These are not my favorite Philip Marlowe mysteries.

The short story format indeed poses certain limitations. It forces Chandler to be a little less fantastic with his prose and descriptions.

I firmly believe that novels provided him with more extensive space to unleash his creativity and play around. That extra room was something he truly needed to craft his masterpieces.

Nevertheless, this collection of short stories was an absolute treat to read.

I deliberately restricted myself to reading only one story each day. In this way, I could fully savor the pleasure of reading my favorite author for as long as possible.

It was like indulging in a delicious delicacy, taking my time to appreciate every word, every sentence, and every nuance of Chandler's writing.

Although the short stories may not have reached the same heights as his novels, they still possess a certain charm and allure that keep readers hooked from start to finish.

An excellent collection of short stories featuring Philip Marlowe awaits. Raymond Chandler's descriptions are always both gritty and witty, often as sharp as a scalpel. The world-weary, tough, and cynical private investigator is pitted against a variety of protagonists and copper-hating thugs. He endures being bashed, beaten, drugged, slugged, and shot at. He makes very little money and is unimpressed by wealth and position. Every line of his dialogue resounds with Bogey's gruff tones. It's a thoroughly entertaining read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The stories are filled with mystery and intrigue, as Marlowe navigates the seedy underbelly of society. Chandler's writing style is unique and engaging, drawing the reader in and making them feel like they are right there with Marlowe. The characters are well-developed and complex, adding depth and dimension to the stories. Whether you're a fan of detective fiction or just looking for a good read, this collection of short stories is sure to satisfy.

Overall, it's a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery with a touch of humor and a lot of attitude. So sit back, relax, and let Philip Marlowe take you on a wild ride through the mean streets of Los Angeles.

Read a slightly different edition from 1962 that features the following stories:

Trouble is My Business

Red Wind

I’ll Be Waiting

Goldfish

Guns at Cyrano’s

In this edition, the various private detectives haven't been unified into Philip Marlowe. Instead, you encounter "Carmady" or "John Dalmas", but they're essentially the same character.

It's a mixed bag. The best one is Red Wind, a one-crazy-night tale where everyone is a bit nuts and unfortunate coincidences keep piling up, kind of giving off an After Hours vibe.

The title story is a pretty classic Chandler piece, with the detective as a class-chameleon and the dark secrets of the rich and beautiful. I’ll Be Waiting is a little vignette, somewhat like a hardboiled version of a Stefan Zweig melodramatic short. Goldfish takes the detective out of LA; it meanders but has fantastic dialogue, meaning I understood very little and yet enjoyed it a great deal.

Guns at Cyrano’s is the dud. Third-person doesn't work well with an (ersatz-)Marlowe story; somehow it always leads to there being one too many people to keep track of in a scene. Someone other than our hero explains the plot at the end, which makes the detective look like a putz.

Still, you can't surpass (or imitate) Chandler, the best to ever do it and so on. Red Wind is probably available online somewhere. Seek it out for a good time.

A collection of four short stories, which I have a great affection for by the way, presented an interesting reading experience for me. However, I found it difficult to fully engage with these stories, perhaps with the exception of one. This was likely more due to my own lack of concentration rather than any fault in the story or the writing. Chandler's talent remains as remarkable as ever. I realize that I shouldn't attempt to read when my mind is preoccupied with other matters, so I'm setting this aside to read again at a later time.

One story did manage to stand out more prominently than the other three. Overall, Chandler is at his noir best, with the female characters being truly bad and the male characters following suit. They all seem to have a vested interest in manipulating others to carry out their bidding for the sake of money. It's all about money, of course, usually money that they have no rightful claim to.

And Chandler, bless his heart, has a strong inclination to do the right thing. Whether it's returning something to those who deserve it or contributing to "the cause," such as the Salvation Army, Retired Police Officers, or other benevolent organizations, he shows a sense of moral responsibility.

Chandler's Phillip Marlowe is widely regarded as the first of the modern private investigators. With Marlowe, these characters are no longer the unethical low-lifes who only think about "what's in it for me." They are real individuals with a heart, who strive to do what is right for everyone. I'm truly glad that I discovered Chandler. I have thoroughly enjoyed his books. Apparently, his writing is studied in literature classes, as many of the books I've read have school notes throughout. Chandler has the remarkable ability to bring Marlowe's surroundings to life and give a vivid sense of place. It's clear that he was the author who played a significant role in bringing detective series and mysteries into the modern era.

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After finishing "The Long Goodbye," I'm taking another look at a couple of these short stories that I either missed or didn't initially like. I'll give them another chance and add them to my "to review" stack. I'm hopeful that with a more focused mindset, I'll be able to fully appreciate the depth and charm of Chandler's work.

4 Stars.

"Trouble is My Business" is the title story of four short stories in a 1950 collection. This is a review specifically of that story - not the entire book! It first emerged in 1939 in the pulp magazine, "Dime Detective." At 58 pages, it's actually more of a novelette. Featured is the quintessential hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe, although in the original version, the lead was John Dalmas. Marlowe is hired to convince a dubious woman and likely fortune hunter, Harriet Huntress, to leave an impressionable young man, Gerald Jeeter, alone. Chandler even has one of the characters comment that Huntress is "a swell name for the part." The son is set to inherit a fortune in a few years. There are numerous questions. It's an agency that hires Marlowe; is old man Jeeter the ultimate client or someone else? Who is attempting to kill Marlowe? Who is behind the two gunmen he unfortunately comes across? After a few dead bodies, Marlowe clears up the confusion. If you're anything like me, you'll have to read the first chapter twice just to understand enough of the street slang between Marlowe and Anna Halsey, who wants to hire him! I had an enjoyable read. (July 2020)

More of the always entertaining Raymond Chandler/Philip Marlowe stories await. In this collection, there are four short novellas, each one offering a unique and engaging narrative. They are all truly good, filled with the sharp dialogue and complex characters that Chandler is known for.

Some of the favorite lines from these stories include a vivid description of a woman: "She wore a street dress of pale green wool and a small cock-eyed hat that hung on her ear like a butterfly. Her eyes were wide-set and there was thinking room between them. Their color was lapis-lazuli blue and the color of her hair was dusky red, like a fire under control but still dangerous. She was too tall to be cute. She wore plenty of make-up in the right places and the cigarette she was poking at me had a built-on mouthpiece about three inches long. She didn’t look hard, but she looked as if she had heard all the answers and remembered the ones she thought she might be able to use sometime."

There are also exciting and tense moments, such as when a character is hit from behind: "“Ruin him, baby,” the girl said coldly, behind my back. “I love to see these hard numbers bend at the knees.” I looked back at her with a leer. That was a mistake. He was wild, probably, but he could still hit a wall that didn’t jump. He hit me while I was looking back over my shoulder. It hurts to be hit that way. He hit me plenty hard, on the back end of the jawbone. I went over sideways, tried to spread my legs, and slid on the silk rug. I did a nose dive somewhere or other and my head was not as hard as the piece of furniture it smashed into."

As the stories progress, the protagonist finds himself in various predicaments. He reflects on the strange events: "Somebody was nuts. I was nuts. Everybody was nuts. None of it fitted together worth a nickel. Marty Estel, as he said, had no good motive for murdering anybody. Waxnose and Frisky didn’t seem like the team he would select for the job. I was in bad with the police. I had spent ten dollars of my twenty expense money, and I didn’t have enough leverage anywhere to lift a dime off a cigar counter."

Despite the chaos, there are also moments of humor and camaraderie: "We shook hands, grinned at each other like a couple of wise boys who know they’re not kidding anybody, but won’t give up trying."

The stories are filled with such great stuff, making it a must-read for fans of Chandler's work.

I am currently rereading mystery writers that I first discovered 30 to 40 years ago. The purpose is to determine if I still have the same level of affection for them as I remember having. So far, Cornell Woolrich, Fredric Brown, Agatha Christie, and Jim Thompson have all proven to be as enjoyable as ever. I adored them during my teens and twenties, and I still love them now in my fifties.

Unfortunately, after reading Chandler's work, I find myself on the fence. This particular book is one of his later ones and consists of a collection of short stories, a format that isn't my favorite. These factors might be the reasons why I didn't feel the same love while reading. The first story, in particular, seemed to drag on, and it took me a long time to finish.

My main issue with Chandler's writing is his plot pacing and the way he presents the mystery to the reader. He has a tendency to overload the reader with too much information at once, making it difficult to follow along. There is very little exposition to describe the characters or settings, and not many details about how the scenes unfold. The stories are very dialogue-heavy.

The dialogue, however, is actually the best aspect of his writing. Chandler is a master of hardboiled slang and can be quite funny at times. I enjoyed the conversations even when I wasn't sure where they were leading. At times, it can almost read like a parody, given how well-known his style is.

His ability to描绘 the setting is also wonderful. The atmosphere is very palpable, and I love the west coast mid-century vibe. The cars, buildings, outfits, restaurants, bars, and shops all create a strong impression in the reader's mind. I just wish this attention to detail extended to the plot itself.

The animosity that Marlowe always encounters from the cops starts to get tiresome. Perhaps it's because this is such a well-worn trope by now - the brilliant loner detective against the weaselly police bureaucrats and mean, dumb street cops. I just don't see the police caring about him one way or the other. It seems like a false enemy, something for Marlowe to fight against. I wonder if it's because the mystery itself is so weakly developed that Chandler needs something to distract the reader?

Here are some of the great dialogue snippets that I enjoyed:

"It's kind of a mean job, Philip, I guess. If she's got a record of any sort, you dig it up and toss it in her face. If she hasn't, which is more likely as she comes from good people, it's kind of up to you. You get an idea once in a while, don't you?"

"I can't remember the last one I had." I said. "Quit horsing around. What's the story?"

"It's to smear a girl. A redheaded number with bedroom eyes. She's shill for a gambler and she's got her hooks into a rich man's pup."

She didn't look hard, but she looked as if she had heard all the answers and remembered the ones she thought she might be able to use sometime.

"You'd better have a drink," she said. "You probably can't talk without a glass in your hand."

Honest, how much are you asking? Or is that an insult?" She smiled. She had a nice smile. She had lovely teeth. "I'm a bad girl now," she said. "I don't have to ask. They bring it to me, tied up with ribbon."

He had dark moist eyes and a nose so bloodless that it might have been made of white wax. His gun was a Colt Woodsman with a long barrel and the front sight filed off. That meant he thought he was good.

"Listen, if you want to call all the plays in this game, you can carry the ball yourself. Or you can save yourself a lot of money and hire an order taker. I have to do things my way."

I sat there still holding the telephone, with my mouth open and nothing in it but my tongue and a bad taste on that.

He had an idea and he was holding it like a sick baby.

He reached quietly under my coat and took the Luger. I might as well leave it home from now on. Everybody in town seemed to be able to take it away from me.

I had a couple of short drinks and stuffed a pipe and sat down to interview my brains.

"Now you're getting yourself some oxygen." She dropped her cigarette into a tray and let it smoke, as ladies will.

"Listen, I don't know you from last Sunday's sports section. You may be all to the silk. I just don't know." "Why'd you brace me?" I asked. "You had the word, didn't you?" This was where I took the dive.

"We'll soften her, if she pokes her snoot in"

He got a comb out and combed his hair - he looked worse with it combed - and put his hat back on.

"Are you always this tough?" I asked. "Or only when you have your pajamas on?"

Raymond Chandler and I don't always have a harmonious relationship when it comes to his novels. In the past, I abandoned more of his books than I managed to complete. I must admit that Mr. Chandler had an excellent writing style. His dialogues and tone were always charming and witty. However, his stories could often be a challenge to get through.
Now, with his short stories collection "Trouble Is My Business", it's mainly because these are all short stories. So, it takes Mr. Chandler's famous main character, private investigator Philip Marlowe in L.A., a lot faster to take action and solve the murder mystery than usual. I think the fast pacing really helps me to go through these stories.
I just love the noir atmosphere that Mr. Chandler created with seemingly little effort! Moreover, much to my surprise, I notice that Mr. Chandler's stories and his main character seem to be a bit more romantic than I would have expected from an author who is so well known for his 'dark and gritty' hard-boiled novels!
Last but not least, I really like the noir world that Mr. Chandler had created: dangerous men and equally dangerous women, scums and criminals. Everyone has their eyes on the money, and everyone and their mothers are all pointing a gun at other people (how typically American!). And the tough-guy PI (Marlowe) always gets beaten up and knocked unconscious in every single story. LOL.
PS: I really like the tough-as-nail female character in the first story. I like her because she wasn't demonized for her sexuality, her way of life, and her greed for gold. Let's face it, almost everyone in the stories is greedy and selfish as hell, so there's no point in singling out women for behaving the same as their male counterparts.

For the Shorty September Readathon, I have chosen a book that I've had for a long time. It's a special one that has been sitting on my shelf, waiting for the right moment to be picked up and read.

This book holds many memories for me. I remember when I first got it, I was excited to start reading it right away. However, life got in the way, and it ended up being pushed to the back of my shelf.

But now, with the Shorty September Readathon, I have the perfect opportunity to finally give this book the attention it deserves. I'm looking forward to diving into its pages and seeing what adventures and stories it has to offer.

As I start reading, I can feel the nostalgia washing over me. It's like reuniting with an old friend. I can't wait to see how this book will impact me and what new insights and perspectives I will gain from it.

I'm sure that this will be a great reading experience, and I'm excited to share it with others as part of the Shorty September Readathon.

Stories of hard-boiled private eye Philip Marlowe are always captivating. Trouble is My Business is a collection that contains four gritty detective stories: "Finger Man" (1934), "Goldfish" (1936), "Red Wind" (1938), and "Trouble is my Business" (1939). While all are supposed to feature Chandler's legendary hero, Philip Marlowe, a couple of these stories had earlier versions where the hero wasn't Marlowe. For example, in an earlier incarnation of "Red Wind," the tough guy detective was John Dalmas. And in "Goldfish," the original hero was Ted Carmady and his pal on the police force was Bernie Obis (later known as Bernie Ohls to Marlowe fans).

The lead character in three of the stories isn't much like the Philip Marlowe we know. He doesn't play chess, quote literature, or seem committed to the life of a knight errant. Instead, he's ethically challenged, needs to make a buck, and is working hard to sound genuine. There's little of the sharp banter and telling similes that we associate with Marlowe. It's really only in the last story, "Red Wind," that we start to see Marlowe as he would become.

The stories in Trouble is My Business also don't show the detective evolving into the character he became. Chandler wasn't overly concerned with creating an origin story for Marlowe, as might be done today. Mostly, these stories strive to sound authentic, trying to establish "street cred" to appeal to the readers of 1930s pulp magazines like Black Mask and Dime Detective Magazine where they first appeared. In Trouble is My Business, we don't get the focus on character over plot that was characteristic of the Marlowe novels. "Goldfish" and "Red Wind" are the two best stories, but all four could've been expanded into novels if Chandler had put in the effort. At around 50 pages each, they read more like short novels than long stories. It seems like a "Collected Stories of Philip Marlowe" is overdue, similar to what has been done for other detectives like Hercule Poirot or Peter Wimsey. [4★]

Four stories about Philip Marlowe were presented.

However, they were more lackluster than I had expected. With the exception of "Red Wind", which was very good, the others had their flaws.

The first one, "Trouble is my Business", began well with interesting dialogue and characters. But towards the end, it got muddled. Too many words were spent on summary details that the reader already knew, while too little was focused on the solution. In fact, the solution was so terse that I found it difficult to figure out what it was, thus negating the emotional impact.

"Fingerman" also started off strong but became muddled at the end. A number of characters didn't really reach their full potential.

"Goldfish" was the most uninteresting of the lot. It was just a chase plot. Markowe was chasing a guy and being chased by a gang of crooks. The story had several confrontations with the possibility of changing direction, but in the end, the gang was left to escape. I guess you don't kill the nemesis in the middle of the story.

"Red Wind" doesn't really need any review. It should be the only story you should read.

Yes yes yes!

Not just one, but a whopping four stories featuring Philip Marlowe as the protagonist. I firmly believe that Raymond Chandler is absolutely superb.

His descriptions are so vivid that they have me positively drooling. In my humble opinion, he is the original hard-boiled, film noir detective.

I simply adore him and every single move he makes. He is witty, with a dry sense of humor, sarcastic, and yet, there is an air of danger about him.

I can easily picture myself strolling the streets at night alongside him, slugging a bad guy who brandishes a gun.

Then, later, swigging scotch in the middle of the night in a stifling hot hotel room while we are hiding from a crook.

He is just an utterly awesome character, and it is Chandler who brings him to life in the most magnificent way.