- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (7 July 2005)
- Language Unknown
- ISBN-10: 0140108947
- ISBN-13: 978-0140108941
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 212,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Derace Kingsley's wife ran away to Mexico to get a quickie divorce and marry a Casanova-wannabe named Chris Lavery. Or so the note she left her husband insisted. Trouble is, when Philip Marlowe asks Lavery about it he denies everything and sends the private investigator packing with a flea lodged firmly in his ear. But when Marlowe next encounters Lavery, he's denying nothing - on account of the two bullet holes in his heart. Now Marlowe's on the trail of a killer, who leads him out of smoggy LA all the way to a murky mountain lake ...
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.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The Treloar Building was, and is, on Olive Street, near Sixth, on the west side. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The Treloar Building was, and is, on Olive Street, near Sixth, on the west side. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Chandler has been over this ground before but The Lady in the Lake takes him out of the city and into rural mountains.The result is a contrast between his hero's city smart 'shamus'and the country cute lawman which is a sub-plot of its own that lends a pacy air to the main storyline.Marlowe is slicker and smarter than ever,but ,as usual ,makes errors which humanise and make the reader identify with him.We are shown the seedy side of the hustle lifestyle of '30s and 40's LA ,while silently respecting the humanity of the hero ,who speaks through the book in the first person. There are tough dames,weak rats and hard men side by side with the vulnerable and soft-all the characters are believable and Chandler portrays them in a way that makes them clear in the imagination.There are no tricks to the tale-the crime almost becomes secondary as the simple vices of people take controls of their lives .This is a great read,a hard boiled thriller which is as good as it gets and can be read over and over.
Format:Paperback
It is difficult to comprehend that this novel was written by the same author who wrote the first three Marlowe novels. It is equally difficult to comprehend that the character of Marlowe is the same person described in those earlier novels.
Marlowe's manner, actions and style of speech has suffered a volte-face. There are almost no wise-cracks. He has adopted the habit of talking about himself in the third person, 'I'm murder a day Marlowe'. Another example of this irritant also includes the newly-supine outlook, 'Marlowe may be a smart guy and very fond of you personally but he can't risk the suppression of evidence'.
The only memorable line was the description of Lavery as 'Six feet....of home-wrecker....all his brains in his face'. The rest of the writing was mundane to the point of anonymous.
If this had not carried the banner of Chandler's name, it would have bounced into the charity bag after thirty pages. As I struggled through to the end there was only one mystery to be solved; did Chandler actually write this?
Marlowe's manner, actions and style of speech has suffered a volte-face. There are almost no wise-cracks. He has adopted the habit of talking about himself in the third person, 'I'm murder a day Marlowe'. Another example of this irritant also includes the newly-supine outlook, 'Marlowe may be a smart guy and very fond of you personally but he can't risk the suppression of evidence'.
The only memorable line was the description of Lavery as 'Six feet....of home-wrecker....all his brains in his face'. The rest of the writing was mundane to the point of anonymous.
If this had not carried the banner of Chandler's name, it would have bounced into the charity bag after thirty pages. As I struggled through to the end there was only one mystery to be solved; did Chandler actually write this?
Format:Paperback
The consensus is The Lady in the Lake is not comparable to Chandler's "big three" (Big Sleep, Long Goodbye, Farewell My Lovely), but I found it just as satisfying.
Chandler's writing is oil slick. So easy, so intelligent, so very cool. As usual the characters are somehow subtle but eccentric all at once and the similes and descriptions are stylishly inventive. The plot doesn't weave and deceive as much as some of his other novels but this didn't detract from the story for me.
The Marlowe in TLITL is less hostile, less paranoid, less aggressive than in some of the other novels. This makes me like him more but some readers may prefer his younger, spikier self.
Still, like all the other Chandler-Marlowe novels, reading it is an exceptional way to pass the time. I can only imagine literary snobbery towards crime fiction is the reason why Chandler is not held up as one of the 20th century's greatest writers.
Chandler's writing is oil slick. So easy, so intelligent, so very cool. As usual the characters are somehow subtle but eccentric all at once and the similes and descriptions are stylishly inventive. The plot doesn't weave and deceive as much as some of his other novels but this didn't detract from the story for me.
The Marlowe in TLITL is less hostile, less paranoid, less aggressive than in some of the other novels. This makes me like him more but some readers may prefer his younger, spikier self.
Still, like all the other Chandler-Marlowe novels, reading it is an exceptional way to pass the time. I can only imagine literary snobbery towards crime fiction is the reason why Chandler is not held up as one of the 20th century's greatest writers.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another Fine Marlowe Novel.
"'I want you to find my wife,' he said. 'She's been missing for a month.' 'Okay,' I said. 'I'll find your wife. Read more
Published 10 months ago by M. D. Jenkins
One of Chandler's best
I love the new editions of the Marlowe novels. Decent sized print and superb covers. Anyway, they have given me an excuse to re-read Chandler's great stories. Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2009 by William
Simply absorbing
Philip Marlowe is hired by Derace Kinsley to find his young and reckless wife who has gone missing. From thereon the plot starts and the reader finds himself identified with the... Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2003 by Vasileios S. Gavalas
More than just crime fiction
A book that keeps the reader guessing. The plot is complex but flawlessly handled. The characters are realistic and well-drawn. The pace is fast, but subtly controlled. Read more
Published on 9 April 2002 by rmk
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