ptimsin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
electrozombie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
writermattphillips's review against another edition
5.0
Freaking Chandler. If you haven't seen the film with Eliott Gould and directed by Altman you should.
princemyshkin97's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it from start to finish, I think I’m entering my Raymond Chandler era now. Kind of sad that it ended actually
mdpenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I can see why Chandler is the standard for noir detective novels. He's an excellent storyteller and character builder; the plot is very well devised and played out; and he plays with language like Wodehouse. There are things in here that prevent it from being perfect, though, like the homophobia or that scene near the end with Linda Loring that's as absurd as a Pete and Dud sketch. I wasn't too happy with the ending itself, either: the way the plot turned out was fine and pretty much what I was guessing, but the final confrontation just didn't live up to what it was wrapping up. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it a lot.
capra's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
rebeccatc's review against another edition
5.0
It's not easy to be sarcastic and philosophical at the same time, but private investigator Philip Marlowe somehow manages it. He is such a unique character and I just thoroughly enjoyed him as the narrator of this dark and twisted mystery. The numerous other characters are depraved without exception which makes him the unlikely voice of reason in one crazy situation after the next. Just good old fashioned noir fun.
iam_griff's review against another edition
4.0
I really have enjoyed the Philip Marlowe series so far & I think this book is my favourite so far. Took me a little bit to figure out where the story was going. Chandler does a great job with tying up all the loose ends.