I've been quite busy the past couple of months, and just finished this today. I found the first 1/3 slow going, but the rest hard to put down.
Years ago I read someone say that with Chandler after you've read a book, you're still not sure who did it and what happened. In this case, it is not clear to me why Terry left the country and faked his own death. He said in the last chapter that he was in a jam, but what was the jam?
For me, Chandler is all about the mood, not the plot. That is even more true with Ross MacDonald, who wrote the same book over and over.
I have read a great many Chandler short stories since the first of the year, all of which were written before his Marlowe novels. The Long Goodbye was his last work. I was surprised that I did not find his writing much improved after twenty years in the business. I intend to continue on with his short stories and other novels in the near future.
By the way, I was surprised that here Marlowe engaged in sexual activity. I read all of Chandler's works in 1973, and I didn't recall any of that.
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