The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler was published in 1939 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. It is a work of fiction told in the first-person point of view. This classic whodunit introduces the reader to the quintessential hardboiled detective, Philip Marlowe, the main protagonist, and narrator.
The story takes place in Los Angeles and centers around the private detective's investigation into a blackmail scheme against Carmen Sternwood, the wild young daughter of General Sternwood, an elderly millionaire who has his hands full with both of his spoiled and impetuous offspring.
The General hires Marlowe to deal with the latest blackmail plot. This one was perpetrated by Arthur Gwynn Geiger, the owner of an illegal pornography-lending library, against Carmen. As a matter of fact, this is the second time she's been faced with blackmail. The previous scheme was put into motion by a man named Joe Brody, a grifter who tries and fails to take over Geiger's racket. That blackmail plan ended when General Sternwood paid Brody off. With this latest attempt, the General hires Marlowe to, in essence, make this problem disappear. It seems Geiger has nude pictures of Carmen and intends to sell them unless she (or her father) can come up with the cash to get the photos back.
During their initial meeting, the General also tells Marlowe about his eldest daughter Vivian who is in a loveless marriage to a man named Rusty Regan. But, unfortunately, it appears that Rusty has vanished. While determining whether General Sternwood wants him to look into the disappearance, Marlowe heads over to Geiger's bookstore, where he discovers the secret-pornography business being run out of the back of the shop.
Marlowe stakes out the bookstore and then follows Geiger home, where he witnesses Carmen Sternwood enter the house; a few moments later, there's a scream, the sound of gunshots, and two cars speeding away; Marlowe enters and finds Geiger's dead body and Carmen naked and strung out on drugs beside an empty camera. He takes Carmen home and then returns to Geiger's house, only to find that his body has been removed.
When Marlowe gets a phone call from the police the next day telling him that Sternwood's car was found off the pier with the murdered body of the Sternwood chauffeur Owen Taylor inside, Marlowe knows that he is getting himself deeper and deeper into a much bigger scheme than what meets the eye and is putting his own life in danger due in part to all of the unanswered questions this mystery unfolds for the detective the longer he investigates.
This novel is rife with atmosphere, plot twists, and a cast of characters you will remember. Unfortunately, like its film version, The Big Sleep has been called cryptic, confusing, and by some...impossible to follow. It has a complex plot, and I admit taking a few notes while reading the book to keep it all straight. You may want to judge for yourself, but none of this interfered with my enjoyment of reading this classic detective yarn.
My Personal Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
