Marlowe: A Novel (Philip Marlowe Series) (Paperback)
Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe returns in award-winning author John Banville’s Marlowe—originally published as The Black-Eyed Blonde under the pen name Benjamin Black—the basis for the major motion picture starring Liam Neeson as the iconic detective.
"Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room."
—Stephen King
"It was one of those Tuesday afternoons in summer when you wonder if the earth has stopped revolving."
The streets of Bay City, California, in the early 1950s are as mean as they get. Marlowe is as restless and lonely as ever, and the private eye business is a little slow. Then a new client is shown in: blond, beautiful, and expensively dressed, she wants Marlowe to find her former lover.
Almost immediately, Marlowe discovers that the man's disappearance is merely the first in a series of bewildering events. Soon he is tangling with one of Bay City's richest and most ruthless families—and developing a singular appreciation for how far they will go to protect their fortune.
“It’s vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville’s sense of fun.”
—The Washington Post
Benjamin Black is the pen name of the Man Booker Prize-winning novelist John Banville. Black's books include The Black-Eyed Blonde, Christine Falls, The Silver Swan, among others. He lives in Dublin.
“A bull's-eye.” —The New York Times
“Somewhere Raymond Chandler is smiling . . . I loved this book. It was like having an old friend, one you assumed was dead, walk into the room.” —Stephen King
“Banville has revived Chandler's legendary PI Philip Marlowe in a new adventure . . . A perfume heiress hires the shamus to investigate the disappearance of her lover, and the mystery soon opens up under him like a sinkhole . . . [Banville] manages to nail not only Marlowe's voice, but his soul.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Banville channeling Chandler is irresistible—a double whammy of a mystery. Hard to think anyone could add to Chandler with profitable results. But Banville most definitely gets it done.” —Richard Ford
“Terrific fun . . . [Marlowe] could be passed off as a newly discovered Chandler manuscript found in some dusty La Jolla closet . . . Any fan of Chandler's work is going to enjoy it.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Half the pleasure of this book, at least for a Chandler fan, is to notice Banville getting the little things right . . . Against a dozen other detective novels on my desk, I'll take a Raymond Chandler any day of the week, even when its written by somebody else—assuming that somebody is [John Banville].” —All Things Considered, NPR
“It's vintage L.A., toots: The hot summer, rain on the asphalt, the woman with the lipstick, cigarette ash and alienation, V8 coupes, tough guys, snub-nosed pistols, the ice melting in the bourbon . . . The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville's sense of fun.” —The Washington Post
“I opened the book hopefully—and I closed it entirely satisfied, even thrilled . . . It's all there, the Chandler voice: the crisply detailed description and sly similes that set a scene precisely, the world-weary bemusement of the narrator, his gimlet eye for the ladies and the delicately ominous foreshadowing . . . It's clear Banville does love Marlowe, and he's reminded me why I love him, too.” —Tampa Bay Times
“From its pitch-perfect opening sentences, [John Banville's] channeling of Raymond Chandler is one of the season's best mysteries.” —The San Francisco Chronicle
“I was impressed by the plotting of [Marlowe], its perfect pacing and use of misdirection . . . Banville nails the spoiled L.A. atmosphere that is Chandler's forte.” —Salon.com
“A tremendously fun and diverting tale . . . The author of a somber but beautifully written series of mysteries set in the same era as Chandler's novels, [Banville] was a savvy choice for the job. His nimble plotting drives [Marlowe] . . . Marlowe, however, remains the undisputed star of the show, a hardened, magnetic presence.” —Page Views, New York Daily News
“All of the essential ingredients are there, afloat in a tumbler of Santa Monica sleaze . . . But Mr. [Banville] can also make words do things Chandler could only dream of . . . The fun lies in watching two styles tangle . . . With an artfulness worthy of the original, Mr. [Banville] has made it new, though he doesn't forget whom he owes.” —The New York Observer
“What [Banville] captures in Chandler's voice is the weary twist of ambivalence . . . That baseline of doubt, the whiff of regret and then betrayal, form the essential atmosphere of noir fiction. And [Banville] gets that exactly right.” —The Oregonian
“Banville has largely perfected Chandler's much-mimicked, seldom-bettered knack for similes and one-liners . . . Best of all, though, he conjures the world-weary loneliness of Chandler's creation, a character who, in just seven novels, the world saw far too little of. [Banville] clearly loves writing this and the fun he's having—his affection for Chandler's world—shines through . . . Entirely irresistible.” —The Guardian
“[Marlowe] is probably better than an actual Chandler: more coherent, and more consistent, more careful. Banville is simply a more elegant writer. Chandler was a metaphorical rogue trader; Banville is a class act.” —The New Statesman (UK)
“[The fact that] this novel is so enjoyable is a testament to the effectiveness of the formula that Chandler laboured so hard to perfect.” —The Telegraph (UK)
“Seen as a crime novel in its own right it is a cut above anything else out there.” —The Irish Times
“[Banville's] Marlowe caper is in a separate league. It is wonderful, an affectionate tribute and a labour of love that is sure to please Chandler devotees and endear new audiences.” —The National (Abu Dhabi)
“[Banville] skillfully references Chandler characters … [and] remarkably, he seems to channel Chandler's cadence with pithy dialogue, beautifully drawn characters, and a satisfyingly convoluted plot.” —Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
“Banville brings Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe back to full-blooded life—complete with inner turmoil and honest, hard-boiled dialogue. This is not a pastiche, but the real deal, kicked up a notch with clever traces of irony. It's tightly plotted, has its share of blunt violence and wise-cracks, as well as descriptions of L.A. that puncture the city's elaborate façade. Banville has been compared to Joyce, and this novel confirms the comparison. You'll find memorable passages that demand to be read aloud. [Banville's prose] captures perfectly the melancholy soul of Philip Marlowe.” —Zoom Street Magazine
“Despite Robert B. Parker's lengthy experience in the PI genre, his sequel to The Big Sleep, Perchance to Dream, pales in comparison with [Banville's] pitch-perfect recreation of the character and his time and place. As for the language, [Banville] nails Chandler's creative and memorable similes and metaphors.... While the mystery is well-plotted, [Banville] elevates it beyond mere thoughtful homage with a plausible injection of emotion in his wounded lead.” —Publishers Weekly (boxed and starred review)
“Banville offers a stylish homage to Raymond Chandler in this tightly written caper . . . The focus . . . is on style and mood, and the Irishman, perhaps surprisingly, nails both. The homage game is a tricky game to play, but [Banville] makes all the right moves. Great fun for Chandlerians.” —Booklist
“[Banville] . . . deliver[s] a more complex and satisfying mystery than other authors have done in the past. This latest incarnation of Chandler's sleuth with appeal to fans of Chandler and Marlowe, but newcomers to one of the first great PIs in crime fiction will find much to enjoy here as well.” —Library Journal
“A treat for fans.” —Kirkus Reviews
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