492. The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye
Raymond Chandler
1953
Around 320 pages

As much as Raymond Chandler wants us to take him seriously, I find him to be a welcome reprieve from some of the more complex novels on this List. The hard boiled detective stories are fewer and far between at this point, so I enjoy them quite a bit when they crop up.

Terry Lennox shows up on Phillip Marlowe's front step, desperate for help. Terry is Phillip's friend (i.e. drinking buddy), and begs him to get him to Tijuana. Marlowe finds out that Terry's wife, Sylvia, was recently found dead, but bros before hos, and Marlowe wants to prove Terry's innocence. Of course, some more dames and alcholics get involved.

This novel reminded me of Red Harvest, in that there was a layer of social commentary that you don't always get in your standard detective story. Chandler clearly put a lot of himself in this story; the drunk, washed up author Roger Wade seems like a self-insert. Kingsley Amis just did something similar in Lucky Jim, but Chandler seemed more vulnerable and honest with himself when portraying his stand-in's flaws. 

I wasn't blown away by the way the plot wrapped up, but it was still a solid addition to the genre.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Written as Chandler's wife was dying.

UP NEXT: The Go Between by L.P. Hartley