Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe

by Robert Crais, Loren D. Estleman, Sara Paretsky

Originally published a decade ago and now expanded, this book is a homage to the greatest detective story writer of the 20th century, an Anglo-American who took Los Angeles, his adopted home, off the road maps and into the land of legend. For Raymond Chandler, who died in 1959, his literary descendants will do just about anything, and that includes contributing to an anthology honoring him. Thus, in here we find the likes of Sara Paretsky, Robert Crais, Loren D. Estleman, Jonathan Valin, Robert Campbell, Eric Van Lustbader, Simon Brett, Julie Smith, Jeremiah Healy, Roger L. Simon, James Grady, and numerous others creating stories in the style of Chandler and in the voice of Marlowe. But, as editor Byron Preiss remarks, "The contributors of this book are here to honor Chandler, not to steal from him."He also says, "Many would not be the writers they are had not Chandler followed Hammett and Cain down the back alley of fiction into the realm of art." That's certainly a succinctly expressive summation. Moreover, today the idea of the "mean streets" that Chandler wished the best heroes to traverse is one that has, perhaps more than ever before, seized the imagination of the public when it comes to popular entertainment. What's old is new again, as they say, and in this case that means noir.In an introduction by Robert B. Parker--who himself finished the incomplete Chandler novel Poodle Springs (1990)--we learn the essentials of Chandler's life (the British public school education, the wife who was 18 years older than he, etc.). But in the stories essayed here we get the effects of an imagined world that has become an entire universe.Among the many included are tales of the Thelma Todd murder scandal by Max Allan Collins; of Dr. Seuss's missing watercolors by Robert L. Simon; of a pro wrestler called The Crusher by Jonathan Valin; and of the ancient jeweled skull that was the inspiration for Hammett's Maltese Falcon by Dick Lochte.Two new stories, not in the earlier edition of this volume, are by Simon, creator of Moses Wine, and J. Madison Davis, the author of Red Knight and White Rook and president of the North American Association of International Crime Writers.Finally, there is an afterword by Chandler scholar and biographer Frank McShane. And, yes, the real Raymond Chandler is here too, represented by the story "The Pencil," in which that particular writing instrument turns out to be one gift you never want to receive. This book is not quite the real thing; it can't be. But it's as close as you could hope to find. --Otto PenzlerFrom Library JournalPhilip Marlowe is arguably the most popular and influential character in American hard-boiled detective fiction. There is a little bit of the wise-cracking, incorruptible Marlowe in just about every detective that followed since he made his debut in Chandler's The Big Sleep in 1939. To commemorate Chandler's 1988 centenary, 25 of today's top mystery writers, e.g., Max Allan Collins, Sara Paretsky, and Loren Estleman, offer their take on Marlowe. The collection is nicely capped with Chandler's own last Marlowe story, "The Pencil." Marlowe's popularity has waned very little, so this should circulate well.

Genres: Short Stories

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2011

About the author

Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. A native of Louisiana, he grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a blue collar family of oil refinery workers and police officers. He purchased a secondhand paperback of Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister when he was fifteen, which inspired his lifelong love of writing, Los Angeles, and the literature of crime fiction. Other literary influences include Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker, and John Steinbeck.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person’ narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was somewhat underwhelmed by this collection of Marlowe stories, many from some well known crime and mystery authors. Dealer's Choice by Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski series, is one standout worth mentioning, but not, I think, by itself worth the price of admission.

[Bill Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had set this book aside for a while intending to read it. I had read all of Raymond Chandler's short stories and novels. The reason I picked this book was that it contained one short story by Raymond Chandler I had not read before called "The Pencil" (1959).

I enjoyed this book very much. It contains 26 different short stories written by different authors. The book is the result of a project put together by Byron Preiss in 1988. He had invited about 25 different contemporary authors of detective fiction to write a story in the Chandler style with Philip Marlowe as the main character in the story. Undoubtedly, Preiss invited authors who were already familiar with Raymond Chandler and may have given them all some framework for their stories because all of the stories use the same idiosyncrasies of Marlowe and the same backdrop.

Some of the authors were able to mimic Chandler's style better than others. All of the authors stories include a conclusion to the story written by the individual author as to the impact that Chandler's writing had on their own lives. Naturally, some of the stories I liked better than others but I believe all of the stories were good.

If you are a fan of Raymond Chandler, I highly recommend this book. The book is like a love fest of Philip Marlowe and the Chandler writing style. In addition to this, there may be at least one or two authors work which catches your eye where you want to read more of their works.

[MH · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of over twenty Philip Marlowe stories written in the 1980s. Even though the contributors are all successful mystery writers, mimicking Chandler is kind of a fool's errand - it's a tough voice to write well without slipping into parody, laundry lists of period references, or self-conscious fan fiction, and almost every story contains an untrustworthy client, a dangerous sexpot, and a scene where Marlowe gets knocked unconscious. The better stories lean into one aspect of Chandler's voice (the melancholy, the wry wit, the tough guy banter), and some writers have crafted plots that try to deal with issues of the period (Marlowe and HUAC, Marlowe and Japanese internment, and a few stories where he meets historical celebrities - a few Hollywood types, Bertolt Brecht, and Raymond Chandler - twice!); others try to do something different with the story (Marlowe taking a Hemingway-esque Mexican trip; Marlowe in The Petrified Forest) - honestly, none of them are wholly successful, and some are just awful. But despite that, many of the stories are fun reads, and the authors each contributed an appreciation of Chandler which are often heartfelt, moving and insightful.

[Robert Layfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected, but good never the less

I'm not sure what I was supposed to look for when reading these short stories, which I usually avoid as I prefer novels, but I simply enjoyed the stories without analysing or comparing to other mysteries or other main characters. The comments were interesting and I will probably make an effort to find and read as many of Raymond Chandler's Marlowe books as I can. Being of the age to have discovered mysteries with John D McDonald and others of his era, I'm certain I will spend many pleasurable hours losing myself in Marlowe's world.

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable reading and insight

This was not a volume that I had to seek, it was suggested tome based on another readers recommendation after my reading of the last Chandler novel. I believed that I had read all of Chandler, but not so fast, how about imitators? Of course this is a memorial and an imitation. Since I had read all of Chandler, this perfectly topped off my experience. Thanks for the great read as well as the authors comments.

[Obj · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new appreciation of humanity

Aside from the great writing and pure entertainment, I believe the the answer and cure for what is wrong with the world today is in this anthology.

[Jesse Deleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection for everyone!

A great introduction if you have never read a Raymond Chandler book or story. And if you have enjoy! A fan.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable decade by decade authors takes on Marlowe shorts. Some better than others. Style observance by most writers give it a A-. Great concept and execution.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+

[Squeaky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stories!
My first book read in 2024!

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all anthologies. Some good, some bad.

[Cathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did I manage to live so long without Philip Marlowe? He's the coolest. And, it was such a pleasure to read a book without editing mistakes.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful read.