Reviews

a typical Chandler but not his best work

short plot description: Philip Marlowe is hired by Derace Kingsley to find his wife Crystal. She has left him four weeks ago and send him a telegram that she will divorce him and marry her boyfriend Chris Lavery. But Lavery denies any knowledge of this when he meets Derace Kingsley by chance and now it is up to Marlowe to find out what really happened to Crystal Kingsley. And when he starts his investigation at the last place where Crystal was seen, a mountain resort called Little Fawn Lake where Kingsley has a house, and finds another woman drowned in the lake who had disappeared at the same time as Crystal things are getting complicated...

my thoughts: a typical work for Chandler's style, noir and cynical in tone and none of the characters has clean hands. This book felt "talky" in places, Marlowe explains several times at which point in the investigation (and in the plot) he currently stands which doesn't feel right and forced.
Otherwise a good novel by Chandler.

my advice: can be read stand alone but I suggest reading Chandler's novels chronologically.

bobbo49's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I continue to thoroughly enjoy Chandler's murder mysteries (this is my 4th). Marlowe is both a humorous and quick-witted private detective, and this story - like the others - winds around a host of characters and down a series of alleys until it all comes together at the end. Fun read.

hthacher's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

angelineonvicodins's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

not a favourite

indigooryx's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

spadeano's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

bluestarfish's review against another edition

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3.0

LA private investigator Philip Marlowe is back again to find bodies, get messed around by the police, drag up stories, drink, and usual hard-boiled detective things in this enjoyable novel.

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