[BelleZora]

Powers Boothe was a credible Philip Marlowe in the 1983 HBO series.

I adore Philip Marlowe but it was an accumulative affection that grew to awareness with books after The Big Sleep. Still, one must begin at the beginning.

Goodbye My Lovely is one of my favorite books ever despite the casual racism infecting too many books of earlier eras. It is also marred by an imperfect melding of short stories, as is The Big Sleep, but the language is the most beautiful I've ever found in the mystery genre. I don't recall Chandler's poetic abilities much on display in this month's selection.

In a good series, the development of a fascinating character is the charm of it all. I will read anything featuring Harry Bosch, Dave Robicheaux, Matt Scudder, and Philip Marlowe.

As noted by Issybird, the Marlowe books are dated. But that is not a negative for me. They are time capsules to an earlier Los Angeles.

Edit: I should have written that the language in Goodbye My Lovely is the most beautiful of the mystery genre except for the best of James Lee Burke.