Good Lord, ‘Five Red Herrings’ (1931) has a lot of logistical details
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): If you want layers beyond the pure mystery puzzle, you might find the sixth Wimsey novel to be a slog.
Books
Good Lord, ‘Five Red Herrings’ (1931) has a lot of logistical details
‘Keeper of Enchanted Rooms’ (2022) and the dreariness of coziness
Book club book report: There’s safety in magical cliches, but not in risky romance; the latter thread is the only reason to read the book.
‘Simple Art of Murder’ (1950) has overly complex street-level mysteries
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Not as accessible as the Marlowe novels, this collection is worth reading for Chandler’s titular essay.
Parker takes the baton from Chandler in refreshing ‘Poodle Springs’ (1988)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): One of the most successful authors inspired by Chandler gets his own crack at Marlowe by finishing “The Poodle Springs Story.”
Chandler salvages screenplay for one more Marlowe novel, ‘Playback’ (1958)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Though it’s the slightest Marlowe novel, it still gives us the goods we’ve come to expect.
Marlowe actually makes friends in ‘The Long Goodbye’ (1953)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): However, that doesn’t turn his life or his job into a breeze in Raymond Chandler’s meatiest novel.
‘House of Leaves’ (2000) as fleeting as, well, a house of leaves
Book club book report: Still, the unusual format and decent character building make this bizarre, fantastical journey worth checking out.
People aren’t what they seem in ‘The Little Sister’ (1949)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This decent mystery is a stronger character piece and behavior analysis from Chandler.
‘Lost Stories’ (2005) gathers Hammett’s hidden gems; plus, it’s a biography
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): In addition to unearthing worthy stories, editor Vince Emery chronicles the author’s life.
‘Woman in the Dark’ (1933) gets murkier in 1934 film adaptation
Sleuthing Sunday (Book and movie reviews): Hammett’s experiment with blending crime and romance is worth reading, but the film doesn’t rise above a curiosity.