THE BIG SLEEP

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by Raymond Chandler (1939)

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General Sternwood is ancient and looks it. Having summoned private detective Philip Marlowe to his enormous estate, he shows to Marlowe evidence of blackmail. During the ensuing discussion, Sternwood also explains that the son-in-law he very much admired has apparently ran off. No word was given, and no note was left behind. Rusty Regan has simply evaporated, and Sternwood wants to know where he is and why he left. Is there a connection between the two? Marlowe agrees to investigate both matters and soon discovers that Sternwood’s adult daughters have issues of their own. Each has more money than they know what to do with. The elder gambles at roulette. The younger is addicted to sex. Both travel in unsavoury circles filled with dodgy types. Marlowe soon finds himself navigating a kaleidoscope world of drug use, pornography rackets, gambling dens, unpaid debts, extortion and murder. Fiction. 264 pages.

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DETAILS:

Title: The big sleep

Year: 1939

Author: Raymond Chandler

Pages: 264

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Book review by Keith Salter