Long Goodbye, which is supposed to deal with heavy themes in Marlowe's life and carry some actual emotional weight.

I'll end this review by elaborating on the way in which Marlowe "internalizes the world around him", which I alluded to earlier. Despite how he's shown on book covers, the hero of these novels rarely ever shoots or even wields a gun. The man is, first and foremost, a detective. He asks insightful questions, investigates pregnant leads, and uses the right mixture of deduction and guesswork to solve his cases. But what comes through to the reader is a detailed description of the world and characters around him; a level higher than your average protagonist, but, unlike their mostly banal prose, Marlowe's vision is tinged with his unique lens, filtered though a heavy 1930s slang. This is hard for me to describe. Indeed only Chandler could. It's that everything in these novels becomes laden with a seedy under-belly that no amount of scrubbing can clean. The cities are dirty and people sleazy. Honest folk are rare and ground to a crawl. Good policemen hide their noble intentions behind a veil of cynicism. And Marlowe's never-ending quest to help people requires that he be a master navigator of these swampy waters, so that he's soaked to the bone in what he despises. The one talisman of hope--an honest, intelligent, unsoiled blonde named Anne Riordan--is offered only briefly as a breath of fresh air, before we have to submerge again in this world of crime. If all this sounds dour let me assure you: you'll love it. You can't help but do so. Because when going through any rough terrain you should always have a capable tour guide, and for this genre, Philip Marlowe is the best.

A very excellent window into a specific place and time

Pretty good! There was some really beautiful prose in here, and also hysterical dames and old-timey racisms. Overall I was interested but not blown away; the stories are well-written but they all kinda blend together when you read them back-to-back.

This review is for The Big Sleep. The tough, smart talking PI is a staple in books and movies. This short novel really laid the major foundation for the genre. Chandler sets up a somewhat complex case involving blackmail and a missing person which moves along well and culminates in some terrific action. The heart of the book is Philip Marlowe - bigoted, misogynistic and sarcastic but also principled (his loyalty to and respect for his client, General Sternwood) and, strangely, dignified (his reaction to the naked Carmen Sternwood - "But this was the room I had to live in. It was all I had in the way of a home...I couldn't stand her in that room any longer".) Terrific.

Also read Farewell My Lovely. Reviewed in a separate entry.

Same thing I said about Dashell Hammett's short stories.

Good Morning friends. ☺️ I have already ordered the 2nd volume of Raymond Chandler's Novels in the Marlowe series (Everyman's ed) from the library. Yea, I'm chomping at the bit here.

Ja, jag måste erkänna att jag blev förvånad. Min inställning till deckare i allmänhet är ju inte den bästa. Just Chandler var något som jag mest var nyfiken på i och med hans inflytande på Neuromancer (språket!) mer än annat. Läste lite citat av Chandler och Hammet, köpte en samling av varje.
I alla fall denna var ett väldigt lyckat halv-blindköp. På det stora hela gillade jag verkligen Raymond Chandler. Något jag absolut inte trodde jag skulle göra. Alla tre romaner samlade här är berättade av Philip Marlowe och Chandler lyckas verkligen med känslan av att det är just Marlowe som berättar för en vad som händer. Medans man sitter på en rökig krog och dricker olaglig sprit. Det är just Marlowe och den röst som Chandler ger honom som är böckernas absolut största styrka. Mannen är en alkoholiserad poet som dessutom kan föra rappa, underhållande dialoger. Vad som förvånade mig oerhört är just det bitvis riktigt poetiska språket.

Av alla sammlade här är "The Big Sleep" den bästa. Handlingen är komplicerad och lätt att slarva bort (som i de andra två) men det spelar ingen roll. Stämningen och starka karaktärer håller den uppe ändå. Och slutmonologen där titeln kommer är den starkaste i hela sammlingen. "Farewell, My Lovely" är seg i starten men när den väl kommer igång är även den riktigt bra. Om än skitrasistisk. En sekvens där han först blir slagen i huvudet och sedan fullpumpad med droger är fantastisk. "The High Window" är den sista och även den sämsta. Likt "Farewell..." är den segstartad men kommer aldrig riktigt igång på samma sätt. Då och då brinner den till med samma briljanta prosa, däremot.

På det stora hela? Köp.

Raymond Chandler is the author who introduced me and addicted me to mysteries set in Los Angeles. Later it would be Michael Connolly, and Sue Grafton for Santa Barbara. The thing about Phillip Marlowe is you believe you know him, the author is so descriptive. You can "feel" old Hollywood. You can "see" the scenes. The Big Sleep was later made into a movie. I read everything he has ever written and won't part with the books.

Clever and atmospheric, with the occasional wicked turn of phrase.

I know "The Big Sleep" is considered a classic in the noir genre but I found this book rather dull. The 1930s setting is interesting, but not enough to carry the book. The slang is not easy to understand but, like Shakespeare, if you keep reading you get the meaning. My book group said it was obviously written for and popularized by men. There isn't one good female character and the only somewhat good male character, the lead Philip Marlowe, does some questionable things.
This edition was interesting because at the front of the book it gave a history of what what happening in the world and country when this book was written and published -- end of the Depression and leading up to WWII.

Chandler is the man--

All the stories are packed with action and very engaging. Of all the three novels, Chandler is at his best in Farewell, My Lovely with his concise, imaginative descriptions and metaphors that kept me amazed throughout.

The Big Sleep is a solid novel with a good story rendered in unique prose. The High Window definitely drops in quality in my opinion, but still delivers a highly entertaining story.

After reading these novels, I have little choice but to read the rest of his oeuvre to see if he attains the quality of writing he does in his second novel.

A great read.