Wow. What a great novel. The Big Sleep was published in 1939 and is the first of Chandler's eight novels featuring private investigator Philip Marlowe. Marlowe is hired by a wealthy, dying, paraplegic General Sternwood to take care of a blackmailer named Arthur Gwynn Geiger, who claims that the General's daughter Carmen owes him $1000 in gambling debts. Marlowe is such an entertaining character to follow; his wit as a detective is unsurpassed. I won't give anything away, but this novel is definitely a page-turner, with its intricate plot and quick dialogue. This novel is what The Big Lebowski is loosely based on, which I was anxious about at first, because I felt like knowing how the movie ended would ruin any suspense the book has to offer. I was wrong. The only parallels I can draw between the book and the movie are: a moribund old man hires a detective, and at some point in the tale pornography is involved. That's it. What a relief. Anyways, definitely pick this novel up, you won't be disappointed.
*****
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