Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Penguin Books Ltd (1989), Edition: New Ed, Paperback
Description
A wealthy Pasadena widow with a mean streak, a missing daughter-in-law with a past, and a gold coin worth a small fortune--the elements don't quite add up until Marlowe discovers evidence of murder, rape, blackmail, and the worst kind of human exploitation.@@"Raymond Chandler is a star of the first magnitude."-- Erle Stanley Gardner@@"Raymond Chandler has given us a detective who is hard-boiled enough to be convincing . . . and that is no mean achievement." -- The New York Times
User reviews
LibraryThing member aubreyfs
Though this novel did seem a bit formulaic, having had seen The Big Sleep, I still enjoyed it immensely. I always have a hard time keeping track of the detective's day and appointments though. The writing was wry and very descriptive giving a great feel of some very specific places in L.A. And
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though I had hunches, I had no idea how it was going to end! " 'I'm very smart,' I said. 'It would be a shame not to talk to me.' " Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Recently I bought all of Chandler’s Marlowe novels and short stories and have begun reading them in chronological order. It’s possible that I shouldn’t have dove into the stories ahead of the novels since many of the latter are drawn from the former, some in so much detail that it brought on
Right from the beginning, the writing crackles off the page like describing someone as “thin as an honest alibi”. Oh that’s so great. Then there’s Marlowe’s solid trade craft and sleight of hand when it comes to manipulating situations to his advantage (always with the client’s best interest in mind). The first scene at the coin dealer’s office was knife-edged with longing to see Marlowe play the culprits off each other. When more bits of information are dropped, the whole sinister plot is just delicious in its duplicity and cunning. At least we think we know the whole plot. Chandler keeps a few things back to surprise us with in the end.
And of course, Marlowe wears his heart on his sleeve the whole time. I forget what a big mush he really is, what with believing in real justice and all. When he sees a person put upon and he can right the wrong, he goes out of his way to do the right thing. Sure, his cynicism runs deep, but Marlowe is a romantic at his core. And that’s just what we love about him.
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serious washes of deja vu. Not so with The High Window which is cut from whole cloth, not scraps of other projects. And it shows. To me, unlike The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, this novel is tighter, more focused and coherent even if the plot is as complex as Chandler liked to write them.Right from the beginning, the writing crackles off the page like describing someone as “thin as an honest alibi”. Oh that’s so great. Then there’s Marlowe’s solid trade craft and sleight of hand when it comes to manipulating situations to his advantage (always with the client’s best interest in mind). The first scene at the coin dealer’s office was knife-edged with longing to see Marlowe play the culprits off each other. When more bits of information are dropped, the whole sinister plot is just delicious in its duplicity and cunning. At least we think we know the whole plot. Chandler keeps a few things back to surprise us with in the end.
And of course, Marlowe wears his heart on his sleeve the whole time. I forget what a big mush he really is, what with believing in real justice and all. When he sees a person put upon and he can right the wrong, he goes out of his way to do the right thing. Sure, his cynicism runs deep, but Marlowe is a romantic at his core. And that’s just what we love about him.
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LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
At book three in this series it's getting harder to come up with new things to say about Chandler's Marlowe novels. Yes, I could offer up some of Chandler's clever similes or metaphors which change with each book, but I'm not going to do that. These novels are, in a word, excellent. Whether you
Aside from Chandler's witty metaphors, very cool prose and his take on the sprawl that is Los Angeles (which I am absolutely fascinated by, probably more than anything else in these books) what I am beginning to appreciate more about these novels is in the way Chandler explores people. Getting to the whodunit and most especially the why is really a vehicle for exploring individual psyches, especially Marlowe's. He becomes much more of a damsel-in-distress rescuer in this book, and continues his moral duty of keeping his client shielded from any possible fallout, even though it might mean that he soils his integrity in the bargain. He continues to hold onto his principled self -- his twenty-five dollars a day plus expenses is all he wants -- he can't be bought off, despite the expectations of clients and crooks alike. He works hard to get not only to the truth, but also to the heart of just what it is about people that makes them tick. But it's not just Marlowe -- pretty much anyone who takes any role in Marlowe's investigations gets even the tiniest bit of psychological air time from his or her creator. It's these individual stories when combined that showcase the people who exist in Marlowe's city; his interactions with these people who help to define who Marlowe is. And isn't.
The High Window didn't feel as clunky or convoluted plotwise as its predecessors -- I am having so much fun with these novels and this one did not disappoint.
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read them for the writing, the often-cumbersome plots or the unforgettable characters, especially that of Philip Marlowe, considering that they were written around 70 years ago, the high quality of these books has remained steady so far. If you want to know about plot,I'm not bringing it out here; you can see what the book's about elsewhere.Aside from Chandler's witty metaphors, very cool prose and his take on the sprawl that is Los Angeles (which I am absolutely fascinated by, probably more than anything else in these books) what I am beginning to appreciate more about these novels is in the way Chandler explores people. Getting to the whodunit and most especially the why is really a vehicle for exploring individual psyches, especially Marlowe's. He becomes much more of a damsel-in-distress rescuer in this book, and continues his moral duty of keeping his client shielded from any possible fallout, even though it might mean that he soils his integrity in the bargain. He continues to hold onto his principled self -- his twenty-five dollars a day plus expenses is all he wants -- he can't be bought off, despite the expectations of clients and crooks alike. He works hard to get not only to the truth, but also to the heart of just what it is about people that makes them tick. But it's not just Marlowe -- pretty much anyone who takes any role in Marlowe's investigations gets even the tiniest bit of psychological air time from his or her creator. It's these individual stories when combined that showcase the people who exist in Marlowe's city; his interactions with these people who help to define who Marlowe is. And isn't.
The High Window didn't feel as clunky or convoluted plotwise as its predecessors -- I am having so much fun with these novels and this one did not disappoint.
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LibraryThing member wtim
It wasn't until 'The Long Goodbye' that I thought Chandler started to flag a bit. There is still no one who can come close to the sense of place and time as well as character that Chandler had so much mastery over. That being said 'The High Window' is one of my favorites. There are always scenes or
As always I still have to think hard about how all of the pieces fit together at the end. I always read Chandler for the sheer enjoyment, the mystery is secondary.
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descriptions that in each of his books are so evocative for me. In this one it's the hilarious way he treats the little coach boy statue outside the house of his client that hits me. Not only is it funny but I vividly remember those statues from my own youth. But not my neighborhood as they were above our socioeconomic scale.As always I still have to think hard about how all of the pieces fit together at the end. I always read Chandler for the sheer enjoyment, the mystery is secondary.
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LibraryThing member rose_p
The High Window, The Lady in the Lake, The Little Sister - I got hooked into the Big Sleep right at the end of March, then lashed out in Waterstones to buy a three-in-one compendium and whomped my way through it in a weekend. They aren't works of literary genius, but they are well-plotted and
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stylish who/why dunnits. And though I can't do accents in real life, inside my head I was reading in an American drawl, with pictures in stylish black-and-white and a sleazy sax in the background. I thought I'd grown out of detectives/crime but these are thoroughly good reads and I'd recommend them to anyone. Show Less
LibraryThing member MColv9890
Not his strongest effort but necessary reading for fans of Chandler and the genre at-large.
LibraryThing member otterley
Yet again, a troublesome client for Marlowe - this time leading him into a world of counterfeit coins, dodgy dealers, shady girls in shady bars and some pretty choice California real estate. So much, so par for the course. Slips down nicely, with a kick - just how it goes down in Raymond Chandler
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LibraryThing member AlecBaker
Philip Marlow shall find a stolen item for the widow Mrs. Murdock, the Brasher Doubloon. He disappeared with Leslie Murdock, the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Murdock. A coin dealer named Mr. Morningstar called her if the coin is to sell. Mrs. Murdock believes that Leslie took the rare piece of gold to
Raymond Chandler was really a master who created a lot of great crime stories. The High Window is like his other novels written in the first person and narrative style. And again Raymond Chandler describes settings and characters very well. Sometimes I believe it is too much but behind each curtain could stand a killer, behind each desk could lay a murdered person and Philip Marlow has his eyes everywhere.
The High Window is wonderful to read. It’s a great novel. If I could I would give them six stars.
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sell it. There is another private dick who wants to talk to Marlow and gives him his address. When Marlow has visited him he finds him death. The story went by with more murders and much deeper reasons than a gold coin. Raymond Chandler was really a master who created a lot of great crime stories. The High Window is like his other novels written in the first person and narrative style. And again Raymond Chandler describes settings and characters very well. Sometimes I believe it is too much but behind each curtain could stand a killer, behind each desk could lay a murdered person and Philip Marlow has his eyes everywhere.
The High Window is wonderful to read. It’s a great novel. If I could I would give them six stars.
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LibraryThing member Jonathan_M
Raymond Chandler himself didn't think much of this one ("No action, no likable characters, no nothing," he wrote to his publisher when he had finished revising the novel in March 1942), but The High Window has always been a personal favorite of mine. In the sense that it contains almost no physical
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action, Chandler's assessment was accurate, and his biographer Frank MacShane correctly observed that the book walks an uneasy line between deadly seriousness and almost grotesque humor. But that's just real life, isn't it? The shoot-'em-up hardboiled tale had, after two decades, become a cliché; the genre desperately needed some psychological depth, and that's what Chandler gave it with this novel. And, while the characters might not be "likable" in the strictest sense, they're certainly fascinating: in particular, Mr. Palermo (the owner of the funeral parlor) and the old elevator operator are characters that only Chandler could have written, people so authentically homely that you could reach out and touch them. The solution to the mystery is rather improbable, but that will come as no surprise to fans of this author. At the conclusion of the proceedings, PI Philip Marlowe--as usual--feels a little sick to his stomach and more than a little contemptuous of the human race, and the reader won't blame him one bit. In short, The High Window is essential Chandler. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Hmmmm -- better than 4 stars but I am not quite sure it should get the whole 5 so 4½ it is!
A wealthy widow wants some stolen property returned but for the thief not to be prosecuted because she is convinced that the theft was done by her daughter-in-law. The client & other people in this book are
A wealthy widow wants some stolen property returned but for the thief not to be prosecuted because she is convinced that the theft was done by her daughter-in-law. The client & other people in this book are
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all unattractive in one way or another but what made me like this mystery so much is the way Chandler shows you what life is like for Marlowe running a one-man detective agency with some scruples. The plot is convoluted yet realistic (more realistic than the first 2 books in the series I think). Show Less
LibraryThing member mrtall
This tale of the Brasher Doubloon, a 'stolen' gold coin, embroils Philip Marlowe in unsavory complications all around. Not my favorite among the Marlowe novels, but Chandler's prose is so regularly incandescent that my recommendation is still strong. Just witness this description of a policeman
"Then he picked the glass up and tasted it and sighed again and shook his head sideways with a half smile; the way a man does when you give him a drink and he needs it very badly and it is just right and the first swallow is like a peek into a cleaner, sunnier, brighter world."
Oh, man. Chandler is a treasure. Read him, read him, read him . . . .
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Marlowe collaborates with:"Then he picked the glass up and tasted it and sighed again and shook his head sideways with a half smile; the way a man does when you give him a drink and he needs it very badly and it is just right and the first swallow is like a peek into a cleaner, sunnier, brighter world."
Oh, man. Chandler is a treasure. Read him, read him, read him . . . .
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LibraryThing member branimal
"The wind was quiet out here and the valley moonlight was so sharp that the black shadows looked as if they had been cut with an engraving tool."
Marlowe is tasked with tracking down and acquiring a stolen rare coin dubbed the Brasher Doubloon. Its owner, Mrs. Murdock, believes that her recently
I’m beginning to feel like there’s no such thing as a bad Marlowe story. While The High Window isn’t as quotable as The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, the case is just as interesting and the twists and turns in the story had me guessing right up to the end. It also doesn't hurt that the majority of the supporting cast are deplorable, shameless characters and while their actions affect others in ways they may not have intended, when they’re shown the error of their ways, they couldn't give a damn.
One of the things I really enjoyed was Marlowe’s insistence that several of the folks he comes across ooze noir stereotypes (the sexy femme fatale, the tough talking club owner complete with big bodyguard). It’s one thing to write these characters but it’s another thing to call attention to it; almost like breaking the fourth wall so to speak.
As many have pointed out, it’s not really because of the plot that you’re picking up a Chandler novel and I’m beginning to see why. Chandler writes Marlowe with such bravado, it’s like Marlowe thinks everyone is either constantly bluffing or just plain full of shit. He’s seemingly always a step ahead and he’s got more lines than a coke dealer.
The High Window has a satisfying conclusion and once again reinforces why Chandler is considered a master of the crime fiction genre. Onward to book four!
Also posted @ Every Read Thing
Marlowe is tasked with tracking down and acquiring a stolen rare coin dubbed the Brasher Doubloon. Its owner, Mrs. Murdock, believes that her recently
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estranged daughter-in-law is the culprit. Unfortunately for Marlowe, there’s rarely ever an open and shut case and it isn’t long before he’s tied up in a web of deceit and murder.I’m beginning to feel like there’s no such thing as a bad Marlowe story. While The High Window isn’t as quotable as The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, the case is just as interesting and the twists and turns in the story had me guessing right up to the end. It also doesn't hurt that the majority of the supporting cast are deplorable, shameless characters and while their actions affect others in ways they may not have intended, when they’re shown the error of their ways, they couldn't give a damn.
One of the things I really enjoyed was Marlowe’s insistence that several of the folks he comes across ooze noir stereotypes (the sexy femme fatale, the tough talking club owner complete with big bodyguard). It’s one thing to write these characters but it’s another thing to call attention to it; almost like breaking the fourth wall so to speak.
As many have pointed out, it’s not really because of the plot that you’re picking up a Chandler novel and I’m beginning to see why. Chandler writes Marlowe with such bravado, it’s like Marlowe thinks everyone is either constantly bluffing or just plain full of shit. He’s seemingly always a step ahead and he’s got more lines than a coke dealer.
The High Window has a satisfying conclusion and once again reinforces why Chandler is considered a master of the crime fiction genre. Onward to book four!
Also posted @ Every Read Thing
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LibraryThing member alexrichman
A masterfully written detective story, with the smart language and dialogue more than compensating for a slightly dull mystery. Chandler's prose is, as always, a breeze to read and as soon as the final page was finished I just wanted to tear through the others.
LibraryThing member markatread
The Brasher Doubloon has been stolen and the rich owner hires Philip Marlowe to find it and who she suspects stole it from her, her daughter-in-law. It is a mistake on the owner's part (in many ways) to hire Marlowe because Marlowe does not follow orders very well and she ends up not liking him and
Raymond Chandler published his first book at the age of 51. He used several short stories that he had previously written as the basis for three of the first 4 books he published. The High Window was the exception, he wrote this one without using any previously written material. It would only make sense then that this one would flow better and have better pacing than the other 3 books. And in fact it does. It also has the crackling prose that Raymond Chandler is known for - but the High Window is not as good as the other three books. The story/mystery is good but it doesn't crackle as well as the dialogue and the descriptions that Chandler uses. High Window makes more sense than the other three books but the other books have a wide open feeling to them where the action rises and falls and then rises again. High Window doesn't jerk or careen from one sequence to another but it also isn't as effective either. In the other three books there are some holes in the story but the reader accepts those holes better than here, the holes are more noticable than in the other three books. Since it flows better, the small things in High Window stand out more. **Spoiler alert** In one of the critical scenes, the killer in the first murder wanders into the room across the hall from the murder and finds a very similar gun hidden under the pillow on the couples bed that are out of the room having supper and exchanges the gun for the weapon he used to kill the first murder victim. Except that the man from across the hall confesses to the crime, except he didn't do it, someone else killed the guy and the man across the hall just confessed for some obscure reason. It extends the suspense for the reader and lets Marlowe be the one that solves the crime, but it is just too improbable and drags on the story.
The power of all of Raymond Chandler's novels is his writing style and it is certainly on display again in the High Window. He describes one of the characters as "From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away". But this is also one of the two people that Marlowe helps at the end of the book because they need him to, not because he is being paid to, but because it's the right thing to do. The other girl is the one that is actually caught in the woman's web that hired him. And again he helps her because she needs his help. So much of Marlowe' attitude and narration lead you to believe that Marlowe has a very developed sense of justice that he lives by but doesn't believe in anyone else. In the first two books Marlowe was fighting against the police and criminals that were all trying to kill him. And his own drinking and self destructiveness were just as blantantly the problem as anyone else in the story. This time Marlowe has stopped drinking so hard and is not at war with the crooked police force. You end up finishing the book believing that there is a way out of the underbelly of Los Angeles. Both for Marlowe and for at least one of the other characters. And her way out was Marlowe who helped her because she was being bullied and needed him to help her. So he does. And the book leaves the reader in a place we didn't know we were going. Where there is hope for even the weakest and most bullied of us all, at least if you know Philip Marlowe.
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Marlowe ends up not liking her either. In fact this is one of the reoccurring themes - if you have money or position, Marlowe is not going to like you very much and conversely, if the character has been marginalized by society, Marlowe will probably identify with that character and show empathy and some understanding for that character.Raymond Chandler published his first book at the age of 51. He used several short stories that he had previously written as the basis for three of the first 4 books he published. The High Window was the exception, he wrote this one without using any previously written material. It would only make sense then that this one would flow better and have better pacing than the other 3 books. And in fact it does. It also has the crackling prose that Raymond Chandler is known for - but the High Window is not as good as the other three books. The story/mystery is good but it doesn't crackle as well as the dialogue and the descriptions that Chandler uses. High Window makes more sense than the other three books but the other books have a wide open feeling to them where the action rises and falls and then rises again. High Window doesn't jerk or careen from one sequence to another but it also isn't as effective either. In the other three books there are some holes in the story but the reader accepts those holes better than here, the holes are more noticable than in the other three books. Since it flows better, the small things in High Window stand out more. **Spoiler alert** In one of the critical scenes, the killer in the first murder wanders into the room across the hall from the murder and finds a very similar gun hidden under the pillow on the couples bed that are out of the room having supper and exchanges the gun for the weapon he used to kill the first murder victim. Except that the man from across the hall confesses to the crime, except he didn't do it, someone else killed the guy and the man across the hall just confessed for some obscure reason. It extends the suspense for the reader and lets Marlowe be the one that solves the crime, but it is just too improbable and drags on the story.
The power of all of Raymond Chandler's novels is his writing style and it is certainly on display again in the High Window. He describes one of the characters as "From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away". But this is also one of the two people that Marlowe helps at the end of the book because they need him to, not because he is being paid to, but because it's the right thing to do. The other girl is the one that is actually caught in the woman's web that hired him. And again he helps her because she needs his help. So much of Marlowe' attitude and narration lead you to believe that Marlowe has a very developed sense of justice that he lives by but doesn't believe in anyone else. In the first two books Marlowe was fighting against the police and criminals that were all trying to kill him. And his own drinking and self destructiveness were just as blantantly the problem as anyone else in the story. This time Marlowe has stopped drinking so hard and is not at war with the crooked police force. You end up finishing the book believing that there is a way out of the underbelly of Los Angeles. Both for Marlowe and for at least one of the other characters. And her way out was Marlowe who helped her because she was being bullied and needed him to help her. So he does. And the book leaves the reader in a place we didn't know we were going. Where there is hope for even the weakest and most bullied of us all, at least if you know Philip Marlowe.
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LibraryThing member SmithfieldJones
Every so often, I set aside time to read the great classics of the Mystery genre, and this week it is "The High Window" (1942). It was no surprise to me that this little book about a missing gold coin, an "ugly" and poisonous widow, mixed with murder, blackmail, and lies adds up to another terrific
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read with Raymond Chandler. Pull out your old, dusty copy, or visit the local public library, and settled back for a great read. Show Less
LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: Marlowe is hired by an older woman to get back a rare coin from her daughter-in-law. He is not to tell her son. As Marlowe searches for the coin he finds three murders and a slightly crazy secretary.
Review: Because of the dated language, I had some difficulty following what was happening
Review: Because of the dated language, I had some difficulty following what was happening
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in some instances. It was an average story; slightly interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
WooHoo! Its a Raymond Chandler Book, the same author who wrote the "Maltese Falcon". So my initial thoughts on this book is that it follows the detective noir genre to a tee... and then I remember this is the guy who invented the genre (with a few others), so...... this is one of the ORIGINAL
Of course, we have a cynical detective with a ratty office, a missing rare coin belonging to a matriarch of rich family, and the local crime syndicate makes an appearance. Its well written, kept my interest, and the mystery truly was a mystery until the end of the book. At times, the main mystery (the missing coin) got lost in the story, and while it was solved at the end, it was tacked on, not integrated very well.
The book is of its time - stereotypes about, from the naive young women, to the conspiring matron. Of course, it was originally written in 1942, so that is expected. As for the setting, it didn't feel that dated. Outside of the lack of land lines and computers, it could be set in the modern.
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detective novel, not a derivative knock off.Of course, we have a cynical detective with a ratty office, a missing rare coin belonging to a matriarch of rich family, and the local crime syndicate makes an appearance. Its well written, kept my interest, and the mystery truly was a mystery until the end of the book. At times, the main mystery (the missing coin) got lost in the story, and while it was solved at the end, it was tacked on, not integrated very well.
The book is of its time - stereotypes about, from the naive young women, to the conspiring matron. Of course, it was originally written in 1942, so that is expected. As for the setting, it didn't feel that dated. Outside of the lack of land lines and computers, it could be set in the modern.
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LibraryThing member comfypants
A private detective follows a stolen coin to find some murders.
4/4 (Great).
The story is completely forgettable, but it sure is fun to read.
4/4 (Great).
The story is completely forgettable, but it sure is fun to read.
LibraryThing member margaretfield
Old woman hires Marlowe to find a missing coin and her daughter-in-law.
LibraryThing member dh-writer
Vintage Marlowe. I always enjoy Chandler's descriptions of the environment. I can see myself in the room, on the street, talking to the person in front of me, feeling what Marlowe feels. In other words, being in the story. And a good mystery to go along with it. In The High Window, Marlowe starts
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out looking for a stolen coin and a daughter-in-law. He finds both and a lot more. Show Less
LibraryThing member kristykay22
I have a soft spot for hard boiled detective novels, and Raymond Chandler is one of the best in the business. Here his familiar private eye, Phillip Marlowe, gets himself embroiled in a deliciously complicated LA story of a stolen coin, dead bodies, elderly elevator operators, brash older women,
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mousey nervous women, confident flinty sexbomb brunettes, confident sultry sexbomb blondes, drunks, saps, and nightclubs. Don't worry, it all comes together in the end. Chandler can describe anything perfectly -- landscapes, people, offices, cars -- and it makes you feel like you have stepped right into mid-century Los Angeles. And the one-liners. Oh goodness -- so good. If you like this kind of thing, you will love this one. Big thanks to my sweet friend Dave for the gift (that sat in my to read pile for way too long). Show Less
LibraryThing member Vesper1931
1941 Marlowe is employed by wealthy Pasadena widow Mrs Elizabeth Bright Murdock to retrieve the stolen Brasher Doubloon. Stolen she is convined by daughter-in-law Linda Conquest. A female she despises. Unfortunately for Marlowe he keeps on finding dead bodies. Can he solve the cases to his
An enjoyable and well-written mystery. A re-read.
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satisfaction.An enjoyable and well-written mystery. A re-read.
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LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: Marlowe is hired by an older woman to get back a rare coin from her daughter-in-law. He is not to tell her son. As Marlowe searches for the coin he finds three murders and a slightly crazy secretary. Review: Because of the dated language, I had some difficulty following what was happening
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in some instances. It was an average story; slightly interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
The High Window (1942) (Marlowe #3) by Raymond Chandler. Yet another superior outing from Chandler’s pen. This time Marlowe let’s himself be hired by a rich client looking to have something stolen from her returned. The thief might be the missing daughter-in-law in whom the client has serious
Marlowe does what he has to do and works hard to sort the needle of truth in the stack of lies presented to him. This story isn’t as convoluted as others in the series, although there are still plenty of plot twists and double-dealing, but you should be able to navigate it all without getting lost. And as always there is the beautiful wordage that marked Chandler far above many others who wrote in the noir style. That is the reason he is still relevant 80 years onward.
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issues. Before long murders and beatings, blackmail infidelity and other things along those lines start popping up. Ah, the complicated life of the rich. In his own way Mr. Chandler seems to be mocking the wealthy, pointing out their flaws and hidden skeletons. Marlowe does what he has to do and works hard to sort the needle of truth in the stack of lies presented to him. This story isn’t as convoluted as others in the series, although there are still plenty of plot twists and double-dealing, but you should be able to navigate it all without getting lost. And as always there is the beautiful wordage that marked Chandler far above many others who wrote in the noir style. That is the reason he is still relevant 80 years onward.
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LibraryThing member PilgrimJess
"From 30 feet away she looked like a lot of class. From 10 feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away"
"High Window is the third in the series and sees Philip Marlowe trying to track down a rare gold coin that was part of a collection left to a mean spirited and totally
A bit more of Marlowe's character is fleshed out in this book. We see that that under his hard shell lurks a big heart as he goes out of his way to help and take care of a seemingly innocent, long-suffering character. There seemed an added confidence in the writing which is as rich as ever, with some terrific descriptions of people and places, but I found it harder to engage with this one as much as I had the others. Marlowe is as hard-boiled, wise-cracking as ever but otherwise there aren't any really likeable characters in it. There is also a pervading cynicism throughout, intended I believe, that began to wear a bit thin towards the end. Despite that this book is worth reading for Chandler's writing style alone.
"High Window is the third in the series and sees Philip Marlowe trying to track down a rare gold coin that was part of a collection left to a mean spirited and totally
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unpleasant "dried up husk of a woman" who treats her highly strung secretary horribly, by her late husband.A bit more of Marlowe's character is fleshed out in this book. We see that that under his hard shell lurks a big heart as he goes out of his way to help and take care of a seemingly innocent, long-suffering character. There seemed an added confidence in the writing which is as rich as ever, with some terrific descriptions of people and places, but I found it harder to engage with this one as much as I had the others. Marlowe is as hard-boiled, wise-cracking as ever but otherwise there aren't any really likeable characters in it. There is also a pervading cynicism throughout, intended I believe, that began to wear a bit thin towards the end. Despite that this book is worth reading for Chandler's writing style alone.
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Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1942
Physical description
288 p.; 7.56 inches
ISBN
0140108939 / 9780140108934