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The Big Sleep
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The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep is a 1939 hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angeles.
The story is noted for its complexity, with characters double-crossing one another and secrets being exposed throughout the narrative. The title is a euphemism for death; the final pages of the book refer to a rumination about "sleeping the big sleep".
In 1999, the book was voted 96th of Le Monde's "100 Books of the Century". In 2005, it was included in Time magazine's "List of the 100 Best Novels".
Philip Marlowe, a heavy-drinking, laconic private investigator in Los Angeles, is called to the home of the wealthy and elderly General Sternwood. He wants Marlowe to deal with an attempt by a bookseller named Arthur Geiger to blackmail his wild young daughter, Carmen. She had previously been blackmailed by a man named Joe Brody. Sternwood mentions that his other, older daughter Vivian is in a loveless marriage with an Irish bootlegger named Rusty Regan, who has disappeared. On Marlowe's way out, Vivian wonders if he was hired to find Regan, but Marlowe will not say.
Marlowe investigates Geiger's bookstore and meets Agnes, the clerk. He determines that the store is an illegal pornography-lending library. He follows Geiger home, stakes out his house and sees Carmen enter. Later, Marlowe hears a scream, followed by gunshots and two cars speeding away. He rushes in to find Geiger dead and Carmen drugged and naked, in front of a camera with no photographic plate. Marlowe takes her home but when he returns, Geiger's body is gone; he quickly leaves. The next day, the police call Marlowe and let him know the Sternwoods' car was found driven off a pier, with their chauffeur, Owen Taylor, dead inside. It appears that Owen was hit on the head before the car entered the water. The police also ask if Marlowe is looking for Regan.
Marlowe stakes out Geiger's bookstore and sees its inventory being moved to Brody's home. Vivian comes to his office and says Carmen is being blackmailed with the nude photos from the previous night. She also mentions gambling at the casino of Eddie Mars and volunteers that Eddie's wife, Mona, ran off with Rusty. Marlowe revisits Geiger's house and finds Carmen trying to get inside. They look for the photos, but she pretends ignorance of the previous night. Eddie suddenly enters; he says he is Geiger's landlord and is looking for him. Eddie demands to know why Marlowe is there; Marlowe takes no notice and states that he is no threat to him.
Marlowe goes to Brody's home and finds him with Agnes, the bookstore clerk. Marlowe tells Brody that he knows they are taking over the bookstore and blackmailing Carmen with the nude photos. Carmen appears with a gun and demands the photos, but Marlowe takes the weapon and makes her leave. He interrogates Brody further and pieces together the story: Geiger was blackmailing Carmen; Owen Taylor did not like this and killed Geiger, taking the film of Carmen. Brody was staking out Geiger's house during the murder and pursued Owen, knocked him out, stole the film and possibly pushed the car off the pier. Suddenly, the doorbell rings and Brody is shot dead; Marlowe gives chase and catches Geiger's male lover, Carol Lundgren, who shot Brody thinking he had killed Geiger. He had also hidden Geiger's body, so he could remove his own belongings before the police learned of the murder.
The case is seemingly over, but Marlowe is nagged by Rusty’s disappearance. The police accept that he simply ran off with Mona, since she is also missing, and since Eddie would not risk committing a murder in which he would be the obvious suspect. Eddie calls Marlowe to his casino and seems to be nonchalant about everything. Vivian is also there, and Marlowe senses something between her and Eddie. Marlowe drives her home and she tries to seduce him, but he rejects her advances. When he gets home, he finds Carmen has crept into his bed, and he rejects her as well.
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The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep is a 1939 hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angeles.
The story is noted for its complexity, with characters double-crossing one another and secrets being exposed throughout the narrative. The title is a euphemism for death; the final pages of the book refer to a rumination about "sleeping the big sleep".
In 1999, the book was voted 96th of Le Monde's "100 Books of the Century". In 2005, it was included in Time magazine's "List of the 100 Best Novels".
Philip Marlowe, a heavy-drinking, laconic private investigator in Los Angeles, is called to the home of the wealthy and elderly General Sternwood. He wants Marlowe to deal with an attempt by a bookseller named Arthur Geiger to blackmail his wild young daughter, Carmen. She had previously been blackmailed by a man named Joe Brody. Sternwood mentions that his other, older daughter Vivian is in a loveless marriage with an Irish bootlegger named Rusty Regan, who has disappeared. On Marlowe's way out, Vivian wonders if he was hired to find Regan, but Marlowe will not say.
Marlowe investigates Geiger's bookstore and meets Agnes, the clerk. He determines that the store is an illegal pornography-lending library. He follows Geiger home, stakes out his house and sees Carmen enter. Later, Marlowe hears a scream, followed by gunshots and two cars speeding away. He rushes in to find Geiger dead and Carmen drugged and naked, in front of a camera with no photographic plate. Marlowe takes her home but when he returns, Geiger's body is gone; he quickly leaves. The next day, the police call Marlowe and let him know the Sternwoods' car was found driven off a pier, with their chauffeur, Owen Taylor, dead inside. It appears that Owen was hit on the head before the car entered the water. The police also ask if Marlowe is looking for Regan.
Marlowe stakes out Geiger's bookstore and sees its inventory being moved to Brody's home. Vivian comes to his office and says Carmen is being blackmailed with the nude photos from the previous night. She also mentions gambling at the casino of Eddie Mars and volunteers that Eddie's wife, Mona, ran off with Rusty. Marlowe revisits Geiger's house and finds Carmen trying to get inside. They look for the photos, but she pretends ignorance of the previous night. Eddie suddenly enters; he says he is Geiger's landlord and is looking for him. Eddie demands to know why Marlowe is there; Marlowe takes no notice and states that he is no threat to him.
Marlowe goes to Brody's home and finds him with Agnes, the bookstore clerk. Marlowe tells Brody that he knows they are taking over the bookstore and blackmailing Carmen with the nude photos. Carmen appears with a gun and demands the photos, but Marlowe takes the weapon and makes her leave. He interrogates Brody further and pieces together the story: Geiger was blackmailing Carmen; Owen Taylor did not like this and killed Geiger, taking the film of Carmen. Brody was staking out Geiger's house during the murder and pursued Owen, knocked him out, stole the film and possibly pushed the car off the pier. Suddenly, the doorbell rings and Brody is shot dead; Marlowe gives chase and catches Geiger's male lover, Carol Lundgren, who shot Brody thinking he had killed Geiger. He had also hidden Geiger's body, so he could remove his own belongings before the police learned of the murder.
The case is seemingly over, but Marlowe is nagged by Rusty’s disappearance. The police accept that he simply ran off with Mona, since she is also missing, and since Eddie would not risk committing a murder in which he would be the obvious suspect. Eddie calls Marlowe to his casino and seems to be nonchalant about everything. Vivian is also there, and Marlowe senses something between her and Eddie. Marlowe drives her home and she tries to seduce him, but he rejects her advances. When he gets home, he finds Carmen has crept into his bed, and he rejects her as well.