"A dying millionaire hires private eye Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, and Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in."

"Raymond Chandler's first novel, published in 1939, introduces us to Philip Marlowe, a thirty-eight-old private detective moving through the seamy side of Los Angeles in the 1930s. The case involves a paralyzed California millionaire, two psychotic daughters, blackmail, and murder."

"In 1999, the book was included in Le Monde's "100 Books of the Century". In 2005, it was included in 'TIME's List of the 100 Best Novels'."

Please read: This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today.
"How much do we owe yesterday's literary greats? Enough to forgive them the racism, sexism, and homophobia that crops up in some of their work? I for one am inclined to be tolerant, since I recognize how much our culture has evolved in recent decades."