1546. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

After reviewing nearly 1550 books over the last 14 years, most of which are thrillers and murder mysteries, I thought it might be fun to read one of the original authors in this genre, The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. It was published in 1939, and movies of the same title were made in 1946 (screenplay by William Faulkner, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall), and 1978 (starring Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles, and Richard Boone). Chandler’s private detective was Phillip Marlowe, and there was also a television series about Marlowe that ran for two seasons in 1983 and 1986 (of which I have no recall).

 As is typical of so many modern day sleuths, Marlowe was a flawed character who drank to excess, but who was honest and capable of solving complex crimes. The story is based in L.A. and portrays a dark side of life in the 1930s  which is rife with violence and dishonesty. On the one hand, this was not good literature and there were problems with the plot as the characters jumped from one scene to another. There were too many coincidences for the plot to be taken seriously. Chandler wrote nearly nonstop similes that were supposed to represent the tough language of the way his bad guys talked to each other, and thought to themselves. Really, the characters were impossible to be believed. His mistreatment of minorities and gays would not be tolerated in the current world of publishing. On the other hand, there was still a charming quality to the book that I enjoyed. However, I’m not tempted to read any more of the seven book series that Chandler wrote. There is no denying that he was one of the early masters of this genre.

The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler

Raymond Chandler along with Dashiell Hammett, are considered the fathers of the literary genre known as hardboiled detective fiction.  Dubbed hardboiled because like the hard-boiled egg, the protagonist is tougher than most and is therefore wary and distrustful of the world and everyone in it.  The lead character is typically a private detective who confronts violence on a routine basis, has a moral code unique to himself, and is cynical about criminals, law enforcement, the establishment, and just life in general.  He sees the bad in those society deems as good, and the good in those who are behaving badly.  The story is told by the protagonist and therefore from his viewpoint and in his tough-guy street vernacular of the time.  The Long Goodbye was written in 1953 and features Chandler’s favorite fictional hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe.

The story opens outside a club in LA in the fall of 1949.  Marlowe meets a drunk with a scared face named Terry Lennox who is struggling to get into his silver Rolls Royce.  Terry’s beautiful wife shoves him aside and drives off.  Marlowe takes Lennox home to sober him up and a friendship of sorts ensues.  Late one night Lennox appears unannounced at Marlowe’s home and says he is in trouble and needs a ride to the Tijuana airport.  To protect his PI license, Marlowe asks Lennox for no details and accommodates his friend.  Upon returning home, Marlowe learns Lennox’s wife was found dead in her guest house and the police arrest him for aiding a fugitive.  Three days later, Lennox is reported dead from a suicide in Otatoclan, Mexico and because his wife was the daughter of wealthy publishing magnate, Harlan Potter, the investigation ends quickly and quietly and Marlowe is released.  A letter arrives at Marlowe’s office with a note from Lennox and a ‘portrait of Madison,’ a five thousand dollar bill enclosed.  But Lennox’s suicide doesn’t feel right to Marlowe.

Then Marlowe takes a case to find the missing Roger Wade, a best-selling fiction writer with a drinking problem.  Marlowe finds Wade at a make shift detox facility but refuses offers from both Wade and his wife, Eileen to move in to their estate and watch Wade full time.  Nonetheless, Marlowe is called on more than once when Wade’s drinking gets out of hand.

Meanwhile, Marlowe keeps sniffing around into his friend Lennox’s death even after repeated warnings to leave it alone.  He learns that Lennox was a British war hero by the name of Paul Marston and was at one time married to the now Eileen Wade.  Now Marlowe is in deep.  His code tells him to continue chasing the truth behind his friend’s death regardless of who ends up embarrassed or even dead in the process.

The Long Goodbye was one of only six novels written by Raymond Chandler yet he paved the way for many writers who followed him.  Chandler was the topic of the late Robert B. Parker’s master’s thesis in 1971 and Parker’s Spenser character was born from the shadow of Chandler’s Philip Marlowe.  Much of modern day fiction in books, movies and television was inspired by this great pioneer, Raymond Chandler.