- Paperback: 584 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (6 July 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140109005
- ISBN-13: 978-0140109009
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 185,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Killer in the Rain
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
It was in the pulp detective magazines of the 1930s that Raymond Chandler's definitive take on the hard-boiled detective story first appeared. Here then, from the well-thumbed pages of ‘Black Mask’ and ‘Dime Detective Magazine’, are eight of his finest stories including ‘The Man Who Liked Dogs’, ‘The Lady in the Lake’ and ‘Bay City Blues’. Sharper than a hoodlum's switchblade, more exciting than an unexpected red-head and stronger than a double shot of whisky, they are packed full of the punchy poetry and laconic wit that makes Chandler the undisputed master of his genre.
About the Author
Best-known as the creator of the original private eye, Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago in 1888 and died in 1959. Many of his books have been adapted for the screen, and he is widely regarded as one of the very greatest writers of detective fiction.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Before Marlowe, there was Carmady, Dalmas and Evans. Sharp-talking, fast-shooting PIs with attitude, integrity and a knack for getting mixed up in other folks' problems Sound familiar? It should. For not only did these guys pre-date Raymond Chandler's most famous creation, Philip Marlowe, they also paved the way for him, providing the literary blueprint from which he evolved. Indeed, part of their heroic legacy can be found in this collection of early short stories.
Originally published between 1935 and 1941 in pulp magazines like "Black Mask" and "Dime Store Detective," the eight stories comprising "Killer in the Rain" were later adapted and reworked by Chandler to form the basis of his novels "The Big Sleep," "Farewell My Lovely" and "The Lady in the Lake." Feeling that he had thus committed a form of creative 'cannibalism,' the author refused for them to be anthologised during his lifetime, hoping instead that they would fade from public memory. Fortunately for his fans, however, the stories (along with a fascinating introduction charting their background and transition to novel form) eventually resurfaced in this volume, first published in 1964, five years after Chandler's death. And any guilt the reader may feel about contravening the great man's wishes by daring to open its pages soon dissolves into wonder at his unfailing brilliance.
All the Chandler trademarks are there. Complex, tormented protagonists like the lovesick murderer Steve Skalla in "Try the Girl," and the doomed drunk Helen Matson in "Bay City Blues." Exquisitely drawn minor characters like Soukesian the Psychic ("Mandarin's Jade"), General Winslow ("The Curtain") and the usual array of gun-toting thugs, each with his own idiosyncrasies and personality defects. The sprawling city of L.A. - one minute dark with menace, the next bleached bright and beautiful - less a backdrop than a character in its own right.
There's crazy, twisted plots to make you gasp, and dialogue so sharp it hurts. There's insight upon unflinching insight into the futility of the human condition. Each and every story simmers with sleaze, violence, corruption and greed - not to mention enough drugs and hard liquor to fell a herd of stampeding wildebeest - but somehow, despite it all, the prose reverberates with a certain kind of (cynical) lyricism. And this, in my opinion, is what distinguishes Chandler's writing from that of his more hardboiled contemporaries. Even a fleeting observation can become something infinitely meaningful: "A cigarette girl with a tray the size of a five-pound candy box came down the gangway. She wore feathers in her hair, enough clothes to hide behind a three-cent stamp, and one of her long, beautiful, naked legs was gilded and the other was silvered. She had the cold, disdainful expression of a dame who is dated so far ahead that she would have to think twice before accepting a knockdown to a maharajah with a basket of rubies under his arm" ("Bay City Blues"). Poetry!
Because Raymond Chandler wrote crime fiction, a genre traditionally not embraced with open arms by purveyors of so-called 'serious literature,' his status as one of the 20th century's greatest and most influential writers has always been subject to some dispute. Like the rest of his oeuvre, however, "Killer in the Rain" provides ample evidence that there is simply no room for doubt. The man was an artist.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Beware: while the print editions of this book are collections of short stories, the Kindle edition only contains one short story, namely "Killer In The Rain". The other stories listed in the title are NOT included. Killer In The Rain is an interesting read if you already know The Big Sleep; it's a kind of prototype for the later full-length story. 5 stars for that, but -4 stars for promising 8 stories and delivering only one.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'd never read any Raymond Chandler before, i knew the style of his stories and his mark on literature, but thought i'd give it a go despite it falling way outside my normal reading material.
I was blown away, (not unlike many characters in the book) every story included is gripping, tense and full of the most wonderful language, to the extent I either chuckled to myself or wondered why on earth we dont all talk like Chandlers characters in real life. I'd say this is an excellent introduction to Raymond Chandler, the stories are varied enough to warrant including but similar in their convoluted twists and turns. I've heard (and the introduction in this book even suggests) that the characters (particullay the Private Detectives) are mearly precursors to his later characters from more famous works, if thats the case im hooked.
Wonderful place to start, i've told most of my freinds about the book which is rare for me. It's a 'Desert-Island' book this, provided your desert island has some form of gambling joint built on it, and firearms. Loved it.
I was blown away, (not unlike many characters in the book) every story included is gripping, tense and full of the most wonderful language, to the extent I either chuckled to myself or wondered why on earth we dont all talk like Chandlers characters in real life. I'd say this is an excellent introduction to Raymond Chandler, the stories are varied enough to warrant including but similar in their convoluted twists and turns. I've heard (and the introduction in this book even suggests) that the characters (particullay the Private Detectives) are mearly precursors to his later characters from more famous works, if thats the case im hooked.
Wonderful place to start, i've told most of my freinds about the book which is rare for me. It's a 'Desert-Island' book this, provided your desert island has some form of gambling joint built on it, and firearms. Loved it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hmm
A selection of short stories which were later cannibalized and incorporated into his novels. To be honest, I'd recommend you stick to those novels: Farewell, My Lovely; The High... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Snowman
Excellent collection of short stories
Good quality and straight forward reading. This author is considered as the godfather of many of the currently high-flying writer, so basically, he is their master!!!
Published on 24 Mar 2010 by ARG Hanna
Interesting early Chandler, but for fans only.
A collection of Chandler's short stories, many of which were expanded, or sometimes combined into his longer novels. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2008 by Bruce Murphy
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