The Big Sleep  (English, Paperback, Chandler Raymond)

Philip Marlowe, the legendary American detective, tackles with yet another complex crime which involves gambling, pornography and murder. Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep is a classic hard boiled crime novel where the only sleep Marlowe can get is death.

Summary Of The Book

Philip Marlowe is a private investigator who has been hired by the wealthy, General Sternwood for a simple blackmail case. However, what seems like a simple attempt to blackmail Carmen Sternwood by Arthur Geiger, the bookseller, turns into a complicated mystery that only Marlow can solve.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler deals with a number of characters who flit in and out of the plot making it all the more difficult for Marlow to get to the truth. Characters like Vivian Sternwood and her husband Rusty Regan, and the bookstore clerk, Agnes all make it obvious that there is more to the case then what meets the eye.

With the death of Arthur Geiger, the blackmailer and the discovery of the drugged and unconscious Carmen, Marlowe suspects foul play from the most unexpected source. On close inspection, he discovers that the bookstore is no ordinary store but a pornography lending library. Thus follows a series of events that makes it more difficult to track Geiger’s body. The police, too, take note of the disappearance.

The question remains as to why these seemingly random events occur and whether Marlowe can track the perpetrators before things fall apart for good.

This novel has been adapted into a movie twice, in 1946 and 1978. This Raymond Chandler novel has been appreciated for its plot and the complexity of characters. The title of this novel alludes to death which is often known as the final sleep.

It was part of TIME’s List of the 100 Best Novels in 2005.

About Raymond Chandler

Raymond Chandler is best known for his American detective fiction novels that incorporate elements of suspense and thrill breaking away from conventional British detective novels.

His works are considered hard-boiled crime thriller. Philip Marlowe is one of the most memorable private detectives created by Chandler. Marlowe is seen in several of his novels such as The Big Sleep, Farewell My Lovely, The Long Goodbye and The Little Sister.

He was born on July 23rd, 1888 and became a detective fiction writer at the age of 44. He was also a screenwriter best known for collaborating with Alfred Hitchcock for Strangers on a Train.