Series
Publication
BBC Books (2011), Edition: Unabridged, 1 pages
Original publication date
1943
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Mystery/Thriller — 2019)
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML:Crime fiction master Raymond Chandler's fourth novel featuring Philip Marlowe, the "quintessential urban private eye" (Los Angeles Times). In The Lady in the Lake, hardboiled crime fiction master Raymond Chandler brings us the story of a couple of missing wives�??one a rich man's and one a poor man's�??who have become the objects of Philip Marlowe's investigation. One of them may have gotten a Mexican divorce and married a gigolo and the other may be dead. Marlowe's not sure he cares about either one, but he's not paid to
User reviews
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
Cutting right to the chase, the fourth novel in Chandler's Marlowe series begins with a missing wife. Degrace Kingsley, a businessman in the perfume business, hires Marlowe to find his wife Crystal. Although they'd been "washed up for years," Kingsley needs Marlowe to find her to make sure she
Things in Los Angeles have changed a bit since the time of The High Window. Chandler makes a number of references to the war starting with the very first sentence of the novel, as a sidewalk in front of Kingsley's office building, made of "black and white rubber blocks" is being dismantled to go the government. Later, he notes that armed sentries are standing guard at the dam at Puma (read Big Bear) Lake, "at each end and one in the middle." Marlowe runs into a woman who walked to her destination to save her tires for the government. Men are waiting to hear about their enlistment. At the same time, some things have remained the same: crooked cops, murder, blackmail, illegal gambling and drugs are still in action in the city. There's another big difference in this book that sets it apart as well -- a good deal of action takes place away from LA, up in the mountains where life is much slower, where deer walk unimpeded, where people are actually nice, and where rudeness is conspicuous and not appreciated. It's an entirely different world, just a few hours' drive from the city.
The Lady in the Lake is quite intriguing, and although isn't my favorite of the Marlowe novels so far, Chandler is still very much on top of his game here. The same wisecracks and witty turns of phrase are still in play. Marlowe continues to try to hold on to his own moral compass while having to resort to less than ethical means to find the bad guys. And while there is a basic formula shared by all of these novels -- Marlowe being hired, Marlowe bumping into peripheral cases that somehow tie to his own investigations and get him into some sort of trouble -- each book is different in its own way. Normally when crime novels get formulaic I get bored. For some reason, that's just not the case with these books -- between Chandler's writing, his focus not just on Marlowe but the other characters as well, and the way he describes Marlowe's Los Angeles, I can't get enough.
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hasn't done anything scandalous to reflect back on him. The last time he knew Crystal's actual whereabouts was a month earlier, when she was staying at their cabin up at at Little Fawn Lake at Puma Point. Marlowe travels there, meets Kingsley's alcoholic caretaker, Bill Chess, whose wife has also disappeared. Not a believer in coincidence, Marlowe decides that he needs to look into both cases, and finds a lot more than he expected.Things in Los Angeles have changed a bit since the time of The High Window. Chandler makes a number of references to the war starting with the very first sentence of the novel, as a sidewalk in front of Kingsley's office building, made of "black and white rubber blocks" is being dismantled to go the government. Later, he notes that armed sentries are standing guard at the dam at Puma (read Big Bear) Lake, "at each end and one in the middle." Marlowe runs into a woman who walked to her destination to save her tires for the government. Men are waiting to hear about their enlistment. At the same time, some things have remained the same: crooked cops, murder, blackmail, illegal gambling and drugs are still in action in the city. There's another big difference in this book that sets it apart as well -- a good deal of action takes place away from LA, up in the mountains where life is much slower, where deer walk unimpeded, where people are actually nice, and where rudeness is conspicuous and not appreciated. It's an entirely different world, just a few hours' drive from the city.
The Lady in the Lake is quite intriguing, and although isn't my favorite of the Marlowe novels so far, Chandler is still very much on top of his game here. The same wisecracks and witty turns of phrase are still in play. Marlowe continues to try to hold on to his own moral compass while having to resort to less than ethical means to find the bad guys. And while there is a basic formula shared by all of these novels -- Marlowe being hired, Marlowe bumping into peripheral cases that somehow tie to his own investigations and get him into some sort of trouble -- each book is different in its own way. Normally when crime novels get formulaic I get bored. For some reason, that's just not the case with these books -- between Chandler's writing, his focus not just on Marlowe but the other characters as well, and the way he describes Marlowe's Los Angeles, I can't get enough.
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LibraryThing member copyedit52
The first Chandler I read, and afterward I methodically read all the others, often more than once. So this has to get five stars, if only for sentimental reasons.
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Another excellent installment in the Philip Marlowe series. There are some familiar workings in this one as there are in all the books, but it doesn’t feel repetitive or boring. I love to watch his tradecraft, hear his quips and wonder what he’ll find behind that slightly open door (a body?
“I gobbled what they called the regular dinner, drank a brandy to sit on its chest and hold it down…” p 49
“I decided I could lose nothing by the soft approach. If that didn’t produce for me - and I didn’t think it would - nature could take its course and we could bust up the furniture.” p 80
“After a long time his words came. They came through tight teeth and edgeways, and they scraped a little as they came out.” p 186
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evidence of a fight? a woman with a gun? all three?). Trying to spot the liars, cheats and backstabbers is what makes these so fun. Part of the solution was easy to spot and I did, but some weren’t. The Degarmo/Mildred angle wasn’t and because it was so out of the blue, it seemed strange. I guess if I’d been paying more attention I might have spotted it, but since it didn’t really connect well it still jars. Doesn’t matter though; the story as a whole hung together well and was full of the usual gems -“I gobbled what they called the regular dinner, drank a brandy to sit on its chest and hold it down…” p 49
“I decided I could lose nothing by the soft approach. If that didn’t produce for me - and I didn’t think it would - nature could take its course and we could bust up the furniture.” p 80
“After a long time his words came. They came through tight teeth and edgeways, and they scraped a little as they came out.” p 186
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LibraryThing member dh-writer
I figured out the ending early on. That did not make the story less enjoyable. Chandler always transports me to another time and place. His time. His place. And Marlowe. You can't go wrong.
LibraryThing member milboy
A lady whose name is Crystal didn't come back.
Where is she?
A detective tried to find her. But he found other people dead who had been related with her.
what's happened?
I was interested in the introduction.
So I chose to read this book.
But there are too many characters in this book.
It was difficult
And the ending was complicated.
I'm unsatisfied with it.
Where is she?
A detective tried to find her. But he found other people dead who had been related with her.
what's happened?
I was interested in the introduction.
So I chose to read this book.
But there are too many characters in this book.
It was difficult
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for me to memorize their names.And the ending was complicated.
I'm unsatisfied with it.
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LibraryThing member caerulius
Philip Marlowe, of The Big Sleep has a new case- he has to find the missing socialite wife of a perfumier... but along the way he discovers another missing woman and a string of shady characters.
Reading Raymond Chandler is a lot like watching Bogart film noir (perhaps, because Bogart film noir is
And as a narrator, he's first rate. Funny, dry, witty, tough, and sly.
Highly recommended.
Reading Raymond Chandler is a lot like watching Bogart film noir (perhaps, because Bogart film noir is
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usually based on Chandler's books... hm). Anyway, the style is fun to read, the mystery is truly mysetrious, by which I mean you can't figure it out within the first ten pages; it really does twist and turn to the point that you figure it out about the time Marlowe does. He's not consciously oblivious the way many lit detectives can be, to make a mystery seem more complex than it really is. And as a narrator, he's first rate. Funny, dry, witty, tough, and sly.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member donaldgallinger
The Lady in the Lake is one of Chandler's best. Philip Marlowe finds a body--but whose body is it? Laced with Chandler's wry commentary on everything from rich dames to down and out war veterans, this book is an absolute delight from the first page to the last. Classic Chandler. Sharp, funny, full
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of surprising twists, and always the most original prose around. Highest recommendation for an American "noir" novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member WillyMammoth
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can see that, when these short stories were written, Chandler was still trying to get his Marlowe character down pat. Little details—like the kind of sidearm he wears—changes from story to story. But overall it’s a minor gripe. The stories are all quite good
I shouldn't have to tell you what I thought of this book (given my other Chandler reviews). Of course I thought I was the bomb-diggity. It's not his best work, nor should a Chandler newbie pick this one up right off the bat, but it's still a good read.
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(4 in all). I enjoyed “Gold Fish” the most. I won’t try to do any regurgitation of plot, but all the stories involve murders, money, and gun-wielding dames that may or may not have a heart of gold. And of course, all of them are narrated by the quintessential private eye, Philip Marlowe.I shouldn't have to tell you what I thought of this book (given my other Chandler reviews). Of course I thought I was the bomb-diggity. It's not his best work, nor should a Chandler newbie pick this one up right off the bat, but it's still a good read.
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LibraryThing member auntieknickers
This is the second Chandler novel I've read. I found it more satisfying than [book: The Long Goodbye] -- although it's just occurred to me that there's a major plot point that is very similar in the two books. Chandler's wise-cracking private eye, Philip Marlowe, is hired to investigate the
I read this book for the DorothyL Book Discussion, where we're reading and discussing a classic work of detective fiction every month.
I also watched the movie version of this book, which was made in 1947 starring and directed by Robert Montgomery. Don't bother. The writing (not by Chandler) is terrible and the plot has been jiggered; a completely pointless Christmas theme (original set in high summer) makes it even worse.
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disappearance of a rich man's wife. When a woman turns up dead in the lake near the rich man's mountain cottage, the case seems on its way to a solution. But Marlowe keeps investigating, finding more bodies, dealing with corrupt and violent police, and at last coming to the true solution. Reading this at the same time as the Katherine Hall Page books I recently reviewed engendered some ruminations on the differences between the "cozy" traditional mystery, much scorned by Chandler, and the "hard-boiled" and sometimes noir private-eye series like Chandler's, Hammett's, and John D. MacDonald's. My conclusion is that it's the latter that is really the "escapist" fiction, more so than the "cozy" (a term "cozy" writers hate). Marlowe and his ilk lead lives very different from those of most of their readers. In [book: The Lady in the Lake] Marlowe never even seems to sleep, much less have to deal with other mundane tasks, nor does he have any friends or family to care for or even relate to. The usual amateur sleuth in a traditional mystery has to hold down a job, either paid or unpaid, care for family and friends, and often maintain a marriage or romance, while solving a crime. This brings to mind the line that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but did it backwards and in high heels!I read this book for the DorothyL Book Discussion, where we're reading and discussing a classic work of detective fiction every month.
I also watched the movie version of this book, which was made in 1947 starring and directed by Robert Montgomery. Don't bother. The writing (not by Chandler) is terrible and the plot has been jiggered; a completely pointless Christmas theme (original set in high summer) makes it even worse.
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LibraryThing member clong
Warning....spoilers ahead....DON'T READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK.
I like Chandler a lot...I like the atmosphere and tone of his writing. I like his dialogue; I like his descriptive language; I like Marlowe as a character; I like his characters in general. As someone who grew up in
Having said all that, I felt like I may have enjoyed reading this book more than it really deserved. A couple of plot turns seemed too obvious and others left me scratching my head. In particular, I found the idea that Mildred Haviland would have become Muriel Chess to be entirely incongruous, and I was in retrospect baffled by Al Degarmo's actions in the final stages of the story (which made for plenty of drama, but again felt out of character).
I like Chandler a lot...I like the atmosphere and tone of his writing. I like his dialogue; I like his descriptive language; I like Marlowe as a character; I like his characters in general. As someone who grew up in
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LA, I also find the setting of his novels fascinating.Having said all that, I felt like I may have enjoyed reading this book more than it really deserved. A couple of plot turns seemed too obvious and others left me scratching my head. In particular, I found the idea that Mildred Haviland would have become Muriel Chess to be entirely incongruous, and I was in retrospect baffled by Al Degarmo's actions in the final stages of the story (which made for plenty of drama, but again felt out of character).
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LibraryThing member MColv9890
It's known mostly for its great use of metaphor. The cowboy character that crops up at the end is one of Chandler's finest creations. This is a damn fine read and falls just below The Long Goodbye and The Big Sleep.
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 tomoyoh
I have been intersted in police and detective since I was a child .
The work of detective is certainly very hard and dangerous .
But after reading this , I thought more and more detective is very important .
And I also think I want to save people like them .
The work of detective is certainly very hard and dangerous .
But after reading this , I thought more and more detective is very important .
And I also think I want to save people like them .
LibraryThing member alexrichman
Some silly twists, but they probably help to make this such a compelling, cinematic story with a strong supporting cast.
LibraryThing member felius
The first "noir" book I've read. I quite enjoyed it! Chandler's writing puts you right in Marlowe's head, which is an interesting place to be. Short, economical sentences combine with vivid - almost poetic - imagery, matching Marlowe's rough surface and surprising depth. The plot was pleasantly
I think I might have to track down some more of this and give it a go.
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tangled - enough to keep you on your toes, but not so much that you stop caring.I think I might have to track down some more of this and give it a go.
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LibraryThing member AlecBaker
Mr. Derace Kingsley has a job for Philip Marlowe. Marlowe shall find his wife, Mrs. Crystal Kingsley. She’s been gone for a whole month. She mailed a message that she’s crossing to get a Mexican divorce. But the day before yesterday Mr. Kingsley met the guy his wife wanted to marry, in
The Lady in the Lake is a great crime novel by Raymond Chandler from 1943. People smoke cigarettes and drink scotch whiskey. Philip Marlowe is the central character and shows the world of Raymond Chandler in the first person and a narrative writing style.
The Lady in the Lake is a must read for everybody who like crime novels.
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according to the message she mailed. And this guy hadn’t any idea about that. Three murders later is the case solved by Philip Marlowe, the private detective from L.A.The Lady in the Lake is a great crime novel by Raymond Chandler from 1943. People smoke cigarettes and drink scotch whiskey. Philip Marlowe is the central character and shows the world of Raymond Chandler in the first person and a narrative writing style.
The Lady in the Lake is a must read for everybody who like crime novels.
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LibraryThing member nyakyakyanya
this book was a murder story. I couldn't enjoy reading this book, because there were too many charactor to understand the story. Things I understood ware love has a big power, jeaiousy has a horrible power. for those power, people kill other peole.
LibraryThing member simonaries
Chandler in good form. The two blonds disappearing on the same day is a bit of a giveaway.
LibraryThing member ruthich
One of Chandler's best with the usual sultry women, shady men and tragic ending
LibraryThing member Mducman
I'll return to Chandler's novels again and again. His prose and the hard-boiled world-weariness of Marlowe go down as smoothly as a good bourbon. Lady in the Lake is a good example of a Chandler plot that ends up being a bit convoluted, yet somehow, Chandler still manages to keep it grounded and
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believable. Show Less
LibraryThing member KurtWombat
Chandler's Philip Marlowe is the ultimate world weary detective, here conveyed via a serpentine plot. Almost poetic descriptions and deft characterizations lift this above the genre Chandler helped create. All Chandler is good, this sets about middle of the pack for his writing. The Long Goodbye
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being my favorite. A Los Angeles location of swank pads of the wealthy and seedy hotels where the rick rendevous with their dark appetites and the long dark streets and usually lead through empty streets and into the hills above LA...away from the lights and the police and often morality. A missing wife leads to another missing wife that may be linked or simply not what they seem. Who we are is often not limited to the name we carry. Show Less
LibraryThing member defrog
Chandler pretty much invented the hardboiled detective, but he did it with a sense of poetic language that few of his successors have managed to pull off, which makes him a better read. Plotwise, this one’s not quite as captivating as, say, The Long Goodbye, but it still holds up well and is a
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very rewarding read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Leischen
Hired to find a rich man's missing wife, Marlowe starts the case by finding the body of a different missing wife. Hard boiled classic with the trademark Marlowe cracks.
LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
Another great read from Raymond Chandler! Five pages in and I was hooked and addicted! This story moves fast - once the body is found in the lake, the search intensifies! And with poor alibis, confused identities, and a dedicated Marlowe hot on the trail, the action is whip snap! I love the way
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Chandler writes, and a sentence like, "I gobbled what they called the regular dinner, drank a brandy to sit on its chest and hold it down, and went out on the main street.", just leaves me in awe of his writing. I'm so glad I haven't read every one of his books - yet! Show Less
LibraryThing member Hexum2600
A solid Marlowe novel despite having a couple parts of the resolution I wasn't a fan of.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1408427656 / 9781408427651
Physical description
1 p.; 12 x 5 inches
Pages
1